When you’re searching for an assisted living facility to call home for someone you care about, you’re probably looking for features like a safe environment, supportive staff, comfortable accommodations, and access to the exact services your loved one will need. One thing many families overlook is inquiring about an assisted living facility’s liability insurance coverage. Having comprehensive liability insurance in place is critical to protecting the financial well-being of your loved one and your family, as well as to ensure the facility can continue to provide an excellent standard of care at all times.
At Solomon & Relihan, our nursing home attorneys have dealt with nursing home abuse cases where an assisted living facility lacked liability insurance and other important types of insurance. This poses serious issues for residents and the families who care about their well-being. Learn why insurance matters for assisted living facilities and how to ensure the facility you choose for your loved one has adequate insurance.
Why Does Insurance Matter for Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities?
Assisted living facilities and nursing homes deal with a unique set of risks and compliance issues compared to most businesses. As they’re directly caring for a vulnerable population, these risks include:
- Medical liability
- Assisted living regulatory compliance
- Property damage, due to issues like fires, break-ins and floods
- Accident protection, including slip and fall accidents
Regular payments to a liability insurance company safeguard assisted living facilities should they need to pay expenses for issues like these. In the case of nursing home abuse or negligence, where an assisted living facility faces legal action from nursing home lawyers, insurance can also help cover payments that must be made out to victims.
Without insurance, if a nursing home resident or the assisted living facility resident’s family decides to pursue legal action for abuse and/or neglect, they may not receive the compensation they’re entitled to if a facility doesn’t have the means to pay it. Assisted living facility liability insurance can give nursing home residents and their families peace of mind that there’s financial protection in place should negative events occur.
How to Check If a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility Has Adequate Insurance
For residents and/or their family members who are evaluating potential assisted living facilities, it’s always important to ask about what kind(s) of insurance policies the residence has in place. The state where an assisted living facility is located may have a set standard for minimum insurance policy requirements. For example, some states may require that nursing facilities maintain liability insurance coverage in minimum of $1 million and professional liability coverage in order to maintain a nursing facility license.
Liability insurance is most important, but when you’re researching nursing home options, there are many types to consider. These include:
- Professional liability insurance: Also known as errors and omissions insurance, this type of insurance covers negligence and accidents related to medication dispensing, physical therapy and general care and supervision.
- Commercial auto insurance: If an assisted living facility provides transportation services, business auto coverage for company-owned vehicles is essential.
- Commercial liability insurance: Offers protection for business risks including property damage and injuries.
- Commercial property insurance: Protects an assisted living facility in situations such as natural disasters and burglaries.
- Cyber liability insurance: Assisted living facilities often store sensitive resident information, including credit card numbers, personal medical insurance and driver’s license numbers. Cyber liability insurance can protect in case of data breaches.
- Workers’ compensation: Provides protection for employees at a nursing home, should they become injured due to a work task.
For residents and family members considering nursing homes or assisted living facilities, it’s important to ask about what type of coverage a facility has for issues like accidents, disasters, negligence, and abuse. Otherwise, a negative event could impact the level of care other residents receive and/or impact the compensation you or your loved one is entitled to receive should they become a victim.
Questions to Ask About Assisted Living Facility Insurance
Thorough research can help you select the best nursing home to ensure your loved one is protected. When you’re interviewing assisted living facilities, ask questions like:
- What insurance policies are required by federal, state and local regulations in order for you to maintain your license?
- What types of insurance policies do you have in place?
- How much does your insurance cover?
Most businesses have liability insurance in place to protect their customers, their visitors, and their staff. In the case of assisted living facilities and nursing homes, insurance is essential to safeguard residents and provide comfort that no matter what happens residents can continue to receive a high level of care.
If you suspect there’s foul play happening at an assisted living facility in Arizona, contact the nursing home legal team at Solomon & Relihan. We help nursing home residents receive justice in cases of nursing home neglect and abuse. We can help you and your loved one.
Call (602) 387-3000, or contact us online for a free nursing home case evaluation.