Acupuncturist Insurance: Liability, Cost & Quotes From $5

You have things to worry about as an acupuncturist. Clients can get injured or sustain a disease because of your mistake. The clinic you own or rent can get burned or damaged by weather and fires. Also, extra costs will pop out of nowhere when acupuncture equipment breaks down. 

Acupuncture insurance bestows a shield against the risks inherent in your work. In this discussion, you will learn:

• What is acupuncturist insurance

• Which acupuncture business insurance policies you’ll find useful

• The best companies for acupuncturist insurance

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What is Acupuncturist Insurance?

Acupuncturist insurance is an insurance product that offers these useful policies for acupuncturists:

• Professional liability/malpractice insurance

• General liability insurance

• Commercial property insurance

• Business interruption insurance

• Tools and equipment insurance

• Workers compensation insurance

So who is eligible for the coverage? Insurance companies commonly sell acupuncturist insurance to practitioners of:

• Traditional Chinese acupuncture

• Japanese acupuncture

• Korean hand therapy

• Auricular acupuncture

• Electroacupuncture

• Moxibustion acupuncture

Acupuncture Liability Insurance

Acupuncture liability insurance pertains to these policies that all acupuncturists will find useful in sorting out third-party claims:

• Professional liability/malpractice insurance

• General liability insurance

Malpractice Insurance for Acupuncturists

Acupuncture is a very delicate procedure. This is why client’s can easily hold you responsible for the complications they develop after the session. 

Also called professional liability insurance, malpractice insurance for acupuncturists takes care of costs if a client files a claim and accuses you of:

• Reusing needles 

• Breaking the needle and leaving it in the flesh

• Inserting the needles too deep that causes pain or severe damage to organs 

• Lack of due diligence while carrying out the session 

• Practicing without a license or adequate training 

Malpractice insurance provides the money you can use to sort things out without incurring losses. You can use it to:

• Grant settlement so that the claimant won’t take things in court

• Cover attorney fees, investigation fees, court filing fees, and other defense costs if the claimant refuses to settle and proceeds to sue you

• Cover the amount the court orders you to pay in case the trial goes in favor of the claimant

How is Malpractice Insurance for Acupuncturists Underwritten?

Insurance companies underwrite malpractice insurance for acupuncturists as a claims-made policy. This means that coverage takes effect if you report a covered peril to the insurance company the moment it happened. 

Does Acupuncturist Malpractice Insurance Cover Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment claims aren’t covered by malpractice insurance in most cases. However, some insurance companies that specialize in insuring acupuncturists include sexual harassment coverage in their malpractice insurance. A good example is CM&F Group. 

How Much Money Can You Get From Malpractice Insurance?

Depending on which company insured you, malpractice insurance can provide $1 million-$3 million insurance money you can use to cover settlements, defense costs, and court judgments. 

Acupuncturist’s General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance takes care of costs if an accident happens on the premises of your acupuncture clinic that results in injuries or property damage to clients, visitors, and other third parties. Here are some situations where you’ll find this policy useful:

• The acupuncture bed fell down because it couldn’t take the client’s weight. The client sustained minor injuries you’re responsible for

• The floor is wet and someone, who entered the clinic to deliver something, slipped

• An electronic device in your office is defective and released a surge which shocked a client seating next to it 

• Your clinic caught fire, and it burned the surrounding properties

The job of general liability insurance is to cover these costs if claimants hold you responsible for their injuries or property damage:

Medical Treatment

General liability insurance covers EMT services, emergency medical care, or first aid treatment for the person who got injured because of your fault.

Reimbursements

If you caused property damage, then general liability insurance will refund the losses of the claimant

Settlement

General liability insurance also covers the amount demanded by the claimant as a settlement

Defense Costs

Insurance companies allow you to use general liability insurance to cover attorney fees, administrative costs, court filing fees, and other legal defense expenses 

Does The General Liability Insurance for Acupuncturists Offer Optional Coverages?

Insurance companies allow you to add these optional coverages to their general liability insurance for acupuncturists:

Advertising Injury Coverage 

Acupuncturist general liability insurance can have advertising injury coverage. This takes care of settlements, defense costs, and judgments if a third party sues you for slander, libel, copyright infringement, and invasion of privacy. 

