Long-tail Liability
One where an injury or other harm takes time to become known and a claim may be separated from the circumstances that caused it by as many as 25 years or more. Some examples: exposure to asbestos, which sometimes results in a lung disease called asbestos; exposure to coal dust, which might cause black lung disease; or use of certain drugs that may cause cancer or birth defects. These long-tail liabilities became very expensive for many corporations in the 1970s and 1980s, also causing problems for insurers because it was unclear when the situation that gave rise to the claim happened and who should pay the claim. One theory, the MANIFESTATION/INJURY THEORY, states that the insurer is responsible whenever the disease is diagnosed. The other view, the OCCURRENCE/INJURY THEORY, states that the insurer must pay only when the person is injured.
Popular Insurance Terms
Service under the auspices of the medical information bureau (MIB) that provides the insurance company with nonmedical information concerning the APPLICANT for DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE. ...
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Failure of an insurance company to offer similar insurance coverages at comparable premium rates to all individuals or groups with the same underwriting characteristics. Such discriminatory ...
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Provision of a property insurance policy which covers conditions usually present in a particular location. For example, there is an inherent risk of explosion in a flour mill. ...
Special-purpose health insurance policy that covers an insured for accidents while traveling. The policy may cover the insured for one specific trip or one particular type of travel, or it ...
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