Home Insurance Research Articles

Understanding homeowner proactive actions for managing wildfire risks

Wildfires have become increasing threats to residents, built environments, and ecosystems in the USA. Individual responsibility plays an important role in reducing structure-level ignitability, and in turn, overall community vulnerability. When wildfire cannot be completely prevented through risk reduction efforts, homeowners insurance can serve as the second line of defense by allowing homeowners to transfer risk. To understand homeowner decisions on wildfire-related proactive actions and the effects of such decisions on the housing recovery, this study conducted an online survey of homeowners living at high to extreme risk of wildfire in the Western United States and collected data related to two types of proactive actions: individual-level risk reduction actions and homeowners insurance. First, a regression model for each proactive action was estimated to identify key characteristics of homeowners and house/property that had the greatest impact. The results indicated that homeowner age and household income were the two common factors affecting their decisions about home hardening and insurance policies, while the only statistically significant factor in homeowner decisions about defensible space was satisfaction with the surrounding environment (e.g., scenic beauty, privacy). Moreover, the effects of each proactive action on the housing recovery process were evaluated. The results showed that home hardening was a more effective action in reducing wildfire damage to a house than defensible space was, which was consistent with homeowner perception. The survey results also indicated that homeowners with insurance were less likely to experience post-wildfire financial hardship, and subsequently were more likely to repair their damaged houses.

Disparities in Speech and Language Delay Among Children With Aural Atresia.

To describe risk factors for speech and language delay in a diverse population of children with aural atresia. Retrospective chart review was performed from 2012 to 2020 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital to identify children with aural atresia evaluated for speech, language, or auditory skills delays. Ninety-five children with aural atresia, conductive hearing loss, and assessment of speech, language, or auditory skills delay were included. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed to identify predictors of speech and language delay. Cohort and case-control analyses were performed to determine risk factors for delayed intervention, and for ultimate delays in speech, language, or auditory skills. Children exhibited a wide diversity of race/ethnicity, primary home language, geography, and insurance status. Eighty-nine percent had unilateral aural atresia. Forty-eight percent had delays in speech, language, or auditory skills. Most children used hearing aids (84%), had educational accommodations (84%), and received speech therapy (63%). In a univariate retrospective cohort analysis, public-insured ( p = 0.004), non-English speaking ( p = 0.002) and non-white/non-Hispanic children ( p = 0.007) were found to be significantly less likely to be fit with hearing aids in infancy. Children with delays were fit with hearing aids at later ages. In a multivariate case-control analysis, primary home language was a significant predictor for presence of delays [OR, 3.9 (95% CI: 1.2-13.2), p = 0.03]. Disparities due to insurance type, primary language, and race/ethnicity are associated with delays in hearing aid fitting for children with aural atresia. Earlier, hearing amplification is correlated with reduced risk for speech, language, and auditory skills delay. These findings can help identify at-risk children for targeted support.

Role of insurance in wildfire risk mitigation

With wildfire-risk rising globally, the role of home insurance continues to remain under-studied in the search for mechanisms to mitigate loss from wildfire. This study investigates whether insurance policies effectively discourage homeownership in fire-prone zones. Using zip-code level data from Los Angeles between 2011 and 2018, we employ linear regression, GMM and machine-learning to examine the extent to which wildfire-risk impacts FAIR plan vis-a-vis market insurance. Results indicate that insurance policies do not effectively disincentivize homeowners away from high-risk zones which is novel to the existing literature. This is because the marginal impact of wildfire-risk on both insurance premiums, is relatively lower compared to other factors, especially for private insurance. Moderate-to-high risk areas continue to remain underinsured. Evidence of underinsurance was found in racially diverse neighborhoods. Recommendations include designing policies such that difference in risk-premium reflects difference in wildfire-risk to discourage homeownership in high-risk zones.

The Demand for Home and Property Insurance in Nigeria

The Demand for Home and Property Insurance in Nigeria

A Pantheology of Pandemic: Sex, Race, Nature, and the Virus

A Pantheology of Pandemic: Sex, Race, Nature, and the Virus

The effect of relationship marketing on customer satisfaction in insurance agencies

The research aims to determine the effect of relational marketing on customer satisfaction in insurance agencies. The research is a quantitative study, and the survey method was used. The applied questionnaire was composed of scales whose reliability and validity was proven in the literature. In this context, the data for the research was obtained by questionnaire from consumers in Antalya between September-November 2019 and using home or car insurance services in insurance agencies. The data obtained from the questionnaires conducted with 461 participants were evaluated in the SPSS 25.0 package program, and regression analyses were carried out in line with the research purpose. First, the scale was subjected to factor analysis, and Cronbach Alpha values were calculated. According to the results, the scale is reliable and valid. Then, the means of the scale items were calculated. According to the results of the mean analysis, it can be said that the perceptions of the participants regarding the competence of the insurance agency they receive service from are higher than the other dimensions. According to the results of the regression analysis, trust, communication commitment, and competence, which are four dimensions of relational marketing in insurance agencies, have a positive effect on customer satisfaction.