Rented Premises Liability Coverage 

Rented premises liability coverage will indemnify the landlord if the fire damages or destroys the commercial space you’re renting. 

Products And Completed Operations Coverage

Products and completed operations coverage takes care of defense costs, settlements, and court judgments if a product or service of your acupuncture clinic inflicted a client with bodily injuries or property damage. 

Non-Owned/Hired Auto Liability Coverage 

Non-owned/hired auto liability coverage will grant compensation to third parties who sustained property damage or bodily injuries because:

• A vehicle you hired caused an accident

• A vehicle you borrowed cause an accident

• An employee was using his or her vehicle to run an errand for your business and caused an accident

How Much Insurance Money Does General Liability Insurance for Acupuncturists Give?

General liability insurance for acupuncturists has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence limit with a $2 million-$4 million aggregate. But still, you can find carriers that underwrite a general liability policy offering $300,000-$500,000 coverage only. 

Commercial Property Insurance for Acupuncturists 

Your clinic and the objects inside are very valuable. Imagine how costly things can get if such properties get damaged or destroyed. And so, get commercial property insurance to ensure you can recover losses. 

Commercial property insurance protects your acupuncture clinic regardless if you own, lease, or rent it. The policy will allow you to cover building repair or reconstruction costs when the clinic is damaged or destroyed by:

• Fire

• Theft

• Vandalism

• Malicious mischief

• Civil commotion

• Riot

• Volcanic action

• Sinkhole collapse

• Sprinkler leakage

• Hail

• Snow

• Winds

• Aircraft

• Vehicle

Furthermore, commercial property insurance also grants coverage if the perils above cause the damage or destruction of objects inside your acupuncture clinic. Items commonly covered are:

• Tables

• Chairs

• Computers

• Fixtures

• Lighting

• Important documents

• Money and other securities

• Air conditioner

• CCTV camera

• Acupuncture equipment and goods

How is Commercial Property Insurance for Acupuncturists Underwritten?

Insurance companies underwrite commercial property insurance for acupuncturists as a replacement cost policy. This means that it will reimburse your loss based on the original market value and not the depreciated value of the covered business property. 

How Much Commercial Property Insurance Do Acupuncturists Need?

The amount of commercial property insurance you need must be equal to the value of the business property. For example, if your clinic costs $200,000, you must also get $200,000 commercial property insurance. 

Insurance companies offer $10,000-$1 million commercial property insurance coverage. Don’t worry because it’s always up to you to decide the policy's limits.

Which Perils Are Not Covered By Commercial Property Insurance?

Commercial property insurance for acupuncturists doesn’t cover business property or damage or loss caused by:

• Floods

• Mudslides

• War

• Landslides

• Earthquakes

• Normal wear and tear 

• Employee theft 

Also, you must remember that the coverage of commercial property insurance doesn’t apply on:

• Property in transit

• Property of others in your custody

• Malfunctioning equipment

Business Interruption Insurance for Acupuncturists

You might need to close business in order to renovate, relocate, restructure, or wait for an economic crisis to pass. In this situation, business interruption insurance sees to it that you can mitigate losses while your business isn’t generating income. 

Business interruption insurance takes care of the following costs while you’re not providing acupuncture services and generating income:

• Taxes

• Loans

• Mortgage

• Payroll

• Utility bills

• Other operational costs

This type of acupuncturist business insurance is available as a stand-alone casualty policy. However, most insurance companies offer business interruption insurance as an optional coverage in commercial property insurance. 

As An Acupuncturist, How Long Will Your Business Receive Money From Business Interruption Insurance?

Business interruption insurance will supplement the lost income of your business for 30 days. However, you can get a rider to extend the policy’s coverage duration to 360 days. By the way, remember that business interruption insurance doesn’t cover:

• Pandemics

• War

• Floods, mudslides, and earthquakes

• Cease-and-desist order

Workers Compensation Insurance for Acupuncturists

Aside from clients and your business, you must look after yourself and your employees. Acupuncture equipment, especially the needles, if handled carelessly can puncture the skin and cause bleeding. You or an employee might also contract hepatitis B from infected needles. 

