General Liability Insurance for Missouri Home Care Agencies
There is more than one kind of liability coverage. General liability responds when your agency injures someone or damages their property: a fall, a kitchen fire, a broken heirloom. Professional liability responds when the care itself is questioned. A Missouri agency needs both, whether it provides skilled or non-medical care. This page covers the first.
Your caregivers spend their days in homes across St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and the towns between, and your agency's exposure travels with them. General liability is the base of a Missouri home care insurance program. It applies when your operations cause bodily injury or property damage to anyone who is not your employee.
Claims General Liability Handles
- A caregiver breaks something valuable, scratches a floor, or starts a fire while cooking for a client.
- A visitor trips over equipment a caregiver left in a hallway.
- A family member is hurt in an incident tied to your agency's work.
- Property damage that results from the services you provide in the home.
Agencies serving MO HealthNet clients must carry occurrence-form general liability of at least $1 million per event and $3 million aggregate, covering every place of business and every participant, employee and volunteer, with MMAC as certificate holder. Private-pay agencies have no state minimum, but clients, families and referral sources commonly ask for proof of coverage.
Claims in a client's home rarely fall neatly under one label, so we write general and professional liability together as one coordinated program. Our Missouri professional liability page covers the other half.
Whether you are opening a Missouri agency or reviewing the program you have now, start with one form. Or send us your declarations pages, and we will tell you what we find.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does general liability cover for a Missouri home care agency?
Bodily injury and property damage your operations cause to people who are not your employees. In home care, that often means broken belongings, damaged floors, a cooking fire, or a visitor tripping over equipment in a walkway.
Do I need general liability if I already have professional liability?
Yes. They cover different claims: general liability for accidents and property damage, professional liability for the quality of care. Home care claims often involve both, so we place them together.
Is there a required minimum in Missouri?
Only if you contract with MMAC for Medicaid in-home services, which requires $1 million per event and $3 million aggregate on an occurrence form. Private-pay agencies set their own limits, and the coverage you need may be very different from the bare minimum. We help you see the difference.