Insurance—as a concept, it’s fairly basic. Life is unpredictable, so you purchase insurance to limit your personal risks. Whether in your car or on the job, you are vulnerable to life’s accidents. Insurance, ideally, is there when you need it most to protect you financially in the event of a crisis.
The Problem for the Individual Massage Therapist
As a massage therapist who enjoys steady employment, whether at a resort, small business or franchise, you may consider yourself comfortably beyond the reach of lawsuits and personal liability. Not only do you practice in a profession that fosters health and wellness, which you may feel should limit your overall risks, but you may also derive a false sense of security by working for someone else—someone who will surely be held responsible if anything goes awry.
It would be a mistake, however, to assume that your employer’s coverage will always cover you. Even though you may have been reassured that you are protected, some insurance providers may have loopholes, clauses or addendums that may ultimately leave you unprotected from a claim. Hot stone treatments, for instance, aren’t covered by certain insurance providers. Your employer may not be aware of any restrictions, but the restrictions may still be in effect. And these restrictions may affect you.
If you’re still in massage therapy school, the same principle applies: the school’s insurance may not cover you. You may think you are covered, and your educational institution may believe that you’ll be covered under the scenarios you’ll encounter during your course of study, but it’s possible that you—or they—don’t have all the information.
Beyond that, every insurance policy is going to have its limits in terms of the amount of coverage provided. Do you really know what limits your employer’s or school’s insurance plan has in place?
Additionally, lawsuits can take many shapes, and some clients may sue the institution and sue you—individually. Now what?
In short, you’re out of luck.
If your employer or school doesn’t cover you, you will find yourself responsible for shouldering the high costs of a lawsuit: attorney’s fees, settlement costs, court fees and, of course, loss of income from time away from work to fight the case in court. Your employer or school may be sorry that the incident happened, that they weren’t aware of the limits or restrictions of their insurance policies, that they didn’t cover you after all—but they won’t be sorrier than you.
Your entire career can be finished before it starts if you’re not financially prepared to handle such costs. Your reputation may be permanently tarnished. Your dreams of being able to do the job you love most may be placed on hold indefinitely.
The Solution for the Individual Massage Therapist
The best-case scenario if you are a massage professional or student is simply to secure your own insurance coverage that provides protection for the individual practitioner. Only with individual coverage can you, the massage therapist, be certain that you will be covered in the event of a lawsuit. Such individual coverage is also often extremely affordable, especially when compared to the financial burden of a legal claim.
Massage Magazine Insurance Plus (MMIP) provides liability insurance especially for you, the individual massage therapy professional. Their protection plan is both comprehensive and incredibly affordable, allowing you to get the coverage you need at a comfortable price
MMIP not only provides coverage for cupping and hot stone therapies, it also covers up to 350 other modalities, including yoga, dance and Pilates. The policy is effective whether you are at work, at school or at a client’s home.
Employer/school insurance may NOT cover:
- Individual employees or students
- Certain massage techniques, such as hot stone massage or cupping
- Massage work performed outside the business or school
Liability insurance from MMIP covers:
- Individual employees or students
- 350+ massage techniques, including hot stone massage and cupping
- Massage therapy performed anywhere in the U.S.