Do Health Coaches Need Insurance?

Do health coaches need insurance? Health coaches can be instrumental when it comes to helping someone adopt a healthier lifestyle. It can be difficult to define the role of a health coach, as they can help with a wide variety of health issues from weight loss and stress reduction to the management of chronic conditions. ¹ With so many different services offered comes an abundance of liability. Like many other professionals, health coaches need to protect themselves from complaints and culpability from damages.

Even though health coaching has been approved by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, it is still a relatively unregulated field, with many gray areas. This, along with the fact that health coaching is a relatively new profession, leaves the health coaches wide open to legal claims without much state or federal protection.² It is important to research how the individual laws act in your area. Being accused of the unlicensed practice of a state-licensed profession can lead to a number of disciplinary actions.³

A reputable and wise health coach will have several types of insurance as safeguards. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits all insurance package tailored for health coaches. Instead, there are several different types of policies. Determining which ones you need will be based on how your practice will operate and the type of services you will offer clients.

Here are the different types of insurance a health coach may need:

Professional Liability Insurance for Health Coaches

This is the big one. And for some health coaches, this may be the only one necessary. As an independent contractor, liability insurance is crucial.  A professional liability policy protects you if you make mistakes while working or if you fail to uphold your contracts with clients. ²

General Liability Insurance for Health Coaches

General liability insurance, or CGL, is also known as business liability insurance.  This policy is designed to protect a business owner’s financial assets CGL covers risks such as:

• Bodily injury
• Property damage
• Medical payments
• Legal defense and judgment
• Personal and advertising injury ⁴

Personal Injury Insurance for Health Coaches

Personal injury liability insurance shields you from defamation, libel, and slander. It also protects you from lawsuits involving:

• False arrest
• Malicious prosecution
• Invasion of privacy⁵

Commercial Insurance for Health Coaches

If you have an in-person office, you will have more risks. Nicknamed the “slip and fall” policy, this one protects your business if someone were to get injured on your property.

Commercial Property Insurance for Health Coaches

If operating in an office, this one covers you in the event of a fire, natural disaster, or theft.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

If your business has employees, this is highly recommended. In many states, it is a requirement. It protects your employees if injured at work or becoming sick from work-related circumstances.

While some of these may seem unnecessary at first glance, lawsuits have the ability to deplete your finances and ruin your business. It’s essential you have measures in place to protect your business from possible disciplinary actions. Proper insurance is a smart investment that will pay off and provide you with invaluable peace of mind.