On a recent visit to Beijing, China’s Sunshine Insurance Group showed me just how innovative they are in developing new products. Chinese life insurance industry may not yet be online, but in terms of product offerings, they claim to be the most innovative yet when it comes to insuring risk. To prove his point he described their recently introduced a new marriage insurance called “love you forever ” aimed at protecting the rights of wives in divorce.

According to the company, the insurer must be the husband and the wife will receive 60, 80 or 100% of the interest in the policy on divorce or on reaching its expiry term, whichever should come first. Fifty years after being insured, the wife will receive a payoff from the company to celebrate the golden wedding.

Using NZ currency equivalents, if the husband buys a $100,000 policy, on the 50^th anniversary, his wife will get $800,000 from the account if she had a 100% interest in the policy. In the event of a divorce, the pay-out is substantially reduced. The incentive to maximise the pay-out is to stay married for the full term of the policy.

Sunshine Insurance Group said that women are still a vulnerable group in society as well as in marriage, so this was a way of protecting women’s rights. Some believe the idea is meant to reduce the chance of a husband having an extramarital affair.

However, other Insurance companies have expressed concerns about marriage insurance, pointing out that some couples might choose to divorce in order to qualify for a pay-out, and then re-marry, as there was nothing in the insurance contract preventing such abuse. Others criticise the stipulation that the wife benefits because sometimes wives are equally responsible for divorces.

Marriage insurance… innovation or just another attempt by Insurance Companies to incentivise its policy holders to retain their investment linked insurance policies?

The World Health Organisation recently released its Global Status on Road Safety Report 2013. You decide how NZ compares with the “key facts” provided by the WHO in the table.

Road_deaths_time_of_day

Most people have probably heard of being ‘present in the moment’. It’s when you focus on the here and now without allowing thoughts of the past or future to creep in. It’s what you experience when you are completely at peace with this very moment.

Reading this article last year got me thinking. How often have I eaten a meal and not tasted it because of a plethora of things on my mind. Maybe something important that occurred yesterday? Or maybe something I’m planning for tomorrow? Honestly? It happens most of the time.

But what was interesting in this article is that it provided proof that dwelling too much on the negatives of the past, is bad for your health. And anything that’s bad for your health is likely to have people keeling over and dying earlier than they otherwise should… and that is not good for life insurance.

Research suggests that people who look back at their past experiences full of regrets about missed opportunities or with bitterness about how they have been treated are more likely to fall ill and generally have a poorer quality of life. Those who look back in anger are also more sensitive to pain, it found.

The happiest and healthiest people, according to the researchers, are those who manage to enjoy the here and now, while making time to learn from the past and plan for the future.

In the study, 50 men and women were asked about their feelings about the past and future, as well as their physical and mental health and quality of life. The questions included how often they think about things they should have done differently, whether they worry about not getting things done on time and whether they live life a day at a time.

The study concluded that

• People who dwell on negatives from their past tend to be in worse health.
• People who complain about their health are up to three times more likely to die in the next 30 years than those who regard themselves as healthy.

So, a person’s outlook can influence their lifespan.

Maybe insurance companies should be asking some very different questions on their life insurance application forms??

A new strain of bird flu has broken out in China H7N9. Is the new bird flu strain likely to reach New Zealand or is this just another health scare? The Chinese H7N9 outbreak started just a few weeks ago, and so far authorities have reported upwards of 82 individuals infected with this strain of flu, with most of the cases originating in the Shanghai area. The most recent outbreak is the first time that the particular H7N9 strain has been seen in humans, joining a number of other flu variants that have crossed the species boundary, as you can see in this infographic.

Diagram showing bird flu mutation

So far, no concrete evidence of human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been found. That said, there are a few other options – as seen in the infographic, this particular flu can infect pigs, and may have also mutated to infect other animals with which humans might have contact. Alternatively, the virus may be able to survive outside the bodies of birds, which could result in contraction of the strain even without physically touching or being close to a bird.

