What Insurance Do B.C. Registered Massage Therapists Need?
As a B.C. registered massage therapist, what happens if you face claims of professional negligence that have resulted in bodily injury, damage, or loss to a client? Registered massage therapy insurance coverage can help protect you financially should you be sued.
Registered massage therapists and holistic health professionals need to protect themselves with insurance specifically designed for their profession.
If you are a registered massage therapist in British Columbia, your Western Financial Group business insurance expert will give you top-notch commercial insurance advice and ways to save on the insurance you need.
What is registered massage therapist (RMT) insurance for B.C. professionals?
Massage therapy insurance is an insurance package specifically for registered massage therapists, holistic health care professionals, and their clinics that provides financial protection against lawsuits alleging negligence that resulted in damages, losses, or bodily injury to their clients.
Who needs this type of insurance?
- Registered massage therapists and their clinics in British Columbia
- Osteopathy practitioners
- Reflexologists
- Kinesiologists
- Physiotherapists
- Naturopaths
- Wellness specialists
How much does insurance cost for B.C. registered massage therapists/holistic health professionals?
There isn’t a set insurance price for registered massage therapists or holistic health professionals in British Columbia. These factors are usually considered when calculating the cost of your insurance:
- Are you an individual registered massage therapist or do you have a clinic?
- Experience, including certifications and designations
- Your location
- Any past claims
- Number of employees
As a B.C. registered massage therapist, here’s how you are protected from the risks and costs associated with third-party claims or lawsuits.
Here are 3 examples:
- A thief breaks into your B.C. massage therapy clinic and vandalizes it. Commercial property insurance helps cover the cost of replacing your guitars.
- After a massage therapy appointment, a client claimed that your services made their injured back worse and sued you for malpractice. Professional liability insurance policy could help cover the lawsuit against you.
- A client slipped on a wet floor at your B.C. clinic and broke her wrist and sued you. Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policy could cover the medical and legal fees.
A registered massage therapist insurance package typically includes these insurance coverages:
Professional liability insurance
It is also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance or massage malpractice insurance and it protects registered massage therapists from professional negligence claims.
The following types of negligence claims are typically covered:
- Failure to attend to a patient
- Failure in referral or consultation
- Failure in diagnosis
- Substandard treatment
- Failure to protect or warn third parties
Registered massage therapists would need professional liability insurance coverage of at least $2 million per claim or per occurrence.
Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance
(CGL) provides financial protection against legal claims of third-party injuries and property damage caused by accidents not directly from the service provided. If one of your patients gets injured (i.e., slip and fall) on your business premises and sues, a CGL policy may cover any legal defense and settlement fees (up to policy limits) of the lawsuit. If you operate a clinic at a physical location and provide virtual services, CGL is essential coverage to have for your B.C. business.
It wouldn’t be uncommon to have $2 million in CGL insurance for your business as a B.C. registered massage therapist. You can expect to increase that amount if you own a massage therapy clinic.
Commercial property insurance: Commercial property insurance protects your B.C. registered massage therapist business or clinic and the contents in from insured risks that occur, such as a fire, theft, if vandalism, or storms. For example, if your clinic is vandalized with spray paint, commercial property damage could help cover the costs of cleaning off the graffiti.
You should consider adding a sewer backup coverage extension, which standard business insurance policies typically don’t cover, to protect your B.C. massage therapy clinic.
Business interruption insurance: This type of insurance supports you when your British Columbia clinic or registered massage therapy business can’t operate due to a covered loss.
There are a number of losses that can force your massage therapy business to shut down. Some examples are:
- Damage to your equipment from fire or vandalism
- A major reduction in revenue due to a client/supplier facing losses of their own
- A disruption in your supply chain
Business interruption insurance can help with these expenses:
- Payroll
- Rent
- Utilities
- Property taxes
- Alarm monitoring
- Relocation of your business
Cyber insurance: Cyber liability insurance helps protect you as a registered massage therapist in British Columbia if you electronically store financial data like the credit card numbers of clients. Depending on the size of the breach and the information that was taken, the customers who are affected can hold your B.C. business liable and sue for damages.
Commercial auto insurance
If you’re driving your car to appointments for your work as a registered massage therapist, your personal car insurance typically would not provide coverage in the case of an accident. Commercial auto insurance protects you if you are driving your car to appointments as a registered massage therapist in B.C.
Here’s an insurance checklist:
- Do you have the best business insurance rate that suits your work?
- Do you have the right amount for your deductible and regularly review it to make sure it’s the right amount for you?
- Are you or your employees using personal vehicles for work?
