Insurance needs express the scope and level of the expect­ed financial security that economic entities may obtain through the application of insurance protection. A com­prehensive approach to addressing the insurance needs of households requires the consideration of both insurance solutions operating within the social security system and the recognition of the essential characteristics that define and differentiate households as stakeholders in the private insurance market. The importance of such an approach to meeting the insurance needs of households is particu­larly significant in the context of the statutory obligation to analyse clients’ needs and requirements when offering private insurance protection. The purpose of this article is to clarify and systematise issues related to insurance within the framework of the social security system and to provide a theoretical insight into the process of designing insur­ance protection that could be practically implemented to offer households supplementary private coverage comple­menting public protection. The considerations presented in this paper are based on the thesis that satisfying the in­surance needs of households should be primarily ensured by a properly structured social insurance system, the scope and level of which may be complemented by a well-tai­lored and appropriately communicated offer of private insurance products.