By Thomas A. Parmalee
Jolly Mathew, who earned a juris doctorate and once had dreams of being an attorney, never planned to embark on a career helping home care agencies protect their businesses with the right insurance coverage, but she’s absolutely loving her job as an independent insurance agent with InPro Insurance Group, powered by High Street Insurance Partners.
“Honestly, it started like a lot of 20-something-year-olds’ stories may,” she said. “My parents reminded me that love is unconditional … but financial support is not. The reality was the job market was tough, and the legal field was saturated, so I took the first opportunity I could find.”
That ended up being at Allstate, where executives quickly noticed her writing skills and work ethic, which resulted in her getting moved between teams. “One project led to another, and before I knew it, I had traded in wanting to save the world for insurance policies and never looked back,” she said.
For the past couple of years, Mathew (pictured at top) has worked at InPro Insurance Group, specializing in helping home care agencies and home health clients get the coverage they need to protect what they have worked so hard to build – as well as their employees and the individuals they serve.
“I love my current reality because my clients serve the most vulnerable, and I genuinely enjoy supporting the important work they do,” she said.
Home Care Post recently caught up with Mathew, who shared insights on some common missteps home care agencies make when it comes to insurance, why having the proper coverage is so important and more.
What verticals does InPro Insurance Group specialize in – and how long has it been serving the home care market?
InPro is unique because we work with businesses of all shapes and sizes. On one end of the spectrum, we serve large manufacturers ad corporations, and on the other, we work with your neighborhood coffee shop or local restaurant. We cover just about everything in between.
Our Home Care and Home Health program began about 15 years ago. The agency owner was already working closely with many nonprofits when he recognized a need in this specific area, and we have been dedicated to serving it ever since.
Are you able to serve agencies in every state? If not, which ones can you NOT provide coverage in?
We are one of the few agencies in the country that can provide coverage in almost every state. The only exception right now is Alaska. We are actively looking for solutions there, and just because there isn’t one today doesn’t mean we are giving up.
Are InPro and Capital Insurance Group two separate companies? What’s the relationship?
Last year InPro and Capital combined their offices, but both are part of the same family under Highstreet Insurance Partners. We recently changed our name to Highstreet, and over the next year you’ll see everything gradually rebranded. It’s just a name change; we will continue to specialize in home care and home health.
What do you personally like most about serving the home care niche?
I truly enjoy working with home care owners because I believe they are some of the best people in the world. Starting a home care business is not for the faint of heart, and it rarely offers a quick turnaround. It takes dedication, patience, and a genuine passion for helping others. My clients put people first, and they are willing to put in the hard work to build their business, and I love being able to support them in that journey.
I love what my clients do for their communities. In the home care and home health world, most people are in it because they have a personal connection to caregiving. That is true for me as well. I helped care for my grandmother at a young age, and I would not trade that time for anything. It gave me more time with her and memories that have stayed with me long after she was gone.
I know that my clients are creating those same moments for families across the country. I truly admire and respect them for the work they do, and I feel lucky to support them in protecting their businesses, so they can keep making that kind of difference.
Do most home care agencies have the insurance coverage they need? What are some of the most common mistakes you see?
In my experience, many agencies do not have the coverage the industry truly requires, and it is often not their fault. It is the adage, you don’t know what you don’t know, until someone explains it. It’s why I take an education-first approach with all my clients.
One common mistake is only purchasing the minimum coverage needed to get a state license and then never updating it. That can create problems later when trying to secure referral contracts, since you may not meet their standards. It also shows carriers that you may not be covering all your exposures correctly, which in turn makes you a bigger risk.
One example is underinsuring or skipping abuse and molestation coverage. This is a biggie, it’s an extremely high exposure in this industry and needs to be properly covered.
Another mistake is not carrying Hired and Non-Owned Auto coverage. A caregiver’s personal auto policy may not be enough, especially since most only carry minimum limits. Without this coverage in place, an agency can be left financially exposed if a caregiver is involved in an accident while working.
