With the onset of the new year, citizens are interested in changes in legislation relating to different spheres of life. Usually they do not come into force from the first month of the coming year, but sometimes they have to be prepared very carefully to fully comply with the requirements. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who, for example, are very seriously concerned about changes in social insurance. It will be useful for all car owners to familiarize themselves with the innovations in OSAGO, because this document is considered one of the most important for all owners of four-wheeled vehicles. Therefore, we will tell readers about all the changes in the insurance system that affect most of the country's population. In addition, in this article we will touch upon general insurance issues, as well as give a brief historical background on this type of relationship between two parties that have concluded an insurance contract (we will state the conditions for changes in documents of this type in one of the sections of the article).
What is insurance?
Before considering changes in insurance, it is necessary to understand the very meaning of this term. In the broad sense of the word, it can be characterized as certain relations and mutual obligations between the two parties, relating primarily to the protection of property interests. However, the scope of protection may include a wider list of insurance claims, upon the occurrence of which one party to the contract pays the other a certain monetary indemnity. It is formed from those insurance premiums that the insured person makes to the organization’s fund.
It should be borne in mind that several types and methods of insurance have historically been developed, which at the moment are periodically subject to changes. Insurance conditions are always prescribed in the contract and regulated by law. Moreover, many of our compatriots believe that all innovations in this area are extremely important, because they affect absolutely all segments of the population.
History reference
Experts say that the practice of insurance has a very ancient history and has been accompanying mankind since ancient times. If we talk about the first types of insurance, then they appeared in Babylon and the Roman Empire. In this period of time, this activity had the form of mutual assistance. She found herself in cases when one of the community members fell into a difficult situation and needed some support.
The first changes in insurance occurred due to the development of trade and the complexity of the structure of society. Then trade unions and other organizations appeared, united on various grounds (for example, religious). It is worth noting that initially the insurance payment was not expressed in monetary terms. Upon the occurrence of certain cases, a person in need of assistance received it in kind. And only the development of commodity-money relations led to the fact that this type of activity became directly related to finance.
Over time, changes in insurance in Europe have become widespread and have turned this activity into a separate area, functioning according to its own laws. It began to be divided into species that appear as society develops and depending on its needs. For example, shipping insurance was developing very actively. Historians attribute this to the period of sea discoveries that swept Europe around the fourteenth century.
In the middle of the seventeenth century, property insurance appeared.This is primarily associated with the Great Fire of London. A little later, personal life insurance arose. By the nineteenth century, more than one hundred types of property and personal protection could be counted in Europe.
Currently, in European countries, this system is one of the most carefully thought out. It is regulated by the state, and many of its types are compulsory for all citizens. Changes to the insurance law are introduced at regular intervals and always correspond to the realities of the time. Insurers always respond to the growing demands of the company immediately and introduce new services to attract customers.
The insurance system in Russia: from antiquity to the times of the Soviet Union
If we talk about our country, then this type of activity was familiar to our ancestors at the dawn of the development of society. Mutual assistance can be called its first form, as in Europe. This item was even noted in the first code of laws - Russian Truth. We can say that in the eleventh century, this type of insurance was the norm for all Slavs.
Five centuries later, the state began to take an active part in the insurance process for the first time. In the process of frequent raids on the territory of Russia, hundreds of Slavs were captured, who were later sold in slave markets. For their redemption, a special fund was created, where the money came through the payment of a special tax. Experts call such activities the first compulsory civil insurance in Russia.
Since the end of the eighteenth century, attempts have been made to introduce property insurance for citizens into practice. This was done through banking institutions that issued loans only to those who insured their homes and estates. However, this practice was not very successful and was not in demand by most of the population.
By the nineteenth century, the Russian insurance system has come a long way and has become part of the country's economy. She was distinguished by several types of organizations that could legally engage in this activity. Moreover, all these companies existed in parallel and provided different services. Of the main categories of insurance organizations of that period, the following can be called:
- joint-stock companies (they were involved in property and life insurance);
- obligatory mutual zemstvo insurance (at the same time they had the right to voluntary types of this activity);
- mutual assistance cash desks (voluntary insurance companies).
In Soviet times, only the state had the right to insurance activities. It carried out all its forms, including taking into account the risks associated with trade abroad. All changes in insurance were also initiated by the state and regulated by certain laws.
The basic principles of insurance in our country today
In modern society, insurance is an integral part of life, some of its types are mandatory, while others are voluntary and only the citizens themselves decide whether they are needed.
If we talk about the principles by which this system is built, then first of all I want to note the competition. It is expressed in new types of insurance, a variety of additional services, amendments to the insurance contract, making it easier and more understandable for customers, as well as in lowering tariff rates. In such an environment, only those organizations that can flexibly adapt to rapidly changing economic conditions receive great development.
Interestingly, in recent years, insurance models themselves have changed. For example, for several years there has been a tendency to abandon intermediaries.
Also, one of the principles of this activity is cooperation between insurance organizations. It occurs at different levels: domestically or between large global companies.
Types of insurance
There is no consensus among experts on this issue. The approaches of foreign and Russian economists are especially different. In Europe, it is customary to indicate two types of insurance. The first concerns the lives of citizens and all the risks associated with its protection. The second includes all other possible species, which are combined into one large group.
Russian experts in their works note different approaches to types of insurance. Based on this, two, three, or even four varieties of this activity are distinguished. For example, the type of contract distinguishes between property and personal insurance. Other specialists add liability and risk insurance to them. Therefore, it is rather difficult to decide which approach is the right one. But if we consider this activity on the basis of the most common and popular contracts, then we can distinguish three of its varieties, united in large groups:
- Personal. This category includes several types of insurance: medical, health, disability, accident and illness.
