208-609-3511 daniel@bittickinsurance.com

Home health care business insurance is a bundle of commercial coverages designed to protect agencies, aides, and clinicians from the liability, auto, crime, and property risks that come with delivering care in clients' homes. Your team works in intimate settings with vulnerable people, and the claims that arise in this industry, from a caregiver accused of negligence to an employee vehicle accident on the way to a visit, can be serious. At Bittick Insurance Services, we work as an independent agency, which means we shop your coverage across multiple carriers and match you to policies that fit your specific operation. We serve home health care businesses from our Eagle, Idaho office throughout the Treasure Valley and beyond.

What this coverage includes

General liability for your office and your clients' homes

General liability insurance covers third-party bodily injury and property damage claims that happen in the course of your operations. If a client or visitor trips and falls in your office, or if one of your aides accidentally knocks over and breaks a client's furniture during a home visit, this policy covers your legal defense costs and any damages owed. For home health care businesses, this coverage applies both at your own location and at the homes where your employees work every day.

Professional liability for care-related mistakes

Professional liability insurance (sometimes called errors and omissions, or E&O) covers claims that a member of your staff made a clinical or care-related mistake that harmed a patient. A nurse who administers the wrong dose, a home health aide accused of failing to follow a care plan, or a rehabilitation therapist whose treatment is alleged to have caused injury, all of these situations can generate professional liability claims. This coverage pays for your defense and any resulting damages, separate from your general liability policy.

Sexual abuse and molestation liability

Because caregivers work one-on-one with vulnerable clients in private settings, sexual abuse and molestation (SAM) liability is a coverage home health care businesses specifically need. Standard general liability policies typically exclude these claims, so SAM coverage must be added separately. It provides defense and indemnity if an allegation is made against your organization or one of your employees. Carrying this coverage also signals to clients and referral partners that you take your duty of care seriously.

Business auto: company vehicles and employee-owned cars

Your employees are on the road constantly. If your agency owns the vehicles, commercial auto or fleet insurance covers accidents, liability, and physical damage to those vehicles. If your employees drive their own cars to client visits, you need hired and non-owned auto (HNOA) insurance, because a personal auto policy typically will not cover an accident that happens while someone is driving for work. Many home health care agencies need both coverages depending on how their transportation is structured.

Crime, property, cyber, and employment practices

Home health care businesses face a cluster of additional exposures that standard policies may not address. Crime insurance covers employee theft of cash, medication, jewelry, or client property, as well as third-party theft that occurs at a client's home. If you lease or own office space, commercial property insurance covers your equipment and furnishings. Cyber liability insurance responds when client health data is exposed in a breach. Employment practices liability (EPLI) covers discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination claims from current or former employees.

Pairs well with

Workers' Compensation Insurance

Caregivers lift, transfer, and assist patients all day. Back injuries and slip-and-fall accidents are common. Workers' comp covers medical costs and lost wages when an employee is hurt on the job, and Idaho law requires it for most employers with one or more employees.

Learn more ›

Commercial Umbrella Insurance

A serious professional liability or auto claim can exceed the limits on your underlying policies quickly. A commercial umbrella policy sits above your general liability, professional liability, and auto coverage and picks up where those limits end.

Learn more ›

Commercial Property Insurance

If you operate out of a rented or owned office, property insurance covers your medical equipment, computers, and furnishings against fire, theft, and other covered perils. Most business owner's policies (BOPs) bundle property with general liability at a combined premium.

Learn more ›

Cyber Liability Insurance

Home health care agencies collect protected health information (PHI), which makes them a target for data breaches. Cyber liability insurance covers breach notification costs, regulatory fines, and the cost of restoring or recovering compromised data.

Learn more ›

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)

Home health care agencies often have large, diverse workforces with high turnover. EPLI covers claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and other employment-related allegations from current, former, or prospective employees.

Learn more ›

What this coverage protects against

Common risks and how this coverage addresses them. Tap any scenario to expand.

  • Caregiver accused of injuring a patient during a transfer.

    The risk

    A home health aide is helping an elderly client move from bed to a wheelchair. The client falls and fractures a hip. The family files a professional liability claim, alleging the aide failed to follow the proper transfer technique documented in the care plan.

    How this coverage helps

    Professional liability insurance covers the legal defense costs and any damages awarded, even if the aide followed proper protocol. Without this coverage, the agency pays out of pocket for attorney fees and any settlement.

  • Employee rear-ends another driver on the way to a patient visit.

    The risk

    One of your nurses is driving her personal car between two client visits on a Tuesday afternoon. She rear-ends a vehicle at a light on Eagle Road and the other driver is injured. The injured party sues both the nurse and your agency.

    How this coverage helps

    Hired and non-owned auto insurance covers the liability your agency faces when employees use personal vehicles for work purposes. It fills the gap that personal auto policies typically leave when a vehicle is being used on the employer's behalf.

  • Longtime employee discovered stealing medication from clients.

