>


And even then, you are only required to have a minimum level of liability coverage so that when you tromple over someone else's rights, there is a possibility they might be made financially whole

And why can't I just be held liable? Why should I be forced to buy insurance for it?
It's not a scam, because the product/service being sold is not a bad one (at least not automatically). Like, the concept of having a place to pool money together to pay for inevitable bad shit that most people couldn't afford out of pocket is a good idea in general. Unfortunately, like many other good ideas it is easy for companies to twist it into a shitty service that hurts the customers more than helps. >

This is exactly the response i wanted to see. The idea of it makes sense, i have no issue paying to feel protected for possible future problems, even if i never use it. But the idea that not only are you forced to buy it in most states, but also forced to buy it from companies that take advantage is what causes issues. Insurance itself is not bad when not corrupted, but is horrible when companies twist it. >

I think only liability insurance for your car is what you’re “forced to buy” and even then you don’t have to own a car. Also liability in itself is a few hundred bucks a year at most. >

The point of insurance is to prevent catastrophic loss. The point of an insurance company is to make money. These two concepts are going to clash somewhere in the middle. What type of insurance you are obtaining, and the laws of the state or country you are obtaining it in, are both going to contribute to where that middle ground falls.
Insurance CAN be a scam. Historically there have been some huge examples of scams, especially when there are poor regulatory bodies enforcing the set of rules. BUT... it is not always a scam. Sometimes it is a fight, sure... as you battle with the insurance company to get your claim covered. But you can get lawyers involved and settle the dispute in a legal fashion, and the courts don't always find in favor of the insured or shut down the insurance companies for fraud. Usually. But just because there are elements of contention doesn't make it inherently a scam.
The best way I ever heard insurance described is: you are placing a bet that you are going to lose something dear to you... so it's a bet you never want to win. The insurance companies also never want you to win - it's their whole business model. >


so it's a bet you never want to win. The insurance companies also never want you to win

the insurance companies don't want to help you even if you win, which is the point >

How have companies twisted insurance to make it a scam?
I see where you're coming from, but the problem is that with the increase in population and growth in knowledge/intellect comes growth in consumer scams as well. Scammers that take advantage of business establishments rise and become more creative, so insurance companies try to stay ahead of the curve by making insurance claims harder to file and be approved.
Sadly, there's a lot of scammers out there. People who like to take adv of other people and bigger companies/corps. I don't like corps, I hate how much they profit, but it doesn't mean I'm going to stoop to their level. If you look at music/movie pirating, it's so easy nowadays but I still buy my movies the legal way even though I'm digitally streaming it (and trust me, sometimes it's much easier to just illegally stream). But sadly, I'm the minority and most people love to save their money by scamming big corps. So that being the case, it's understandable why insurance companies make it difficult for you. It's all laid out in their policies of what you're allowed to claim - it's not like they're changing the rules (which would make it a scam at that point).
But yes, screw insurance companies in general. I'd rather pay out of pocket than have to contribute to a community where I'm subsidizing the cost to others. I stay active, eat healthy, drive safe, etc. And yet I have to pay medical/car/dental insurance that I don't even use. I would have thousands in my bank by now if I didn't have to pay for those. >

Perhaps a bad deal and not something everyone wants to buy, but not particularly a scam. You can see the details of your policy before you sign up. >

The way YOU read the details and the way THEY read the details can be thousands of dollars apart! >

It's a bad deal... in the long run. 
But that's only a posteriory. You only know you didn't need insurance after you've paid long enough to cover whatever happend to you. 
On the other hand when you get a huge life accident a few months/years in, insurance is beneficial to you. 
Most people will lose money with insurance, indeed, but it also highly reduce the risk of being one bad surprise away from total bankrupcy. 
Now that it's said, the US system seems to be complete garbage, but that doesn't put in question the benefits of insurance, just highlight that the US are incapable of putting of any kind of socialization. >

This is true. Im not sure how other countries handle it, but the US is horrible with it, especially with protecting the consumer in this aspect. Insurance can be helpful, but when there are proper regulations in place and company that do no try to screw you too much >

Even then, it's somewhat still efficient. The alternative to insurance being keeping dead money aside just to be able to replace every thing you own/rent and even more (insurance also covering the damage you do to other). And then if the insurance company doesn't screw you over, inflation will. 
Not saying that I like the situation, but that's what happend when we're surrounded with crazy expensive objects and infrastructure. The context makes them a necessary evil (that indeed needs to be regulated).
I'll take an example : in my previous train station, a truck passed the crossing with its nacelle raised up. The conductor didn't pay attention and destroyed the railway cables. Damages were in the 6-7 digits. No company can have that much money sitting around, especially a small one. >

That’s a reasonable point and again i am not against using insurance but how companies now take advantage. In the end, unless regulations change to go consumers, we have to deal with horrible companies to help us at least not be fully bankrupt. It is nice to know accidents can be (hopefully) covered by these so it doesn’t all fall in you. If there were stricter or better insurance company policies and support, I’m sure me and many others would feel much better about the whole ordeal . >

Putting aside your concerns about health and car insurance for a moment - I notice you didn't address life insurance. I'd say that one is very popular and hard to be "scammy" (term life insurance, not whole life insurance). >

Actually one of the only ones I do not have much of an opinion on is life insurance. I do think life insurance has its place in being useful for beneficiaries, but there always is the long process of getting the money usually that occurs and disputes. However, I ultimately feel life insurance can be useful and if the insurance is well received in that aspect can be good. >

If you think insurance is a scam, why do you keep buying it?
It seems very odd that you would keep voluntarily purchasing more than you are required to do so if you think it is a scam.

Obviously its for peace of mind for if something does happen

No, it's not for peace of mind if something happens. It's for financial assistance if/when something happens (to put it loosely). >

You are required legally to have some sort of car insurance in 99% of the US. Yes insurance may (may because of the often difficult process to get approved or prove claims) save you in the moment and short time after, but longterm they bleed the person that has been paying years for to stay protected, even if the claim is small. >


You are required legally to have some sort of car insurance in 99% of the US. 

No you are not. You are only legally required to do this if you want to own/operate a vehicle which obviously you are not required to do. And even then, you are only required to have a minimum level of liability coverage so that when you tromple over someone else's rights, there is a possibility they might be made financially whole.  No one cares if you destroy your own car without insurance. Take a sledge hammer to it if you want. Seriously. No one cares.
What about medical insurance?
And what about homeowner's insurance? 
Or dental insurance?
Do you pay for any of those? If yes, why?