If H7N9 turns out to be transmissible by human-to-human contact, there is the risk, as with any new flu strain, that it could turn into a pandemic. As of yet, H7N9 infections have stayed within China, – however, this could change at any time, so vigilance and flu-prevention techniques are always good practice.

For those traveling to China, avoiding poultry markets or any other areas where you might come into contact with birds is extremely wise, as are frequent hand washing and covering the face when coughing or sneezing.

Source: http://dailyhealthpost.com/new-bird-flu-scare-hits-china-are-you-at-risk/#axzz2RFWqUgGY

Actually, I’m talking about blood pressure.

Why? Because today is World Health Day and this year’s theme is high blood pressure, which affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide. Doctors call it hypertension, but we prefer the English version.

On this blog we’re particularly interested in the effects of high blood pressure because having high blood pressure means you’ll pay more for your life insurance, not to mention dying earlier than you probably should. Most people want neither.

Some stats…

• In the US (ok, I know this is New Zealand), an estimated 1 in 5 people are not aware that they have high blood pressure
• In over 90% of cases, there is no single cause for the high blood pressure – suggesting the problem is a combination of lifestyle factors.
• Back in New Zealand, around 1 in 3 people over age 45 are ‘walking around’ with high blood pressure. (Are you)
• If you’re overweight and drink alcohol, your chances of developing high blood pressure increase by 57%.
• High blood pressure increases your risk of heart, stroke, kidney and blood vessel disease and these disease accounts for 40% of all annual deaths in New Zealand.

But all’s not lost.  Here are some tips for preventing or reducing high blood pressure:

• Reduce your salt intake
• Eat a balanced diet
• Use alcohol in moderation
• Exercise regularly
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Don’t smoke

Most importantly, do you know your blood pressure?

Funeral insurance or “final expenses” insurance is a life insurance policy with a small cover amount, such as $5,000 to $25,000, that you may buy directly from and Insurer like Pinnacle Life. You can name any beneficiary, typically a family member, who would make the claim and receive the money upon your death. That beneficiary would then be responsible for using the money to carry out your wishes.

The beneficiary legally could decide to use the money any way they want, so make sure you trust your beneficiary. Also, if your cover amount exceeds the cost of your funeral, the beneficiary keeps the difference.

Another type of life funeral insurance is called pre-paid insurance. It is intended for the person who has selected specific arrangements at a funeral home and wants the assurance that those arrangements will be paid for and implemented.

Unlike funeral insurance policies, which you buy directly from an insurance company, pre-paid policies are sold by funeral home directors. The funeral home is the beneficiary of the policy and the funeral director receives a commission, for selling you the policy. The Funeral Directors Association of NZ website has some good information about pre-paid funeral plans. http://www.fdanz.org.nz/pre-paid-funerals.aspx

Unfortunately, unlike funeral insurance, there are no websites which allows one to comparison shop for pre-paid funerals, so you’ll have to phone around to compare prices and policy terms.

Unfortunately some applicants succumb to the temptation to lie on the life insurance application forms in order to reduce their price of cover. Easy enough, but unfortunately non-disclosure in NZ has some very harsh penalties, including voiding a policy due to non-disclosure.

The 5 biggest porkies told based on Insurer research in the USA is a follows.

1. I don’t use tobacco: Non-smokers pay almost half the rates smoker pay, which probably explains why this lie is most common.  Typically in NZ, if an applicant fails to disclose their smoking status accurately at the time of application when a claim is lodged the pay-out is reduced by the amount the life insured would have paid has they been paying smoker rates.
2. I don’t use recreational drugs: More-often seen with agent applications as the applicant is most likely uncomfortable disclosing this to an unfamiliar life agent. The use of recreational drugs does not necessarily preclude you from life insurance.
3. I’m not depressed: Neglecting to mention depression is common. Hopefully as mental health awareness becomes more prominent and acceptable; applicants will be more likely to give full disclosure on their mental health.
4. There is no cancer in my family: This lie is more likely a result of ignorance than intention. Having had one family member diagnosed with cancer is unlikely to influence a life insurance application.  
5. I only ever had one DUI charge: Moral underwriting, as it is known in the industry, is becoming a strong influence in life insurance underwriting. Better to be honest about DUI convictions as they are easy to validate come claim time.

