Prawo ubezpieczeń społecznych a prawo ubezpieczeń gospodarczych (osobowych)

In the paper, the author compares social insurance law with commercial (personal) insurance law, regarding the both types of insurance as different legal disciplines with different social and economic purposes. In the common and compulsory social insurance, the social purpose connected with provision of insurance cover takes precedence, not only due to fulfillment of individual profits of individual insured persons, but also with regard to interests of other risk community members. Differently, voluntary personal insurance is a symptom of individual prudence undertaken most commonly to increase the economic standard of family procurement, as well as to fulfill business interests of insurance institutions, which is related to the commercial character of such insurance. Regardless of the aforementioned, the both types of insurance have a common subject of protection consisting in granting a guarantee to cover any damage caused by accidents influencing in a negative way an area of life, health and ability to work of persons covered by such insurance. Therefore, the term of insurance risk (social in social insurance and commercial or private in personal insurance) is fundamental in the subject matter and the nature of granted insurance cover consists in bearing such risk (danger) by the insuring party.