Typology of Human Mobility and Immobility for Disaster Risk Reduction: Exploratory Case Study in Hillsborough County, Florida

Disaster induced and climate related migration and displacement are a crucial issue in the era of climate change. Particularly, human mobility, immobility, and trapped populations are forms of proactive or inactive responses to those negative disturbances. The authors hypothesize that human immobility is deeply rooted in socio-geographical factors such as income, home rental or ownership, insurance coverage, how long one has lived in the area, and previous disaster experiences. This comparative case study was administered at the neighborhood level in Hillsborough County, Florida, which was impacted by Hurricane Irma. The results indicate that new residents who lived in their homes for less than five years were more likely to be non-insurance holders whether they were renters or homeowners. Long term residents, who lived in the same home for more than 13 years, tended to be immobile while holding several types of home insurance coverage. Those who indicated that they do not have home insurance and answered “no idea” when asked whether they will stay in one place or move in years to come have a higher potential to become “trapped” when disaster strikes.

Socioeconomic Factors Associated With the Risk and Prevalence of Dental Caries and Dental Treatment Trends in Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) Data, 2016-2019.

IntroductionIn the United States of America, early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common chronic childhood disease of early onset, with dental caries being the most prevalent chronic disease among children aged 6-19 years. Children without an established medical home, from low-income households, and who are uninsured have historically shown to be prone to dental caries and attribute to higher health care costs. Early recognition of these risk factors by a pediatrician helps prevent the development of medical and psychosocial complications in the child.MethodsThe cross-sectional data of the prevalence of dental caries and dental treatment trends in children and three socioeconomic risk factors, namely establishment of a medical home, household income, and child’s health insurance, were accessed from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) for the years 2016-2019. The association of the risk factors with the prevalence of dental caries and with the prevalence of dental treatment were analyzed using two-sample proportion tests and chi-square (χ2) tests for dichotomous categorical variables and non-dichotomous categorical variables, respectively. Standardized residuals were calculated and analyzed as well. Furthermore, the odds ratios were calculated and utilized to quantify the influence of each category on the highly associated category with having teeth decay and not receiving dental treatment under each socioeconomic risk factor.ResultsThe results of this study revealed that the three socioeconomic factors considered have statistically significant associations with tooth decay and dental treatment. The prevalence and associative risk of tooth decay and untreated caries were the highest in the children without a medical home. Additionally, the odds of having tooth decay was >50% higher for the children from the lowest household income category (0-99% federal poverty level [FPL]) compared to those from the high household income categories (200-399% FPL and >400% FPL). Public insurance coverage was associated with the highest prevalence of dental caries and not receiving fluoride treatment. Furthermore, the likelihood of not availing dental treatment is nearly two times or more higher for the uninsured children than children having public insurance, or private insurance, or a combination of both.ConclusionOur study findings reveal that children belonging to certain socioeconomic risk categories are at a higher risk of developing dental caries and not receiving dental treatment. As a consequence, the study implies that increased support and expansion of public health insurance will benefit oral health care for the children. Pediatricians play an integral part in developing a medical home for the child by providing preventative dental care and establishing continued care through dental referrals.

Contributions from Spatial Models to Non-Life Insurance Pricing: An Empirical Application to Water Damage Risk

This paper explores the application of spatial models to non-life insurance data focused on the multi-risk home insurance branch. In the pricing modelling and rating process, spatial information should be considered by actuaries and insurance managers because frequencies and claim sizes may vary by region and the premium should be different considering this rating variable. In addition, it is relevant to examine the spatial dependence due to the fact that the frequency of claims in neighbouring regions is often expected to be more closely related than those in regions far from each other. In this paper, a comparison between spatial models, such as spatial autoregressive models (SAR), the spatial error model (SEM), and the spatial Durbin model (SDM), and a non-spatial model has been developed. The data used for this analysis are for a home insurance portfolio located in Spain, from which we have selected peril of water coverage.

