Accidental injury insurance policies are available for both individuals and groups. Groups covered under this type of policy include police units, sports programs, youth groups, and attendees of one-time events. Injury insurance may cover medical expenses or death related to an organization's activity. Most out of pocket expenses are covered through accidental injury insurance coverage.

If you are an accident insurance provider, there are many training opportunities available that can teach you how to sell policies. You can find many accidental injury insurance education and training opportunities through:

1. Online training programs that cover health and accident insurance.

2. Classroom training to become an insurance agent.

3. State licensing for selling accidental health insurance.

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Learn to sell coverage for accidental injury through online courses

There are many online courses that prepare insurance providers with the skills they need to sell accidental injury insurance. Many of these online options also offer complete study guides for pre-licensing certification and licensing tests, depending on the company's location. Online classes are typically less expensive than classroom training and more convenient.

I recommend: Insurance Schools offer a virtual classroom training package that can be tailored to individual state requirements for exam preparation. ABTrainingCenter.com offers a pre-licensing certification course for life, health and annuity insurance sales. Insurance Licensing of America provides information and links to help you find licensing requirements in the United States and Canada.

Attend classroom training to learn how to work with an accident insurance program

Another way to train for pre-licensing and licensing requirements in your state is to attend classroom training for these tests. Classroom training can benefit those that need to ask questions of an expert and have more contact networking with professionals. As with online training, classroom training can be customized to state requirements.

I recommend: RD Training offers Group I insurance training for accidental and health policies. Many insurance companies, such as Nationwide, also offer training programs for insurance agents. These programs combine classroom and online training to prepare agents for state exams, and to sell a company's brand of insurance.

Get continuing education to sell hospital accident coverage in your state

Continuing education is important for those who sell accident insurance. Besides having to get recertified for your license, many states also require a certain number of continuing education hours per year. There are many organizations and schools that provide continuing education opportunities to insurance professionals.

I recommend: Long Island University offers continuing education classes for those who sell accidental insurance coverage. Topics for these classes include current trends, state regulations and insurance fraud. WebCE offers continuing education courses online, no matter what your state's insurance seller regulations.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most states require accident insurance providers to renew their license every two years, but this can vary from state to state. Check with your state government for more information.

Accidental injury insurance, sometimes called accidental health insurance, may seem like a luxury, but the cost is fairly low and the benefits provide practical assistance. Each year in the United States accidental injuries account for more than 40 million trips to the doctor, 28 million trips to the emergency room and over a 100,000 deaths. Injury insurance provides your employees and their families with money that may tide them over when an injury temporarily halts their flow of income or they face unexpected expenses.

Injury insurance can mean quick cash for you or your employees when the insured suffers an injury, whether at work or play. Accident insurance benefits can cover broken teeth, broken bones, lost limbs, hospital stays, family lodging during hospital stays, and even accidental death. Accidental injury insurance coverage typically provides a preset dollar amount for each type of accidental injury and related expense.

1. Many health insurance companies are not accident insurance providers, but many companies provide injury insurance.

2. Standard health plans may leave some expenses unpaid. Accident insurance typically covers your deductible and time missed from work.

3. Consider protecting your family, employees and those attending your business events with accidental injury insurance coverage.

Action Steps
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Find a company that specializes in accidental injury insurance coverage

Not all insurance companies provide accidental injury insurance, but some specialize in it.

I recommend: Companies like Aflac, Conseco, and Colonial Life and Accident Insurance Company offer accidental injury coverage.

Compare accidental health insurance benefits and prices online

Look for low rates, quick payment terms and simple reimbursement procedures when shopping for injury insurance.

I recommend: Get quotes from several accident insurance providers at USInsuranceOnline.com. This website provides quotes for both individuals and small businesses. Visit companies like AIG and Nationwide to find more accidental health insurance solutions for businesses. In addition to employee plans, you can find coverage for accidents suffered at group events.

Make sure your accident insurance program meets your employees' needs

Going overseas? For those employees who make regular business trips out of the country, consider accidental insurance benefits that cover you abroad. Some plans cover a broad spectrum of accidental injury expenses while others are more specialized. For instance, hospital accident insurance plans focus on emergency room and hospital stay expenses.

I recommend: The Overseas Travelers Protection Plan and the Multinational Accident Plan are specially designed to cover accidents and other problems abroad.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Worker's compensation may not cover all your expenses after an accident. Consider offering employees accidental injury insurance coverage to supplement this, particularly if your type of business puts employees at higher risk for injury.
• •  Check your current insurance policies to learn what type of accidental injury coverage they provide. You may find that your homeowner's insurance covers accidental injuries under the right circumstances.

Because accidents can occur at any time and you can never be sure you'll sustain an injury that's easy to recover from, purchasing accidental insurance plans is an excellent idea, especially for small-business owners. These plans can supplement income, cover out-of- pocket costs and even pay for medical expenses not covered by standard policies. Purchasing accidental injury insurance presents certain challenges, especially if you're not familiar with insurance jargon. Learning key terms related to accidental injury insurance can help you choose the right plan.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Expenses

Expenses you incur from an accident are different from those you would expect to incur from damage to your property.

I recommend: Conseco identifies the kinds of expenses that most people experience from accidental injury. It also offers tips on how to cover out-of-pocket expenses.

Employee benefits package

The employee benefits package offered by most insurers usually allows workers to choose between family or stand-alone coverage.

I recommend: Go to Colonial Life and Accident Insurance to find out what a typical employee benefits package from any insurer consists of.

Income protection plan

Insurers offering accidental injury insurance usually include an income protection plan as part of the package. These plans allow you to collect a reduced amount of your usual income while you are recovering.

I recommend: Personalized Health Insurance can help you understand how income protection plans work.

Exclusions

Any insurance plan will specify in advance the situations, or exclusions, that the insurer refuses to provide coverage for.

I recommend: The American Bar Endowment details the usual list of exclusions that most insurers identify in their accidental injury insurance plans.

Enhanced coverage

Accidental injury insurance plans usually offer enhanced coverage protection to veterans or union members.

I recommend: To get an idea of what enhanced coverage on a plan for accidental injury insurance looks like, visit Union Secure, which lists six enhanced benefits offered to qualified purchasers.

International travel accident insurance

As the name implies, high-limit travel accident insurance covers you or a family member in the event of death or dismemberment that occurs when you are traveling internationally.

I recommend: If you're not familiar with international travel accident insurance, check out the plan description at the Travel Insurance Center.