Get worker's compensation insurance to have a quick countermeasure against the hefty costs when you or an employee sustains a work-related injury or disease. This insurance takes care of the following costs:

• EMT service/medical treatment-Workers compensation insurance takes care of private EMT fees, first aid, and emergency medical treatment if you or an employee experiences cuts, burns, fractures, or diseases while working

• Hospitalization-If the physician requires intensive medical attention, you or an employee can claim workers compensation insurance to cover hospital bills

• Medication-Insurance companies allow you or an employee to use the funds of workers comp insurance to buy medicines for a work-related injury or disease

• Rehabilitation and retraining-Workers compensation covers the costs in case you or an employee needs to undergo rehab and retraining to recover from a workplace injury or disease and find a new vocation

• Lost wages-Workers compensation insurance covers lost wages by giving a weekly allowance equal to 67% of the weekly wage. The policy provides this until you or an employee is fit enough to work

• Death benefits-In case you or an employee dies due to a workplace injury or disease, workers comp will cover funeral expenses and give financial assistance to dependents 

How Long Can You Or An Employee Be On Workers Comp?

You or an employee can be on workers comp for 3 years or longer depending on how the state, where you’re working as an acupuncturist, implements its worker's compensation system. 

What Kinds Of Employees Does Workers Comp Cover?

Workers' compensation covers full-time and part-time employees regardless if such are family members or foreign workers. Volunteers can’t be covered by workers' compensation insurance. By default, the policy doesn’t cover independent contractors, but you can name them as additional insureds. 

When Do You Need To Get Workers Compensation Insurance As An Acupuncturist?

Following the mandate of most workers comp laws, you need to get workers compensation insurance as soon as your acupuncture clinic has one or more employees. You can decide to skip this acupuncturist insurance coverage if you’re working alone. However, it’s a great practice to cover yourself with workers' compensation insurance. 

Tools And Equipment Insurance for Acupuncturists

Acupuncture needle stimulators, acupuncture pens, and other specialty devices are costly. Protect them against damage or loss by getting tools and equipment insurance. 

Tools and equipment insurance will cover costs for replacement or repairs if acupuncture devices and other valuables in your clinic become lost or damaged due to:

• Operator error

• Impact

• Electrical short

• Electrical surge

• Theft

• Mechanical breakdown

Disposable needle sets can’t be covered by tools and equipment insurance. But they can be covered through the contents coverage of commercial property insurance. 

How Much Coverage Does Tools And Equipment Insurance Provide?

The tools and equipment insurance for acupuncturists provides a $5,000-$15,000 coverage. Note that while it’s available as a stand-alone policy, most insurance companies offer tools and equipment insurance as an optional coverage in general liability or commercial property insurance. 

Other Types of Insurance To Consider Having

Employer’s Liability Insurance for Acupuncturists 

An employee who sustained a work-related injury or disease can accuse you of not providing adequate compensation. Employer’s liability insurance can help in such a situation. The policy will take care of these:

• Settlements

• Defense costs

• Court judgments

Employer’s liability insurance provides $100,000 coverage for each bodily injury, $500,000 coverage for each disease, and $100,000 coverage for each employee. These are just minimums. 

Employment Practices Liability Insurance for Acupuncturist

Employment practices liability is a coverage related to employer’s liability insurance. This also handles employee claims. It takes care of these perils:

• Sexual harassment

• Wrongful termination

• Discrimination

• Missed employment benefits

• Exploitation

• Other acts considered as a violation of employee rights

Insurance companies underwrite employment practices liability insurance for acupuncturists with a $100,000-$1 million policy limit. 

Short-Term General Liability Insurance 

Is your acupuncture clinic only open at selected schedules? If this is the case, consider getting short-term general liability insurance instead of an annual general liability insurance. 

Depending on your choice, general liability insurance can cover you for hours, days, or weeks. It’s no different from the usual general liability policy because it also takes care of:

• Claims for bodily injuries

• Claims for property damage

• Slander, libel, and copyright infringement claims

• Liability over rented premises

Acupuncturist Insurance Cost

Acupuncturist insurance cost $31 per month or $372 per year for a $1 million general liability insurance policy. Factors that affect rates are location, business history, claims history, revenues, number of employees, and more. Take a further glimpse of the premiums through this table that shows the rates of the recommended carriers:

Compare quotes to get the best coverage at the most reasonable rate. Click the “Get Quotes” button on this page to start.