Originally Posted by
Timequake
.... But statistically speaking, people pay way more in premiums than they receive from claims.
....
That is probably true because most people are lucky and do not have to file a claim. And a small number will receive way more than they pay in because they have a large claim. The purpose of an insurance policy is to cover the cost of an expensive unanticipated event.
A couple years ago I was on a guided bike tour. The guide was living out of his Chevy van because he was flat broke. He had a back injury several years earlier (he bicycled off of a cliff) and filed medical bankruptcy because his medical costs were over a quarter million $USD. I am not sure how many years that he had been living in a Chevy van or how many more years he was going to have to, but basically any income he got over and above a small amount was being pulled out of his pay checks to pay down his debts.
I have health insurance, when I travel out of the country I buy travel insurance that includes medical, condo insurance on my condo (similar to a renters policy) and I have insurance on my truck in case I hit someone or am hit by an uninsured driver. But, I do not have collision insurance on my truck, so if I hit something and total my 2003 truck, I am out the value of a 14 year old truck.
Do I consider myself bad at math? No, not when I have degrees in Economics and Geological Engineering, it would be hard to obtain those professional degrees if I was bad at math.