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by shasta 3808 days ago
3. I would love to sell you that insurance policy.
2 comments

I'm also offering USD denominated insurance against the United States descending into anarchy.
Does such an insurance policy exist already?
> Does such an insurance policy exist already?

Not to my knowledge. I believe parent is being sarcastic. If an impact event occurs: a) claimant might be too dead to make the claim or b) markets would probably collapse, making the payout worthless. So there is very little point in buying that kind of cover, the only party with an upside is the insurer - hence parent volunteering.

USD-denominated Credit Default Swaps on US Treasuries (which were a thing in 2008) fall in this category. Any scenario bad enough for the swaps to be redeemable is one in which you are unlikely to be able to redeem them.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-09-26/why-would-a...