Is It Worth Insuring Any Parts of the Body?
Body parts insurance has long been part of our cultural mythology. Jennifer Lopez has been plagued by rumors for years that her butt is insured, and those rumors persist even though she denies them. There are reports that Dolly Parton’s breasts are insured, and Heidi Klum does not hide the fact that both of her legs are insured for about a million dollars each, although one of them costs less than the other due to a scar. The concept might appeal to regular people too: Dove Hair and Progressive Insurance are currently partnering on Hair Assurance for up to $100. (It’s actually a lottery , where the winners get a $100 gift card to use in the salon, but you get what they go for.)
What about body parts insurance that isn’t a lottery or a (rumored) $27 million policy? Is there some middle ground that ordinary consumers should be aware of? Of course have. Here’s what you need to know about body parts insurance, even if you’re not Heidi Klum.
Why insure a body part?
Klum explained that she did not insure her legs herself, but the client did it for her. It makes sense: those legs are, in a way, one of Klum’s big sources of income, as she makes her living as a model. On top of that, they also make big money for the brands that hire her.
If one of your body parts is directly related to your ability to earn money, it might be worth insuring it. You are insuring other things that would be financially devastating to lose, such as your car and house, so it makes sense. With an insurance policy, you recover lost money in the event of damage to the insured item. If something happens to Klum’s legs, her career will take a big hit, and that’s where the insurance money comes in handy.
A carpenter, a hairdresser, a sign language interpreter or a pianist can theoretically insure their hands. The trainer could insure their legs. A firefighter or a policeman could insure their body, as they can throw themselves into dangerous situations. Edy’s Grand Ice Cream is known to have insured the taste buds of its top taster, and Somerfield grocers did the same for their top wine customer in the early 2000s.
Such policies, of course, can reach millions of dollars – big, shocking numbers – that’s why we’re talking about them at all. In fact, the Somerfield case was invented primarily by a public relations agency, proving that insurance was not so much about all the important taste buds of a wine buyer, but about the attention and sales that were to result from the announcement of the policy. The Dove Hair and Progressive Insurance partnership encourages members to also purchase eligible products. Even by investing in policies or contest payouts, brands do benefit from the publicity of a big insurance push, which is not so true for the average person.
So should ordinary people insure their body parts?
As funny as it is to imagine that you can insure your hard-working hands or a smile that you spent a small fortune improving with orthodontic intervention, it may not actually be feasible for you.
According to Slate , body parts insurance is typically handled through the “surplus lines” market, where you’ll find policies that a regular insurance company doesn’t provide. With special lines, you can count on higher premiums.
These lines are also more widely available overseas, so keep that in mind. Some of the more famous celebrity body parts insurance policies come from Lloyds of London, who happily list famous policies on their website .
What other body parts insurance options do you have?
We’re not saying that you definitely shouldn’t be throwing your hard-earned money across the ocean and start paying big excess line premiums if your body part is really that special, but you have less drastic options.
Petra Insurance Brokers warns that “the average person could probably, for example, settle for a more general health insurance policy.”
Then there is disability insurance. This is something quite accessible and commonplace for us plebs. Disability insurance is a policy that provides income to a person who is no longer able to work due to a disability, whether it be from an accident or illness. Employers, social security agencies, and insurance companies offer these types of policies in short and long-term coverage options. Your employer probably offers this, so you should check with your HR department if you’re unsure.
Instead of insuring one vital body part, consider a general disability insurance policy to cover all your bases and leave million-dollar legs to the stars.