Insurance

An insurance agent called me this morning. This particular agent wanted to discuss my automobile coverage, but the next agent to call might be interested in my life insurance program, my health insurance, or fire protection for my home and furniture. The American consumer often feels constantly disturbed by insurance agents. Many agents selling many different policies call us by phone and sometimes even come to our doors. These insurance agents are always friendly, well dressed, and eager to be of help.

Yet few Americans really enjoy visiting with these eager, helpful men and women. We are not happy when they call us; we are on guard when they visit our homes. They are never really our friends; at best, they are a necessary evil.

Three reasons why we are unwilling to discuss insurance can be suggested. First of all, insurance is expensive. A young father who purchases a fairly small life insurance policy agrees to pay a sum of $200 every year for 40 years - a total of $8,000. Many college students pay $800 to $1,000 per year for car insurance. In effect, they pay as much for the insurance as they do for the car itself. Health insurance that pays for modern medical miracles often costs Americans as much as $2,000 every year. Adequate insurance is expensive; it is a major item for most families.

Insurance also reminds us that we live in an unsafe world. We are human and we must face the possibilities of illness, injury, death, and financial loss. Our rational minds recognize the many unfortunate events that can occur, but in our hearts we hope that we might be spared. Serious injury or death is not a pleasant subject to discuss or even consider. We are afraid; we would rather talk about football or the weather or what we had for lunch.

Finally, insurance is a difficult, complex subject. No one understands it completely and only a few insurance professionals really feel comfortable in a discussion of automobile, life, and major medical coverages. We feel inadequate and try to hide our ignorance by avoiding discussions of insurance.

Yet these three reasons for not discussing insurance provide three excellent reasons why we should learn more about it. Insurance is expensive. In a lifetime, many of us spend as much on insurance as we do on the purchase of a home. If we are to spend our money intelligently, we need information about the products and services available. We don't depend entirely on salespeople when we buy a car, a house, or a suit of clothes. Neither should we depend entirely on the agent when we buy insurance. We need a basic knowledge of insurance coverages if we are to be intelligent consumers.

The intelligent consumer looks problems in the face. Although accident, illness, and death are not pleasant subjects, each of us knows we face these possibilities. It is better that we plan for these situations by finding means to deal with them than to just hope that they will somehow go away.

Although insurance can be complex, its basic concepts are neither difficult nor impossible to learn. Quite the opposite. Insurance fundamentals can be understood by those willing to study them. Serious study provides knowledge. The study of insurance is an effective, proven method of dealing with the insurance ignorance faced by many American families.

美國的保險業務

一位保險公司代理人今天上午拜訪了我。這位打扮得過分講究的代理人想要討論我的汽車保險的承保范圍，那么下一位再來拜訪我的保險公司代理人就有可能對我的人壽保險項目，我的健康保險，甚至對我的房產和家具火災保險感興趣。美國的消費者都會經常覺得不斷地受到保險公司代理人的騷擾。很多代理人為了兜售不同險種的保險單都會給我們打電話，有時甚至登門造訪。這些保險公司的代理人總是彬彬有禮，衣冠楚楚并急于熱情為您服務。

可是幾乎沒有美國人會真正喜歡這些急于熱情助人的男男女女前來拜訪。他們打來電話，我們不高興；他們來我們家拜訪，我們都懷有戒心。他們永遠也不會成為我們真正的朋友；最多，他們代表我們必須與之打交道的魔鬼或災難。

我們之所以不愿討論保險的三個原因可表述如下：第一，保險費太貴。有一位年輕的父親，買了相當小的一份人壽保險單。他同意每年支付的保險費錢數是200美元，連續支付40年--總額共達8000美元！許多大學生每年支付小汽車保險費800到1000美元。實際算起來，他們支付保險費的錢數跟他們購買那輛汽車本身的錢數是一樣多的。通常美國人每年都要支付2000美元的健康保險費，用這筆錢來支付現代醫藥界所創造出的一些奇跡。全方位的投保太費錢了。各方面都投保的費用是絕大多數家庭的主要開支項目。

第二，保險也使我們想到我們是生活在一個不安全的世界里。我們必須面對可能生病、受傷、死亡和財產損失這些災禍。盡管我們的頭腦在理性上能意識到很多災難性的事故有可能發生，但是我們心理上都希望我們最好能幸免于難。重傷或死亡并不是一個令人愉快的討論話題，這些我們甚至連想都下敢想。我們害怕；我們倒寧可聊一聊美式橄欖球，聊聊天氣或者聊聊我們午餐所吃的東西。

最后，保險是很難弄懂很復雜的問題。除了極小數的保險業的專家在討論起車險，壽險和重病醫藥險等險種的承保范圍時會高談闊論而外，沒有任何人能完全懂得保險業務。我們覺得自己沒有足夠的保險業務知識，因而避免講座保險問題，以便掩飾我們自己的無知。

可是，這不愿討論保險問題的三個原因也正是我們應該更多地學些保險知識的三個充足的理由。保險費太貴。我們很多人，一輩子花的保險費跟購買房子的費用是一樣多的。如果我們要把錢花得明智一些，我們就將需要獲得有關購買產品或服務項目的一些信息資料。在我們買小汽車、買房子或買一套衣服時，我們不能完全相信銷售人員；在我們買保險時，我們也不應該完全相信或依靠保險公司的代理人。如果我們打算要做明智的消費者，我們就需要有承保范圍或者叫保險涵蓋方面的知識。

明智的投保人要正視種種問題。盡管事故，疾病和死亡都不是令人愉快的話題，但是我們每個人都知道我們都有發生這些災害的可能。針對這些可能發生的情況，我們計劃一下找出對付災害的辦法，這總比我們只是憑空希望這些災害會不知不覺地自動消失要好得多。

盡管保險可能是復雜的，但是保險的一些基本概念既不是很難懂的，也不是不可能學會的。恰恰相反，只要是愿意學習保險知識的人，都能弄明白保險的基本原則。認真地鉆研就能獲得保險的知識。鉆研保險知識是很多美國家庭用來對付不懂保險情況的一種行之有效的切實可行的方法。