Even then, it took me several calls and interactions to get them to send me the actual detailed insurance contract. They tried to fob me off several times with a brief summary document.
I would be surprised, based on my experience, if people are actually confronted with the paperwork as you suggest. The default flow of my home purchase made it clear that my request to review the coverage contract was so far outside the norm that they weren’t really sure how to handle it.
Its doesnt matter what mumbo jumbo they come up with, if you cave to peer pressure then accept the risks. Or vote with your wallet.
How could I have signed a contract without seeing it? I wouldn’t have anything to sign!
But none of that was my point. My point was—if asking to see the agreement was this far outside the norm, then how many people are actually confronted with the paperwork? My guess, based on my anecdotal experience, is not many.
The first page or so will explain who the policyholder is, what is the effective date of the policy, and what forms constitute the insurance being provided. The rest of the policy is (usually) a set of forms approved by the state insurance commissioner that define, in particular, what is and is not being insured. Be aware that something that is very clearly defined on the first page of the first form is very frequently completely contradicted by something on the fifteenth page of the thirtieth form, which makes it very important to have the complete set.
In general insurance law is such that you ought to be able to read the entire policy and make sense of it - no tricks. In practice there are some wrinkles and it's good to consult a professional but if you read the policy you will at least have some awareness of the coverage you can expect.
Indeed. This is how I discovered that my own policy forbade me to own a dog belonging, even in part, to any of a long list of breeds: Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Cana Presario ... IIRC German Shepherd was on the list.
It’s frankly unrealistic to expect most people to remember their home insurance asking about trampolines 15+ years ago.