You also offer other types of insurance … do home care agencies get a discount if they bundle other policies, such as automobile insurance, home insurance, etc.?
We keep commercial coverage and personal coverage separate, since combining them can create problems and increase liability. For example, if an agency has a company car, it should always be added to the commercial policy. This provides far more protection than trying to attach it to a personal auto policy, as many personal carriers either will not cover business use or will limit the coverage significantly.
When it comes to commercial insurance, we do try to bundle as much as possible to get better value and coverage. However, in the home care and home health industry, no single carrier offers every type of policy you might need. There are specific carriers that will only write certain coverage lines for home care, especially when we are talking about million-dollar limits. For example, one carrier might provide a great commercial package that covers nearly everything, but they do not write workers’ compensation for home care. So, there are specific carriers for specific lines, and there are only a handful of carriers in every state that will even write home care and home health agencies.
Where and how should home care agencies highlight their insurance coverage?
The simplest way to showcase coverage, especially to potential clients and referral partners, is by providing a certificate of insurance. This document clearly shows what coverage you have and the limits in place. You can also create a simple one-page summary that explains your coverage in plain language, since not everyone knows how to read a certificate of insurance.
How important is insurance coverage to families and clients that use home care?
Insurance coverage is very important to families choosing a home care provider. They are trusting an agency with the care, safety, and dignity of someone they love, often in very personal and vulnerable situations. Knowing the agency is fully insured gives them peace of mind that if something goes wrong, whether it is an accident, an injury, or damage to their home, there is a safety net in place.
I have seen this play out many times. In one case, a caregiver was injured while helping a client in their home. Because the agency had proper workers’ compensation coverage, the caregiver’s medical bills and lost wages were taken care of, and the client’s family did not have to worry about unexpected costs. In another instance, a family asked to see an agency’s certificate of insurance before signing on. Once they saw proof of solid liability and professional liability coverage, they felt comfortable moving forward.
At the end of the day, good insurance is not just paperwork. It is a way of showing families that their loved one’s care is protected and that the agency takes that responsibility seriously.
Who is your ideal client in the home care market … who can you help the MOST?
My ideal client is a home care or home health agency owner who really cares about running a strong, professional business and protecting what they have worked so hard to build. I can help the most when the owner values doing things the right way and wants to understand the coverages that truly matter in this industry.
I work especially well with agencies that want to stand out to referral partners and families, which often means carrying more than just the bare minimum required by the state. Whether they are just starting out and need guidance from day one, or they have been around for years and want to make sure their coverage is solid, I can help them create a program that protects their business and supports their growth.
The agencies I connect with most are the ones who see insurance as more than paperwork. They see it as peace of mind for themselves, their staff, and the people they care for.
How competitive are your rates? How are those rates determined?
As an independent agent, I do not set the rates myself. Instead, I work with multiple insurance carriers and shop the market to find the best fit for each client. This allows me to compare options and find the most competitive combination of coverage, limits and price based on your specific needs.
The carriers determine the rates using a variety of factors. In the home care and home health industry, they can look at things like the size of your payroll, your annual revenue, the types of services you provide, your claims history, the states you operate in and the limits of coverage you choose.
My role is to make sure the carriers have an accurate picture of your business, so you get fair, competitive pricing without sacrificing the protection you need.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Home care is a growing area of the market. While we consider it a niche within the insurance world, when you step back and look at the health care market as a whole, home care and home health are services that almost everyone will need at some point in their lives. Our population is aging, people are living longer with chronic conditions and more families are choosing care at home over facility-based options.
That means the demand for these services will only continue to grow, and with that growth comes the need for strong, tailored insurance coverage to protect the agencies doing this important work. I am proud to be part of that support system. My goal is to make sure these agencies have the protection they need, so they can focus on what they do best, caring for people in their own homes and making a real difference in their communities.
Click here to learn more about InPro Insurance Group.
Contact Jolly Mathew.
