Guest guest Posted April 26, 2012 Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 Becky, you inspired me to call my insurance people & here's what I learned (thanks to you!):My own homeowners' insurance used to cover business equipment stored in home, this year it does not. A rider is limited to 5,000. (Good to know.) I was advised to ask the company writing the liability insurance to simply add a rider for business equipment storage if I needed protection from theft, fire, etc. YMMV but to others wondering about auto coverage:My policy covers me in any vehicle I drive for any purpose (inc a client visit & return trip). BUT: If I charge a fee to bring equipment, transport a mother/child, or go an extra distance, then my vehicle is being "rented" for business purposes. SO: if I want to see a patient outside my usual geographic boundaries & be compensated for that extra time, I must charge a higher fee for consulting service. This way my time is being hired, not my vehicle (per auto insurance). Some people charge extra to see a client at a distance & it would be good to confirm vehicle insurance.The other eye-opener was I was advised to consider my assets rather than the practical cost of a slip on the porch when choosing amount of coverage. My cheery insurance informant commented that a lawsuit & a jury could theoretically take "everything but your IRA..." Hopefully someone with legal expertise will calm me down after that revelation! (Liz?)While I'm no help for Becky, I'm sharing this for others who may be reviewing insurance coverage.PSOn the up side, when I mentioned the purpose of the business, there was a gushing "Oh, that's wonderful! Someone came to my daughter's house & saved the breastfeeding! We had no idea what we were doing without lactation help! And the LLL meetings were lifesavers!" So apparently I was talking to a grandmother who loved & respected both IBCLCs & LLLLs, pretty cool. To: Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 9:18 AM Subject: RE: homeowners insurance , my homeowner’s insurance is very clear that it is not like a friend coming over to visit. If you plan to charge the client, then it is a very different situation. I also have an extra million dollar liability policy on my home and cars. This is through another company, and they also make it clear that this will not cover any claim resulting from my business---so not if a client gets hurt at my home and not if I am in an accident on my way to a home visit. Also, if you have a lot of expensive equipment—hospital grade pumps and electronic scales—in your home, as I do, you need an extra rider to cover them if your house burns down. (Medela’s insurance does not cover if the pumps are lost in this sort of situation!) So, regular homeowner’s insurance just isn’t enough. I will check more carefully over my CM & F liability insurance, but I don’t think it covers loss of equipment either. Becky , IBCLCMilky WayLa Plata, MD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2012 Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 Interesting everyone! Beebe, M.Ed., RLC, IBCLC Lactation Consultant/Postpartum Doula www.second9months.comwww.facebook.com/thesecond9months--- On Wed, 4/25/12, wrote:Subject: Re: homeowners insuranceTo: " " < >Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 6:37 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2012 Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 Hello, Becky. I did not get it as a rider on my homeowner's policy. I did check with that company, but the information they wanted in order for me to get it was so complicated I couldn't figure out half of the numbers they wanted. Instead, I got general business insurance through The Hartford. Dee Kassing Subject: homeowners insuranceTo: Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 8:48 AM Those of you who have mothers and babies come to your home, could you tell me what homeowner’s insurance company you use to give you extra coverage for your home-based business? I need to change companies and am having trouble because none of them want to cover a home-based business with babies coming into the home. (unfortunately, we also have a swimming pool with a diving board and that causes some companies to refuse us coverage.) I have the professional liability insurance, what I am looking for is the extra rider on the homeowner’s which covers if a client falls on my front porch, etc. Thanks for any ideas. Becky , IBCLC Milky Way La Plata, MD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 26, 2012 Report Share Posted April 26, 2012 Thanks, Dee for the suggestion of using another company. I will definitely look into that. ’s remark about being sued for everything except your IRA is sobering. Although it wasn’t business related, something similar happened to people we knew. Their son was in a car accident (his fault) where a girl was seriously injured. The parents are losing their home and all their savings because the amount of the suit went beyond the coverage from the auto insurance. This is actually quite easy to surpass. That is what convinced me to add the million dollar liability policy on top of my regular insurance. With two “young” drivers on my policy, I realized we really had to protect ourselves, but even I could cause an accident! Although this policy does cover liability related to my home as well, they would not cover anything related to the business. It definitely is a concern for me that someone could slip and fall coming into my home for a consult. Becky , IBCLCMilky WayLa Plata, MD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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