Policy Plain editorial standards

Insurance touches money, property and sometimes safety, so the bar for writing about it sits higher than for most subjects. These are the rules Policy Plain works to, for every article and every page in the policy desk.

What “general information” means here

Pages describe how policies are commonly written and how claims commonly go. They are no insurance advice, no legal advice and no suggestion to buy, change or cancel coverage. We have not seen your policy, your property or your state, and we do not pretend otherwise.

Your policy as written governs, and your insurer makes the first decision on any claim. For a specific policy or loss, talk to your agent, your insurer or a licensed attorney.

Starting from the wording

We begin with the policy language itself: standard forms, sample forms and the way common clauses are drafted. For rules and consumer guidance we lean on primary sources, mainly state insurance departments and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at content.naic.org. A page that says something about regulation points to where you can confirm it. Forums, anonymous claims and insurer marketing are not sources for us.

Rules change at the state line

Insurance is regulated state by state. Required coverages, notice periods, cancellation rules, claim timelines and policy forms all vary. A page that describes a rule says whether it varies and sends you to your state insurance department, which you can find through the NAIC directory.

Numbers on the page

Premiums, limits and deductibles are never stated as facts here, since they depend on the insurer, the state, the property and the person. When a number illustrates a point, it is invented and marked as an example. The calculator uses only what you type in.

Who signs the pages

Articles go out under the editorial team’s name, The Policy Plain editors. No writer is presented as an expert and none is given credentials. The method and the sources are what you can check.

What we leave alone

• Recommending an insurer, an agent or a product.
• Telling you what coverage you need or how much.
• Interpreting your policy for you. We explain what a clause of that kind usually does and send you back to your own document.
• Asking for policy numbers or claim details. The calculator keeps what you enter in your own browser.

What the dates tell you

A published date says when the page first went up. An updated date appears only after a meaningful revision. If a page is wrong or has aged, send the passage through the contact page and leave out your name and policy number. A report that holds up against the source leads to a corrected page.

Start with the insurance terms glossary if a word on this page is unfamiliar.