Adviser Urges Zurich to Publish HIV Criteria
Clients who are HIV-positive are being knocked back by Zurich as they apply for life assurance, a leading IFA has claimed …..
Chris Morgan, Practice Manager of specialist Gay and HIV Financial Advisers, Compass Mortgage & Insurance Services, said that although Zurich has been welcoming applications from people who are HIV- positive, the insurer has not clarified the criteria on which it will accept the applications.
Mr Morgan, who has often spoken out in defence of this niche market, said: “It is disrespectful to clients to say on the one hand that a company will offer life assurance to those who are HIV-positive, but on the other, do not make it clear on what basis people will be rejected or accepted.”
He said that while Prudential, which announced its criteria for accepting HIV-positive clients last year, had been explicit about its conditions for granting cover, Zurich has not provided a clear definition of what would not be accepted for cover.
“Prudential may only accept 20% of any cases, based on a strict set of criteria for eligibility, but at least I know this before I apply for term assurance for my clients”, he said. “It is disrespectful of this new market, when people who apply for insurance are being knocked back and feel they may not get insurance but they do not know why”.
“I feel that Zurich is saying behind closed doors that it will offer insurance to this market, but it is not making this public and it is not publishing a clear set of criteria. As advisers, we need to know for certain which client will or will not be accepted before I send in an application”.
If you require specific advice on these issues, or are looking for a quotation then you should contact our sponsors Compass Mortgage and Insurance Services. They are the UK’s leading mortgage and insurance specialists for the Gay and HIV communities. They can be found at www.compassindependent.co.uk