BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- We have insurance for almost everything, our phones, homes, cars, and now schools are starting to talk about active shooter insurance.
- Insurance companies underwriting new policies
- Includes victim death benefits, additional medical benefits
The McGowan Companies Managing Director Paul Marshall, is one of the underwriters for the largest insurance companies in the nation. In recent years, after all the mass school shootings, it was clear they needed to add a new type of policy.
McGowan's Active Shooter/Workplace Violence Insurance covers liability and extra expenses tied to shootings, providing up to $250,000 in victim death benefits, with additional medical expense benefits.
The program also covers a wide range of attack types, such as knife and vehicular attacks, rather than solely deadly attacks committed with a firearm.
Paul Marshall says the policy is designed to help families with the aftermath -- either way the costs are coming out of the taxpayers' pockets.
"The state says they are going to pay for everyone's funerals, taxpayers are paying for that, $15 million price tag for Sandy Hook... it's all a matter of perspective," said Marshall.
Other companies like Church Mutual Insurance Company offer high liability insurance, and active shooter coverage is included.
"Increasingly they are looking for greater liability," said Edward W. Hancock, vice president at Church Mutual Insurance Company.
Jennifer Caroll is not looking forward to this upcoming school year. The mother of three says she doesn’t want insurance companies profiting from others' pain.
"They figure out they can make a profit of a fear," Carroll said. "One in 14 million shot of their school getting shot. They are not doing it to protect people, they are doing it to make money."
They all can agree on one thing, it's a sad reflection of the changing times.
According to Brevard County Schools, there have been discussions about adding this coverage, but no final decision has been made at this time.