- Property. Here are the risks associated with owning property. These include financial, business and other risk categories. Also, this category includes insurance of transport, property of enterprises, goods and so on.
- Liability Insurance. In this case, the compensation does not occur to the person who entered into the contract, but to the third party indicated in the document.
Of course, this is a very rough division into categories, but it is precisely on it that the majority of citizens and organizations involved in such activities rely.
Insurance forms
Not a single change in the laws on insurance in the Russian Federation, introduced periodically, does not change the basic forms of this activity. There are only two of them: mandatory and voluntary. This moment is fixed by law and has not changed for many years.
Compulsory insurance can be described as a type of activity that involves tight control by the state. It obliges companies to insure certain objects, and citizens to make contributions, according to the schedule specified in the contract.
This form covers the entire category of persons or objects listed in the law, and also indicates the minimum insurance indemnity. In addition, the state regulates other issues related to this type of activity. For example, the law states all the rights and obligations of the parties, norms, a list of objects and other nuances.
Voluntary insurance is only partially regulated by the state. It may indicate a list of objects related to this form, as well as determine some general conditions for this activity. More specific conditions are developed by the companies themselves. Most often, insurers combine with these goals and work on the rules together. This equalizes the numerous companies with each other and excludes the emergence of organizations with more favorable conditions for the client. Of course, this partly contradicts the principles of competition, but gives insurers the opportunity to calmly conduct their activities on an equal footing.
Voluntary insurance has several distinctive features:
- the contract is concluded only on the terms of the insurer, but at the initiative of the insured;
- selective coverage of objects or persons;
- the presence of the beginning and end of the contract, its continuity is ensured by the free will of the client by extension;
- an agreement between the insurer and the client is reached only after making the first installment.
In general, it can be noted that this type of insurance is valid only on a voluntary basis.
CTP insurance changes
About fifteen years ago, OSAGO legislation was first adopted.This type of insurance is considered mandatory, and therefore carefully regulated by the state. Since most of the population of our country has at least one vehicle per family, it is easy to guess that changes in car insurance affect almost every one of us.
First of all, the changes relate to compensation for losses, the rules for registering an insured event in the event of a collision of several vehicles at the same time and OSAGO forms. Codes will appear on them, by which you can find out all the information about the policyholder. In addition, it protects forms from falsification, which should reduce the sale of fake insurance policies.
This year, changes in OSAGO insurance will also affect the calculation of the cost of the policy. It will depend not only on the driving style and the number of accidents over the past period, but also on their severity. It is interesting that it will be taken into account who exactly owns the vehicle - a legal entity or an individual.
Since the cost of insurance will undoubtedly increase, then insurance payments will be increased. The maximum payout will be one and a half million rubles. The following factors will affect the price of the MTPL policy this year:
- base rate (it is calculated depending on the age of the driver and his length of service);
- ride quality;
- regional tariffs that differ in different regions.
Keep in mind that tariffs are not tied to vehicle owners, but to the car itself. Undisciplined drivers will pay for insurance at a higher rate. A special scale is used for them.
The size of fines for the lack of insurance policy under the new legislation will not change. However, some initiative groups are in favor of tightening them. Therefore, it is quite possible that a change in the motor insurance contract will be followed by an increase in the fine from eight hundred to eight thousand rubles for a fake policy or its complete absence.
An insurance policy looks exactly like a paper. It is believed that they will draw it up more often, and the procedure itself will become much easier. Some changes will affect the types of insurance claims. Car owners can still choose between a cash refund or repair work. However, the repair time is now limited to thirty days at stations that have entered into special agreements with insurance companies. Cases where a surcharge for repairs is required will be decided in favor of the insured person. Cash payment must be made within twenty days, while tightening the issue penalties for insurers are provided.
Changes in compulsory pension insurance
Pensioners with great excitement are studying all the innovations that await them this year. However, changes in pension insurance are not as widespread as in other areas of this activity.
From January 1, the insurance part of the pension is increased by three and seven tenths of a percent. This is significantly higher than projected inflation. At the same time, the cost of a pension point increases, as well as the amount of a fixed payment. It will be indexed once again. As a result, the average pension in the country will increase to fourteen thousand rubles.
It is noteworthy that the above changes will affect all types of pensions, except for payments received by officially working pensioners. They are still not subject to recalculation and indexation.
Health insurance
With the onset of 2018, we are waiting for some changes in the law on health insurance. They will affect different categories of the population. For example, foreigners who previously did not have citizenship will now face the fact that their free policies will be canceled. They need to re-arrange them, taking into account the fact that each such document now has a validity period. It is limited to one calendar year.
Preparations are also underway for canceling policies of self-employed citizens. This category of the population receives income, but does not pay any taxes, and therefore is deprived of the right to free medical care.
The changes in health insurance enshrined in the Federal Law also reflect the payments that the state makes when the medical workers move to the countryside.
Social type of insurance
Amendments to the law on social insurance this year will obligate entrepreneurs to insure their employees against industrial accidents and occupational diseases. This clause in the amendments should reduce the number of accidents and increase the responsibility of employers for their employees.
Now the entrepreneur will have to not only make a lump sum payment, but also pay all medical expenses, including the rehabilitation period. The employer also undertakes to take measures to prevent injuries in the workplace.
In addition to these points, entrepreneurs are waiting for changes in filling out strict reporting forms for insurance premiums. For some types of reporting, the Social Insurance Fund also changes the deadlines for submitting documents. All these points must be taken into account this year when planning your work.
In conclusion, we can say that every year the government takes measures to improve the lives of its citizens, changes in insurance rules are part of them. Therefore, you should not be afraid of innovations, they only need to be carefully studied and accepted.