Any risk that can be quantified can potentially be insured. Specific kinds of risk that may give rise to claims are known as "perils". An insurance policy will set out in detail which perils are covered by the policy and which are not. Below are (non-exhaustive) lists of the many different types of insurance that exist. A single policy may cover risks in one or more of the categories set forth below. For example, auto insurance would typically cover both property risk (covering the risk of theft or damage to the car) and liability risk (covering legal claims from causing an accident). A homeowner's insurance policy in the U.S. typically includes property insurance covering damage to the home and the owner's belongings, liability insurance covering certain legal claims against the owner, and even a small amount of health insurance for medical expenses of guests who are injured on the owner's property.

Business insurance can be any kind of insurance that protects businesses against risks. Some principal subtypes of business insurance are (a) the various kinds of professional liability insurance, also called professional indemnity insurance, which are discussed below under that name; and (b) the business owners policy (BOP), which bundles into one policy many of the kinds of coverage that a business owner needs, in a way analogous to how homeowners insurance bundles the coverages that a homeowner needs.

Health

Health insurance policies will often cover the cost of private medical treatments if the National Health Service in the United Kingdom (NHS) or other publicly-funded health programs do not pay for them. It will often result in quicker health care where better facilities are available. Dental insurance, like medical insurance, is coverage for individuals to protect them against dental costs. In the U.S., dental insurance is often part of an employer's benefits package, along with health insurance. Most countries rely on public funding to ensure that all citizens have universal access to health care.

Disability

• Disability insurance
• Total permanent disability insurance
• Disability overhead insurance
• Workers' compensation insurance

Casualty

• Casualty insurance insures against accidents, not necessarily tied to any specific property.
• Crime insurance.
• Political risk insurance

Life

Life insurance provides a monetary benefit to a decedent's family or other designated beneficiary, and may specifically provide for income to an insured person's family, burial, funeral and other final expenses. Life insurance policies often allow the option of having the proceeds paid to the beneficiary either in a lump sum cash payment or an annuity.

Property

Property insurance provides protection against risks to property, such as fire, theft or weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance, inland marine insurance or boiler insurance.

• Automobile insurance
  • Driving School Insurance
• Aviation insurance
• Boiler insurance
• Builder's risk insurance
• Crop insurance
• Earthquake insurance
• Fidelity bond
• Flood insurance
• Home insurance or homeowners insurance
• Marine insurance and marine cargo insurance
• Surety bond insurance
• Terrorism insurance
• Volcano insurance
• Windstorm insurance

Liability

Liability insurance is a very broad superset that covers legal claims against the insured. Many types of insurance include an aspect of liability coverage. For example, a homeowner's insurance policy will normally include liability coverage which protects the insured in the event of a claim brought by someone who slips and falls on the property; automobile insurance also includes an aspect of liability insurance that indemnifies against the harm that a crashing car can cause to others' lives, health, or property. The protection offered by a liability insurance policy is twofold: a legal defense in the event of a lawsuit commenced against the policyholder and indemnification (payment on behalf of the insured) with respect to a settlement or court verdict. Liability policies typically cover only the negligence of the insured, and will not apply to results of willful or intentional acts by the insured.

• Environmental liability insurance
• Errors and omissions insurance.
• Professional liability insurance.
• Directors and officers liability insurance.
• Prize indemnity insurance.

Credit

Credit insurance repays some or all of a loan back when certain things happen to the borrower such as unemployment, disability, or death. Mortgage insurance is a form of credit insurance, although the name credit insurance more often is used to refer to policies that cover other kinds of debt.

• Mortgage insurance insures the lender against default by the borrower.

Other types

• Collateral protection insurance
• Defense Base Act Workers' compensation
• Expatriate insurance
• Financial loss insurance
• Kidnap and ransom insurance
• Locked funds insurance
• Nuclear incident insurance
• Pet insurance
• Pollution Insurance
• Purchase insurance
• Title insurance
• Travel insurance

Insurance financing vehicles

• Protected Self-Insurance
• Retrospectively Rated Insurance
• Fraternal insurance
• Formal self insurance
• No-fault insurance
• Reinsurance
• Stop-loss insurance
• Social insurance Social welfare provision
• Social security
• Social safety net
• National Insurance
• Social Security (United States)
• Social Security debate (United States)