I do not understand why it is called an insurance if in the end, when it is needed even for the small incidents, I still have to use my Savings to make the fixes

I do not understand why it is called an insurance if in the end, when it is needed even for the small incidents, I still have to use my Savings to make the fixes. It was my first time opting for an insurance and they took advantage of it by not being fully honnest with their offers on my policy. I claimed for the first time afyer 2 years for a very minimal incident and I had to pay a R12000 excess fee for it, while still knowing the full meaning of it, well, now I know, and I have painfully learnt the hard way, and therefore, I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO GO FOR BUDGET