Source: http://www.insure.com/articles/lifeinsurance/biggest-lies.html

National Wear Red Day, was established in the USA to raise awareness that heart disease is the number one health threat among American women. Unfortunately the statistics are not much better for NZ woman.

The picture of women’s heart health in New Zealand,  care of to the NZ  Heart Foundation.

• 5384 Kiwi women died of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, in 2009.
• That’s around 14 women dying on average every day. Close to 100 a week. 100 families broken apart.
• Sadly 658 women died from breast cancer in 2009.
• But let’s not lose sight that more than 7x the number of women died of cardiovascular disease.
• Of those deaths, 2514 women died of coronary heart disease (CHD)*
• That’s about 7 a day – 48 a week.
• CVD made up almost 35 percent of all deaths in women in 2009 – that’s reason enough to get women banding together and tackling this killer head on.
• Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
• Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.
• 42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men.
• Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal.

An excellent video, highlighting awareness about heart disease to woman worldwide.

When Michael Savage spoke about the creation of the welfare state “from the cradle to the grave”, turns out he wasn’t kidding about the grave. There is a Funeral Grant available through WINZ. The Funeral Grant helps people with actual and reasonable funeral costs.

A Funeral Grant is income and asset tested. The test depends on whether the deceased has a surviving partner or dependent child. Broad principles being the surviving partner’s income should be less than $40,644.24 and the deceased assessable assets need to be greater than $1,708.10. Not all assets are assessable.

Non Assessable assets are the person’s:

• interest in his or her own principal place of residence, including any interest in the land on which it is erected and any other buildings or improvements on that land which are used principally for the purposes of that person’s household and
• furniture, appliances, tools, ornaments, or other articles used principally for the purposes of the deceased’s household or
• motor vehicles, caravans, trailers, or boats used principally for family purposes

The maximum Funeral Grant that can be paid to meet funeral expenses is $1,959.42

Expenses that can be included in the assessment of a Funeral Grant are any reasonable costs associated with the proper disposal of a body and include professional services with regard to preparing the body for cremation or burial (for example, embalming, cost of a casket, newspaper notice costs, hearse fees, compulsory fees for the purchase of a burial plot).

Some expenses which are not deemed a burial necessity are not covered Eg. Flowers, donations to clergy or musician, koha, chapel fees and car hire.

Bottom line, what can you expect by way of funeral grant from the state? Let’s look the example below care of the WINZ dept.

Example – married couple

A client whose husband has recently died has made an application for a Funeral Grant. They were receiving New Zealand Superannuation at the time of death with the husband’s estate being assessed at $1,000 and the client having $2,000 cash in her bank account. The allowable costs for funeral expenses came to $5,000.

As the balance still to pay for the funeral expenses is greater than the maximum payment, the amount of Funeral Grant payable would be the maximum of $1,959.42

For more information run through the WINZ website.

It’s a real shame when a story about insurers (or banks) giving people a hard time when they claim on their life insurance hits the headlines. It’s not a good look for the industry as a whole.

This story posted on Stuff hit the headlines a couple of days ago and, when I last looked, the article had attracted 72 public comments – mostly from people venting their ‘displeasure’ (I’m being kind here…) at the insurer.

So, what’s our take on this?

Well, we’re not 100% sure because all we have to go on is the ‘media’ version of the facts.

However, I’m prepared to say that if a single dose of medication given to a 14-year-old girl over 46 years ago is a reason to either void or cut back on the insurance pay-out, then lord help us all!