Niepewność interpretacyjna zapisów ochrony ubezpieczeniowej konsumentów ubezpieczeń na życie oferowanych do kredytów mieszkaniowych na przykładzie wybranych ofert

Bundled package of home loans and insurance are a natural phenomenon. Banks treat insurance as the primary security for the credit. For the consumer–borrower can help in financial difficulty. The purpose of insurance added to the loan is to reduce the risk of inability of borrowers to pay back their loans to banks and to ensure the safety of the insured or beneficiary of the insurance policy Therefore, insurance added to the loans should effectively protect borrowers. However, bundled package entails the risk of mismatching the insurance cover with the individual policy-holder insurance needs. Consumer–borrower may not be aware of the scope of insurance protection, which results from the insurance contract and general insurance terms and conditions. Therefore, in order to properly understand the offer of insurance, it becomes necessary to familiarize the borrower–the consumer with the general insurance conditions. However, as research shows, there is a big problem on the insurance sector with unintelligible insurance policy.
 The purpose of the article/hypothesis: The aim of the article is to compare and assess the scope of insurance cover based on the provisions of the general conditions of life insurance added to home loans by the two largest banks in Poland.
 Methodology: The article uses a comparative analysis of the scope of insurance cover on the based on provisions of the general conditions of insurance. The following categories have been selected from the general conditions of insurance: subject of insurance, definitions of events covered by the liability of the insurer, nature of benefits, amount of insurance and exclusions and limitations of liability.
 Results of the research: the analysis of the scope of insurance cover at selected banks in the article shows that selected categories from the general terms and conditions of insurance limit the potential level of insurance cover. After reviewing the general terms and conditions of insurance, consumer–borrower is not sure whether he will get help from the insurer when he needs it.

Body mass index as a predictor of sonographic visualization of the pediatric appendix.

Appendicitis is a common condition that is often confirmed with imaging. Ultrasound (US) is recommended as the first radiologic test in the work-up of appendicitis in children. Increased body mass index (BMI) has been implicated as a limiting factor to the sensitivity of US. This has drastic public health ramifications, as pediatric obesity has been increasing at alarming rates. The purpose of this study is to compare age-adjusted BMI z-scores to the frequency of sonographic visualization of the appendix. A retrospective review of 500 consecutive reports of US exams ordered for appendicitis in patients with a documented BMI was performed. Patients were stratified by BMI z-score based on, and the visualization frequency of the appendix was compared to the BMI z-score group. A logistic regression analysis generated the odds of visualization of the appendix by BMI z-score group. Primary home language, ethnicity, sex and insurance status were included in the logistic regression model to assess these characteristics as potential effect modifiers. Of the 500 patients, 52.4% were male, 56.4% were Hispanic and 62.0% had government insurance. BMI z-score distribution groups were as follows: 4.2% were <-2, 8.0% were -2 to -1, 49.8% were -1 to 1, 26.4% were 1 to 2 and 11.6% were >2. The visualization frequency was 61.1% for boys and 46.2% for girls (P<0.05). Visualization frequency by BMI z-score group was as follows: 85.7% for <2, 72.5% for -2 to -1, 57.4% for -1 to 1, 47.7% for 1 to 2 and 29.3% for >2. Children with a BMI z-score greater than 2 were less likely to have a US with visualization of the appendix compared to children with a BMI z-score between -1 and 1 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.11-0.40, P<0.0001). Boys were more likely than girls to have a US with visualization of the appendix (aOR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.29-2.80, P=0.001). There was no effect from insurance status, ethnicity or primary home language. Findings show that as the BMI z-score increased, sonographic visualization of the appendix decreased even after adjusting for demographic differences. These findings have implications for pediatric radiology practice in light of the worsening obesity epidemic.

UTILIZATION AND PERCEIVED UTILITY OF HOME FERTILITY TESTING AMONG INFERTILITY PATIENTS AT A SINGLE ACADEMIC FERTILITY CENTER