    The risk

    During a routine internal review, your agency discovers that a trusted home health aide has been taking prescription pain medication from several clients' homes over a period of months. Multiple clients file complaints, and one family threatens legal action.

    How this coverage helps

    Crime insurance covers the theft of client property by an employee, including medications and controlled substances. It can help pay restitution to affected clients and cover the agency's resulting legal costs.

  • A discrimination claim filed by a terminated employee.

    The risk

    A former employee who was let go after a performance review files a complaint with the Idaho Human Rights Commission, alleging that the termination was based on age discrimination rather than job performance.

    How this coverage helps

    Employment practices liability insurance covers the cost of defending against discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination claims. It responds whether the claim is ultimately found to be valid or not, because the legal defense alone can be expensive.

  • Client health records exposed in a phishing attack.

    The risk

    A staff member clicks a link in a convincing phishing email and unknowingly hands over their login credentials. The attacker accesses your scheduling and records system, and protected health information for dozens of clients is compromised.

    How this coverage helps

    Cyber liability insurance covers the cost of notifying affected clients, engaging a breach response firm, and any regulatory penalties under HIPAA. It also covers credit monitoring services for affected individuals and the cost of restoring compromised systems.

  • Visitor injured at your agency's Eagle office.

    The risk

    A job applicant comes in for an interview at your Eagle office. She slips on a wet floor near the entrance that was not marked with a warning sign and sprains her ankle. She incurs medical bills and files a claim against your business.

    How this coverage helps

    General liability insurance covers bodily injury claims that occur on your business premises. It pays for the claimant's medical costs and your legal defense, whether or not the case proceeds to litigation.

  • Agency van involved in a multi-vehicle accident.

    The risk

    Your agency operates two company-owned vans to transport aides between client sites in the Nampa and Caldwell areas. One van is involved in a multi-vehicle accident on I-84. The other driver sustains injuries and significant vehicle damage.

    How this coverage helps

    Commercial auto insurance covers liability for injuries and property damage your company vehicles cause, as well as physical damage to the van itself if you carry collision coverage. Fleet policies can cover multiple vehicles under a single policy structure.

  • Third party steals equipment from an aide's car during a home visit.

    The risk

    While your aide is inside a client's home in Meridian, someone breaks into her car and steals her agency-issued tablet, which contains scheduling data and client contact information.

    How this coverage helps

    Depending on how your policy is structured, crime coverage or an inland marine endorsement can cover theft of business equipment from an employee's vehicle. A cyber liability policy would also respond to any data exposure resulting from the stolen device.

Frequently asked questions

What types of home health care businesses does this insurance cover?
Policies are available for a wide range of home health care operations, including skilled nursing agencies, rehabilitation therapy providers, home health aide services, hospice care organizations, companion and personal care services, and medical social work practices. Coverage can also extend to non-medical home care agencies that provide basic assistance and daily living support. The right policy structure depends on what services your staff actually delivers.
Is general liability enough, or do I need professional liability too?
For home health care businesses, you almost always need both. General liability covers physical accidents, like a client falling in your office or an aide damaging property during a visit. Professional liability covers claims tied to the care itself, like an allegation that a clinical decision or care plan deviation caused harm. These are separate claims with separate triggers, and one policy does not substitute for the other.
My employees use their own cars to visit clients. Am I covered if one of them has an accident?
Not automatically. A personal auto policy excludes coverage when the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes. Hired and non-owned auto insurance fills that gap for your agency by covering the liability that falls on your business when an employee's personal vehicle is used for work. It does not cover damage to the employee's car itself, so you may want to discuss mileage reimbursement policies and personal auto requirements with your staff as well.
How much does home health care business insurance cost in Idaho?
Premiums vary based on your number of employees, annual revenue, the types of services you provide, your claims history, and how many vehicles are involved. A small companion care agency with a handful of employees will pay significantly less than a multi-location skilled nursing agency. Because Bittick is an independent agency, we can get quotes from multiple carriers and show you the tradeoffs in price and coverage before you decide.
Do I need sexual abuse and molestation coverage, or is it included in my general liability policy?
Most standard general liability policies specifically exclude sexual abuse and molestation claims. For home health care businesses, where caregivers work alone with clients in private settings, this is a gap you cannot afford to leave open. SAM coverage is typically added as a separate endorsement or a standalone policy, and it covers both defense costs and damages if an allegation is made against your organization.
Does Bittick write home health care insurance outside of Idaho?
Yes. Bittick is licensed in CA, CO, ID, NV, OR, TX, VA, and WA. We serve home health care clients from our Eagle, Idaho office and our San Antonio, Texas office, and we work with clients across all the states where we're licensed. Coverage requirements and available policy structures can differ by state, so we factor in your specific location when shopping your coverage.

Get coverage that fits your home health care operation

Tell us about your agency and we'll shop your coverage across multiple carriers to find the right fit.

Don't like forms? Contact us at 208-609-3511 or email us.