Insuring a body part, is this reserved for stars?
This type of insurance is accessible to the general public. All parts of the human body can be insured. The premium varies according to the risk exposure, the status of the insured, the part(s) of the body covered and the amounts of insured capital.
How does insuring a body part work?
Football players take out insurance for their legs, actors for their faces and singers for their vocal cords. Other professionals follow the same path and insure parts of their bodies. This is the case of musicians (pianists, guitarists, etc.), surgeons and dentists who underwrite insurance policies for their hands or their fingers.
In addition to standard guarantees (loss of occupation insurance, pension insurance, personal accident insurance), complex guarantee arrangements can be created in tailor-made contracts.
This segment of the insurance market is a niche in the hands of specialized brokers and underwriters. Depending on their importance, many risks are placed with the Lloyd's syndicates.
* It should be noted that, there are tailor-made guarantees, depending on the occupation: pilots insure their sight, sommeliers and tasters take out insurance for their taste buds, etc.
Insuring a body part: the most important contracts underwritten by sportsmen
Athlete | Type of sport | Insured body part(s) | Amount of cover |
---|---|---|---|
Lionel Messi | Football | Legs | 898 million USD |
David Beckham | Football | Legs | 151 million USD |
Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | Legs | 144 million USD |
Iker Casillas | Football | Hands | 17 million USD |
Fernando Alonso | Formula One | Thumbs | 13.5 million USD |
Mark McGwire | Baseball | Ankle | 12 million USD (1998) |
Sam Bradford | American football | Entire body | 10 million USD |
Joba Chamberlain | Baseball | Right arm | 5 million USD |
Manuel Neuer | Football | Hands | 4.3 million USD |
Felipe Massa | Formula One | Head | 1 million USD |
Other athletes have also insured unusual body parts:
- American football player Troy Polamalu took out insurance for his hair for 1 million USD in 2010.
- Australian cricket player Merv Hughes has insured his moustaches for the amount of 370.000 USD.
Insuring a body part: the most important contracts in the world of art and entertainment
Artist | Artistic field | Insured body part(s) | Contract value |
---|---|---|---|
Mariah Carey | Singing | Voice | 35 million USD |
Legs | 35 million USD and up to 1 billion USD during an advertising campaign in 2006 | ||
Jennifer Lopez | Singing | Body (Butt) | Between 27 and 300 million USD |
Michael Flatley | Dance | Legs | 57.6 million USD |
Taylor Swift | Singing | Legs | 40 million USD |
Julia Roberts | Cinema | Smile | 30 million USD |
Bruce Springsteen | Singing | Voice | 30 million USD |
America Ferrera | Cinema | Smile | 10 million USD |
Daniel Craig | Cinema | Entire body | 9.5 million USD |
Tom Jones | Singing | Chest hair | 7 million USD |
Rod Stewart | Singing | Voice | 6 million USD |
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