To characterize utilization and perceived utility of home fertility tests among patients presenting to an academic fertility clinic. New patients visiting the Duke Fertility Center for the diagnosis and management of infertility (based on ICD 10 codes) between December 2020 and February 2021 were eligible for study participation. Patients were sent an electronic invitation via MyChart. Exclusion criteria were: <18 years of age, patient or partner with history of surgical sterilization, or same-sex relationship. The electronic survey included questions to assess pregnancy and infertility history, experience with home fertility tests, demographic characteristics, and insurance status. Home fertility testing was defined as services that were not ordered or performed by their physician or at their physician’s office. Utility scores were assessed by asking participants how likely they were to recommend a given test for a similar patient in their situation. Survey invitations were sent to 326 individuals, 143 surveys were initiated (43.5% response rate), and 108 surveys were completed after excluding participants not meeting inclusion criteria. Utilization and perceived utility scores of home fertility testing technologies are reported in the table below.Tabled 1Home Fertility TestUtilization (N, %)Mean Utility Score (0-10)Calendar methods of ovulation prediction95 (88.0%)7.2Urinary ovulation prediction kits88 (81.5%)7.6Basal body temperature monitoring29 (26.9%)4.9Other methods of ovulation prediction (e.g. Cervical mucus)28 (25.9%)6.4Ovarian reserve testing (e.g. AMH)11 (10.2%)8.8Other hormone analysis (e.g. FSH, TSH, testosterone)15 (13.9%)8.6Home or send-out semen analysis10 (9.3%)6.4Genetic testing (e.g. 23andMe)6 (5.6%)4.7 Open table in a new tab Calendar methods of ovulation prediction and urinary ovulation prediction kits had the highest utilization among new patients presenting for the diagnosis and management of infertility. Send-out ovarian reserve testing and other hormone analysis had the highest degree of discordance between utilization and utility; these tests had the highest utility scores but fewer than 15% of participants reported use.

Flood insurance: The propensity and attitudes of informed people with disabilities towards risk

The literature documents that individual behavior and climatic change have recently been given more and more space in the definition of company strategies. However, in terms of preparing for catastrophes, few inquiries have been made into the individual propensity to acquire insurance, especially in terms of People with Disabilities (PwD). In this study, we assess the effect of information on the propensity of heads of households to acquire home insurance against forms of natural disasters, particularly flooding. We conduct a survey of over 500 individuals, including blind individuals, to verify the intuition that there is a causal link between the existence of information and the willingness of individuals to acquire flood insurance. The results reveal that visually deficient individuals are approximately 300% more likely to buy this insurance than other individuals. However, when PwD have information regarding the potential risk and harm caused by floods, this marginal effect is attenuated.

What Matters? Exploring Drivers of Basic and Complex Adjustments to Tornadoes Among College Students

AbstractScholars have produced several theories and models to explain why individuals adjust to hazards. While findings from these studies are informative, studies have not considered how threat and coping appraisals may have differential effects on varying types of hazard adjustments, or how these findings may generalize to vulnerable populations. This study expands on the Protection Motivation Theory to explore the factors that shape hazard adjustment intentions among college students, a population traditionally defined as vulnerable, in response to tornado risk. An online survey was administered to college students (n=377) at Oklahoma State University, situated in a region that experiences considerable tornado risk. While the correlations between threat appraisal and tornado hazard adjustment intentions are smaller than the correlations between coping appraisal and tornado hazard adjustment intentions, findings suggest that threat appraisals become more important for influencing college students’ adjustment intentions when adjustment activities are complex (e.g., tornado shelter, home insurance), rather than basic (e.g., flashlight, first aid kid). This suggests that while both threat appraisals and coping appraisals are important for complex hazard adjustment intentions, basic hazard adjustment intentions are almost exclusively determined by coping appraisals. These findings have several practical implications for emergency management and provide new avenues for future hazard adjustment studies.

Impact of Telemedicine Modalities on Equitable Access to Ambulatory Gastroenterology Care

Impact of Telemedicine Modalities on Equitable Access to Ambulatory Gastroenterology Care

Perception of home loan takers towards home insurance policy in sivakasi

The IRDA opened up the market in August 2000 with the invitation for application for registrations. Foreign companies were allowed ownership of up to 26%. The Authority has the power to frame regulations under Section 114A of the Insurance Act, 1938 and has from 2000 onwards framed various regulations ranging from registration of companies for carrying on insurance business to protection of policyholders’ interests. In this project the policy holder are different types literate and illiterate, wealthy and poor, urban and rural and etc. whether these home loan takers have the awareness and acceptance of the home insurance policy and their readiness to report their grievances to the competent authority for redressed measures are the main problems to be investigated. The present study analyses about the home insurance policy in the study area, the perception level of home insurance holders. Keywords: Service, Home Insurance, investors, regulations and rural.

Climate justice and home-buyout programs: renters as a forgotten population in managed retreat actions.

