Avoid the Insurance Haters

We've all run into insurance haters. They're the neighbors who complain when their auto insurance rates rise after they've received yet another speeding ticket. They're the homeowners who criticize their insurance provider every time they have to send in a payment to keep their homeowners insurance policy current. And they're the patients who bitterly criticize their insurer every time their co-pay jumps $5.

There's one thing, though, that insurance haters refuse to acknowledge: Health, auto, homeowners and life insurance provides them with valuable financial protection. Without it, these insurance haters can be in for a world of hurt.

Consider the insurance hater who breaks her leg during her annual ski vacation in Utah. What if this insurance hater didn't have health insurance? She'd be facing a huge medical bill for her trip to the emergency room. Instead, thanks in part because she pays a relatively modest co-pay of $20 to $30 every time she sees her doctor, she'll pay a fraction of the charges that her medical care requires.

And what about the insurance hater who's always complaining about how expensive his homeowners insurance payment is? What if this hater's home is gutted by an electrical fire. Thanks to insurance payments that this homeowner makes, his insurance company will cover most of the costs of replacing everything that was damaged or destroyed by this fire. His insurer will even pay to lodge him and his family in a nearby hotel. Again, this is nice service for a relatively low monthly or twice-a-year insurance payment.

The insurance haters don't understand that while no one likes to make an insurance payment, most people understand that taking out insurance is a form of financial protection. No one really wants to have to use their auto, health or homeowners insurance. But you can bet that people appreciate their insurance policies when a disaster, accident or health emergency pops up.

The insurance haters might never understand the real value of their insurance policies. Fortunately, most people do realize that those insurance payments may one day pay off big.