This has been an interesting topic of discussion in the last few weeks. Brought about by two clients facing breast cancer.

Checking the stats on the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation website the diagnosis rate of breast cancer in New Zealand has been steadily climbing in the last 20 years. From around 2,000 diagnosed per year to around 3,000 diagnosed per year presently.

This probably isn't surprising given that our population has grown too. What is pleasing to see is the mortality rate is improving relative to the number diagnosed. 

What’s the one major issue people have that forces people to rely on their insurance plan?

No, not the latest iPhone or episode of Game of Thrones or Pokemon, it is their health! Though Pokemon is proving to be a factor for some!

The problem is we are so focused on being entertained that we have forgotten to focus on the things that really matter.

We say not. While you may have free travel insurance cover on your credit card, we still recommend taking a specific policy for your travel, especially if it is going to be longer than a few weeks.

Booking tickets and planning, sure up until you get on the plane, or boat, use the credit card coverage (Within the constraints of your cover, travel duration could be a trap if it's a long trip). Once you step on the plane have your real cover in place.

From time to time I get updates through from insurers with their claim stats. I recently posted a blog on medical coverage for un-funded medicines and had a look at insurance literacy for clients.

I like information, the sort of information that gets away from the typical and very usual FUD. Fear Uncertainty & Doubt that my industry often trades on to get sales. 

I rant a bit in this one; it is an issue we, collectively, don't spend enough time and energy on.

It is been commented in many online forums, that the scaring and very pushy what if? Isn't appreciated. I must admit I do not like it much either. Which is why I try and stay away from it and deal with the facts. 

Part of the reason people take longer to make decisions, but they do make better decisions as a result.

My point, while I do not trade on FUD, I certainly have some disturbing stories and stats. Some may look on the surface as FUD. They are based on the reality of you and me, the average person. 

The person getting on with life, family and business and gets knocked over with something unexpected and often unplanned for.

What’s this post all about?

It is about you, your health and how you can access treatment in a more effective way.

I often hear from my colleagues and providers about using electronic applications. Often phrased with the comment, “With what you do with technology, it is surprising you do so much with paper?”

Interestingly clients are also often surprised with the paper too. Maybe there is too much and more digital could be included. We will see.

Frankly of everything I do, the application form is the most difficult part of the whole process for clients. When we are in an environment where things are being simplified, insurance applications have got more difficult.

A bit of a chunky subject this post.

Lately, there has been more noise around the gay community, particularly around transgender rights. Especially so with the recent shooting, with some horrifying treatment being dealt out to those 'who are not like the rest of us’.

I wrote the bulk of this post in April 2016, well before the mass shooting in the US and off the back of media comments and articles in newspapers, TV news and social media chatter. The tension for the shooting in June was brewing, for no other reason than people are different. Something similar is brewing in the US on the subject of abortions and the rulings of the state and supreme courts there.

You do not have a need for insurance now, or you have sufficient cover for now, but you expect to need more cover in the future.

You do not want to find you have your future medical conditions affecting your cover when you do apply?

Part of this is why insurance companies want you to buy cover before you develop medical conditions, the insurance companies feel selected against if you only take cover because you have a condition. This is why they apply underwriting at application time.

One thing that people hate when it comes to life insurance is the paperwork.

The application form is a bit of a book, and it can be a bit daunting to complete, even when you are fit and healthy. We advisers do not like them much either, but they need to be done.

What most people do not realise when they have existing insurance cover, that there are features built into many policies that let you increase them without lots of paperwork.

I'm looking for insurance cover, but I do some interesting things;

By interesting things, I'm assuming this is related to your hobbies, activities and occupation. 

Insurance companies do take an interest in what activities you do because sometimes they are risky. Immediate things which come to mind for most people are bungy jumping and parachuting. The list is much longer.

 If you hear this, your adviser may not have explained things as clearly as they could have. 

'Terms' is industry slang or jargon for special terms, which means a client's policy has been modified, by the insurer, from the original standard policy contract your cover was proposed on. 

The offer of terms or special terms offer generally happens at application time, but can be applied during the policy or at claim time. If the insurer becomes aware of a material fact, that will change the terms of the contract the insurer would have offered at application time. Avoid the later two examples as they can have unintended and surprising outcomes. 

Over the phone and online insurance deals make it easy to buy insurance……but there are some pitfalls.

Guest blog from insurance advice.nz

Interesting research out of Australia, yes I know Aussie. However, as our closest neighbour, most research has some value for insight or application in our market too.

What is interesting with this, is the insurance uptake across all products is generally better in Australia, with house car and contents being the most similar to us.

This research was specifically about insurance literacy, most of the time these reports are on investment or financial literacy or subject matter and insurance is treated as a by-line. Which for those relying on it, it is far from a by-line.

It seems there is plenty to write about this week. 

Russell Hutchison has said the following on his blog moneyblog this week.

An Australian man whose daughter went to live in Syria claims she did nothing wrong by going there, and was misled into the venture which was supposed to be for humanitarian purposes. Headlines describe her as a "Jihadist." But her motivation is not the point as far as the insurance claim is concerned.

Diana’s Clements recent article on heart attack definitions in trauma insurance and the situation of a claimant in Australia, not getting paid for his heart attack, has put the spot light on the definition of a heart attack in trauma insurance here.

Looking into heart attack definitions in the market, from what you can presently buy, the quality level across heart attack definitions is quite surprising.

There has been plenty of contention about Sovereign heart attack definitions over the years. The rating for this would suggest it’s somewhat founded, with a 21% gap between it and the best rated heart attack definition.

As our largest life insurer, Sovereign also has the largest number of trauma policies on their books.

The following is a school speech my youngest daughter delivered recently. I'm proud of her position and writing on this, all herself and a quite mature view from a 15 year old.

The speech was marked as a Merit overall for NCEA 1 and the writing as an Excellence. I felt it was worth sharing. Financial literacy is an area, us kiwi's, haven't had a great deal of success with. 

If I gave you $20,000 today, what would you do with it?