For most Americans, the value of their home represents the largest portion of their total wealth; accordingly, homeowners even in very poor areas can obtain some benefit from a home-buyout program as a means to move away from risk and begin again. Renters, however, are an overlooked population during implementation of post-disaster retreat programs that predominantly focus on homeownership. Racism is a substantial factor in homeownership disparities between black and white Americans that can be traced to the post World War II GI Bill—a law that delivered to returning veterans federally-backed home mortgage loans, loans that were largely denied to returning black soldiers. These inequities have not been overcome, leaving minority renters as some of the most vulnerable populations after a disaster. Indeed, some renters may be substantially worse off after a buy-out program is implemented in an area. Renters represent an atypical “trapped” population when it comes to relocation programs because they may be economically forced to move to even more climate vulnerable housing. This paper will explore post-implementation impact on renters of home buy-out and similar retreat programs. We will examine the factors that contribute to this cycle of failed re-location efforts for this sub-group such as the lack of retreat policies aimed at assisting low-income renters, lack or limitations of home or rental insurance, the absence of “duty to warn” obligations from landlords to inform renters of repeated flooding risks at the property, and market failure to encompass climate risks in rental pricing.

Insuring homes against extreme weather events: a systematic review of the research

Home insurance for extreme weather events is a significant security mechanism not only for individual households but for global finance. As extreme weather events become more frequent and intense, home insurance has been identified by governments as a critical tool for climate adaptation and disaster resilience. However, the growing research literature on the interactions between household insurance and extreme climatic events has not previously been systematically reviewed. In this paper, we analyse 175 original peer-reviewed empirical research papers on this subject, published between 2009 and 2018. We identify areas of research focus, themes, spatial and temporal patterns, and knowledge gaps, and examine policy implications of these findings. We find that an overall focus on flood insurance leaves unanswered questions about the different insurantial challenges posed by storms and wildfire. We suggest existing technocratic and calculative insurance narratives obscure the political and moral assumptions embedded within them, and that these assumptions warrant further investigation in the context of socially legitimate insurance against the impact of extreme weather events.

Wealth and the utilization of long-term care services: evidence from the United States.

Long-term care (LTC) provision and financing has become a major challenge for policymakers in the United States and worldwide. To inform associated policies and more efficiently allocate LTC resources, it is important to understand how demand for different types of LTC services responds to increased wealth. We use data from the United States Health and Retirement Study to examine the use of LTC services following plausibly exogenous positive shocks to wealth. We further account for time-invariant household-level characteristics, including the expectation of a wealth shock at an unknown future time, by employing household fixed effects. We find that large positive wealth shocks lead to a greater probability of purchase of paid home care but not of nursing home care. Our results imply that expanding home and community-based services and insurance coverage of home care for people without sufficient wealth is likely to be efficient and welfare improving and should be considered by policymakers.Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Author 4 Given name: [R. Tamara] Last name: [Konetzka]. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct.confirmedPlease confirm the city are correct and amend if necessary in Affiliations 1, 2, 3, 4.confirmed.

Purchasing insurance – the roles of individual differences in time perspectives and regulatory foci

ABSTRACT Objective The present studies focused on the role of time perspectives (TPs) and regulatory foci (promotion and prevention) in explaining people’s purchases of car, accident, home, life, and travel insurance. Method Two correlational studies on nationwide Polish samples (N = 1,093 and N = 1,047) were conducted. Results The first study showed that, after controlling for age and sex, higher levels of Future TP and lower levels of Past Negative TP were related to the propensity to make voluntary purchases of car, life, home, and accident insurance. Higher levels of Present Hedonistic TP and lower levels of Present Fatalistic TP were related to the propensity to buy travel insurance. The second study identified significant positive roles of both promotion and prevention regulatory foci in explaining people’s possession of all five types of insurance considered. Conclusions TPs (mainly Future and Past Negative) and regulatory foci (promotion and prevention) seem to be important in explaining people’s insurance-related behaviours. KEY POINTS What is already known about the topic? Insurance decisions are influenced by many psychological variables, e.g., social norms, previous personal experience, emotions and cognitive biases and heuristics Future time oriented individuals focus on future consequences of today decisions and have a greater propensity to save and to invest money Prevention focused individuals try to avoid the negative consequences of unexpected event, so they prefer to invest in financial tools which are characterized by minimal risk What this topic adds? People declaring possession of car, life, home and accident insurance policies were characterized by lower levels of past negative TP and higher levels of future TP than those not possessing such policies Individuals declaring possession of all types of insurance (life, accident, car, home, and travel) were more prevention oriented than those not having such insurance Individuals declaring possession of all types of insurance (life, accident, car, home, and travel) were more promotion oriented than those not having such insurance