Named and Unnamed Insured Persons (Namentlich / nicht namentlich versicherte Personen)

Two Models of Recording

Under named cover (“named basis”) the insured persons are listed in the policy or a register with name, date of birth and sum insured; changes must be notified to the insurer, and cover for a new person begins only upon inclusion in the list. This form suits small, stable groups such as the executive board, board of directors or key persons with individually high sums. Under unnamed cover (“unnamed basis”) the group is defined abstractly – for instance “all employees”, “all field staff” or “category A: management” – and sums insured are set per category as fixed amounts or salary multiples. Anyone meeting the category definition is automatically insured from joining and leaves cover on departure without any individual notification.

Declaration and Underwriting

The premium for unnamed cover is based on the declared headcount or annual payroll per category, usually with a provisional deposit premium and definitive adjustment after the end of the policy year, or with a fixed annual premium where population changes remain below an agreed tolerance. The policyholder has declaration duties: material changes in the population, new fields of activity or locations and persons outside the agreed maximum age must be disclosed; omitted or incorrect declarations may lead to benefit reductions or additional premiums. Because the insurer does not know the individual risks, assessment of the group by industry, occupational classes, age structure and travel activity replaces individual medical underwriting; maximum sums per person and an any one accident limit contain the accumulation of unknown individual risks.

Legal Classification

Irrespective of the recording model, this is insurance for the account of a third party; in Switzerland the insured persons have a direct right of claim under Art. 87 VVG, while in Germany the entitlement follows sections 43 et seq. VVG and the contractual arrangement of a direct claim, which in turn shapes the wage tax treatment.