It’s Mental Health Awareness Week (9th-15th May 2022). At Cavendish Online, we are passionate about talking about mental health and strive to provide supportive and accessible routes to securing life insurance, for whoever may need it.
In this post, we are going to outline some of the different ways that we can assist those who have an ongoing or previous mental health disclosure in their search for life insurance (critical illness, income protection or any of the other many products we offer).
This ranges from how we can approach things from a practical standpoint, to emotionally supporting you through the application process.
We also have several other helpful posts and pages all about how different disclosures might impact on a life insurance application, as well as what kind of questions you might expect to be asked about on your application form and what ‘underwriting’ is.
As always, if you have any questions or would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to contact us, as the Cavendish Online team are always happy to help.
Will having a history of mental health conditions stop me from getting life insurance?
We wanted to open with this frequently asked question, as sadly so many people who have a history of mental health think that it will instantly prohibit them from obtaining a life insurance policy.
Whether you have had a mental health condition in the past, or if you are currently living with one, there may still be a range of options available to you.
Everyone’s circumstances and histories are different, so we would strongly suggest speaking to one of our friendly and professional advisers, who can research the whole market for you and make recommendations based on your current situation and needs – more on this below...
Talk to a life insurance expert today...
Speaking to an adviser – the human touch
The Cavendish Online team believe that the best way we can help support you if you have a mental health disclosure and are looking for life insurance is through speaking to an adviser. Going through the online form can sometimes be a little too binary, a little too yes or no, without taking into consideration the finer details of the person sat behind the keyboard trying to complete their application.
So, what does a Cavendish Online insurance adviser do?
In short, our team of knowledgeable and friendly specialist insurance advisers will talk to you regarding your current situation and requirements. This conversation also typically includes a confidential and discrete overview of your medical and lifestyle information.
Following this, the adviser will carefully research the whole market and make recommendations for your cover, tailored to your needs. Your adviser will also be able to provide you with an indication of how providers might assess your application, based on the information provided.
These recommendations, quotes and underwriting indications will be presented to you in a concise and comprehensive report, which your adviser will talk through with you in simple, jargon free language.
As your point of contact throughout the entire process, your adviser will be with you every step of the way both before and after the application has been submitted. Giving you the support that you need, when you need it.
Let’s break it down in a bit more detail...
The initial discussion/getting to know you
Our advice team appreciates that not everyone will feel comfortable discussing their medical and lifestyle histories over the telephone without some support. Though please note that if you wish to proceed and apply for cover, we will need to speak to you directly.
We are more than happy to work with you to get the information we need to conduct our initial research and put together some quotations for you. There are several different ways that we can support you, to get the relevant information required.
Let’s talk at a time that works for you
We are more than happy to book in calls in advance. Please let us know a good time to talk to you while your support system is available, and we will try our best to accommodate this wherever possible.
Approaching your disclosures with kindness, professionalism and care
The Cavendish Online advice team are friendly and professional, with a wealth of experience of dealing with a multitude of medical and lifestyle disclosures. We will always endeavour to support you and your needs when we are talking about potentially sensitive matters.
If at any time you need to take a pause in the conversation or would prefer to send additional information following the call via email (for example); we understand.
We can initially talk to a partner/close family member
To get the ball rolling, we don’t necessarily have to talk to you directly. If your history isn’t something you are able to/want to talk about, then we are more than happy to talk to someone else that knows the details before putting together your options for you.
We could talk over email
If you are more comfortable writing down your answers than talking over the phone, then please let us know and we can facilitate this. We are more than happy to communicate via email if you’d prefer to answer questions in your own time and at your own pace.
We may be able accept a specialist letter
If you have a specialist letter that outlines your medical condition, we could share them with the insurers to help get a faster (and potentially more accurate) indication of how they might treat your application for cover.
We always require your explicit consent to share your information with the insurer. We would need to share your information with the insurers, however none of your information is shared with 3rd parties, unless requested as part of regulatory, legal or criminal investigations.
Interested in speaking to an adviser?
The Research
We will do the research for you
Our advice service is whole of market, so the team have more options available than most comparison websites – including our online quote and apply system! The suite of insurance providers that the advisers can access may include those who generally have a different underwriting approach to mental health. For example, some insurers will take into consideration your individual circumstances and additional context surrounding your disclosures when making their decision – your adviser can inform you of who is best for your situation.
Recommendations tailored to you
Your adviser will recommend the policies and providers that indicate the best combination of premium and underwriting terms (I.e. will there be any increase in premium, exclusions or limitations on the policy), based on your current situation and the research that they undertake on your behalf. They will also try to factor in any added benefits included with the policy.
TIP - If you have already purchased any form of personal protection product (life insurance, critical illness cover, Income Protection etc.) we would recommend you take a look at your policy documents to see if there are any services you or your loved ones might be able to utilise. Common added benefits are virtual GP services and telephone support lines (ranging from bereavement, to legal, to nurse second opinions) - though these do vary from provider to provider.
We can discuss your various options
Our service offers a comprehensive review of all your options and potential areas of need. After your initial chat with your adviser, your adviser will contact each insurer on the market to see what is available to you currently. We will then condense our findings into a concise, jargon free report and will arrange follow up call to talk through the best options we have found.
In some circumstances we may not be able to find medically underwritten cover for you initially. However, there may be an option to secure non-medically underwritten cover through specialist providers. Oftentimes some protection is thought to be better than none whatsoever.
In addition to this, since insurers change their stances from time to time, we will be back in touch after a year to see if anything has changed. If an insurer could consider cover after a period of time (i.e. cover could be offered in 6 months) shorter than 12 months, then we will be in touch sooner!
Different ways to submit the application
If completing the application form over the phone with your adviser isn’t for you, we can find out if any of the insurance providers able to offer you cover can send you an electronic application form to complete instead.
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Once an application is submitted
If you do choose to proceed with an application, we will continue to support you and communicate clearly and effectively whenever we have any updates for you.
Keeping you informed
Your adviser will be in touch to let you know when your application for cover has been fully underwritten and explain what the outcome is to you in clear language. If you have any questions about terminology, or what you are covered for, you can contact your adviser directly and they will be able to help.
If your chosen insurer is unable to offer you cover, your adviser will explore alternative potential options and help to arrange further applications where required.
Reviewing your cover
One of the benefits of taking out a policy through the Cavendish Online advice team is that they will contact you on an annual basis to ensure your cover is still suitable for your needs. Wherever possible, we will arrange for you to speak to the same adviser annually as we appreciate how important ongoing relationships are to building trust and understanding both now and in the future.
Should you ever have any questions regarding your policy, at any stage, we are here to help – and always happy to do so!
Speak to the experts...
Give our advisers a call today.
Our team of friendly and professional advisers are on hand to help with any questions you may have regarding Life Insurance.
The advisers can also make recommendations tailored to your current situation and will research the market on your behalf, ensuring you secure the cover you need and supporting you every step of the way.
01392 43 61 93(Monday to Friday, 9am - 5.30pm)
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