HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance and HIV Mortgage Blog

Unusual Risks have launched their campaign to secure Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover For People Living With HIV.

Back in 1999 it was unthinkable for people living with HIV to be offered Life Insurance. The Insurance industry was still asking perceived higher risk groups to take a compulsory HIV test and there was absolutely zero appetite from the Insurance industry for insuring a medical condition that was considered to be a major threat to their profitability.

It took a further six years for the Insurance industry to agree to finally consider Chris Morgan’s case for stopping the targeting of gay men with HIV tests and agreeing to treat HIV as a global issue effecting people from all walks of life. It is hard to believe that through until 2005 the Insurance industry still mostly viewed HIV as a gay issue – but it is true.

Within the HIV and Insurance Guidelines that came into effect in 2005, he also asked for commitment from the Insurance industry to offer Life Insurance to people living with HIV. It then took a further four years of consultation and negotiations for the first HIV Life Insurance products to finally be available to the consumer in 2009.

From what appeared to be an impossible position back in 1999, we now have seven mainstream insurance providers that offer Life Insurance for people with HIV. This of course has led to HIV people protecting their families and mortgages and an amazing increase in an awareness of different insurance products within the HIV community.

We are now receiving literally scores of requests for Income protection and Critical Illness Cover which is a very similar situation to the one that he faced in 1999. Also similar to 1999, there currently appears to be little or no appetite from Insurance Companies to look at Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover products for people with HIV.

This of course needs to change! So, for this reason we have decided to start a campaign asking for the Insurance industry to take the issues around Income Protection and Critical Illness seriously. In 2015 we plan to address this issue directly with the Insurance industry and we will keep you updated of developments as they happen.

You can keep up to date with the campaign by visiting the new Unusual Risks Facebook page … Please join our campaign by “Liking” their page !!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unusual-Risks-Mortgage-Insurance-Services/559801650787699

Unusual Risks and their HIV Life Assurance Survey 2014 have recently been featured in Cover Magazine and on the website My So Called Gay life  …

http://m.covermagazine.nqlnginx.incbase.net/cover/news/2375250/more-insurers-offer-life-cover-for-people-with-hiv

http://mysocalledgaylife.co.uk/pub/2014/10/13/hiv-life-assurance-survey-2014/

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/ 

Unusual Risks, the medical financial advisers are today announcing the results of their HIV Life Assurance Survey 2014. After contacting all of the major Life Assurance providers in the UK, they can report that 70% of insurers are now offering some form of HIV Life Assurance.

This is the fourth year that Unusual Risks have surveyed the availability of HIV Life Assurance in the UK, with the earliest survey result in 2011 indicating only 50% of insurance providers were offering any form of HIV Life Assurance.

This year Unusual Risks have expanded their survey to find out more about the availability of Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover to people living with HIV. They have also looked at the number of HIV Positive People that would consider taking out such policies if they became available.

Speaking about their survey, Chris Morgan, Lead Financial Adviser of Unusual Risks said;

‘We recently surveyed the top ten life assurance groups servicing brokers and were delighted to see that 70% of companies are still offering Life Assurance to HIV Positive people. It is encouraging to see a wide range of Life Assurance products available to the HIV community’.

‘Unusual Risks are constantly working with insurance providers to create better products and services for the HIV community. In this year’s survey we also decided to look at the availability of Income Protection Insurance and Critical Illness Cover to people with HIV’.

‘We are now receiving regular enquiries about the availability of Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover from HIV Positive people. However, we are still unable to offer these types of products to people living with HIV as they are unavailable in the market place’.

In this year’s HIV Insurance Survey Unusual Risks established that currently 0% of the major Insurance companies surveyed currently offered any form of Income Protection Insurance or Critical Illness Cover to people already diagnosed with HIV.

In a further part of their survey Unusual Risks established that 61% of people living with HIV would consider taking out some form of Income Protection or Critical Illness Cover if it was made available to them in the market place.

Chris Morgan at Unusual Risks led the campaign for the introduction of HIV life Assurance from 1999 through to its introduction in 2009. He believes that it’s now time the UK Insurance industry take a serious look at providing Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover for people with HIV.

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/

Unusual Risks are the UK’s leading financial advisers offering advice around HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance and HIV Mortgages. Our advisers have been looking after people with HIV for over 15 years and they led the campaign to get Life Cover for people living with HIV in the United Kingdom.

Our lead financial adviser Chris Morgan represented the consumer within the Industry Working group that led directly to the HIV Life Assurance products that are available in the market place. He also Co-wrote the original HIV and Insurance guidelines that are widely used within the UK Insurance Industry today.

Since the introduction of HIV Life Assurance in 2009 people have used the new products for many different reasons. 70% of individuals taking HIV Life Assurance take insurance to protect their mortgage, whilst the remaining 30% of individuals take out Insurance to protect their family or children.

One of the less documented uses for HIV Life Assurance is for Business Protection or Key Person insurance as it is also called in the Business and Corporate world. Key Person Insurance provides money that allows a business to continue should anything happen to a key shareholder, director or employee of the business.

Unusual Risks have been contacted a number of times by business people looking to protect their new Business Mortgage, Commercial Finance or Private Equity Deal. Business Bank and Commercial money lenders quite often make Life Assurance a condition of lending, which can make life difficult for business people who are HIV Positive.

Unusual Risks have saved a number of commercial deals by arranging HIV Life Assurance for our clients. Chris Morgan our lead financial adviser is highly experienced at arranging life assurance in both individual and commercial circumstances. Here’s some examples of his recent work.

In one recent commercial case we arranged £2,000,000 of Life Assurance for a client who needed the insurance to meet the requirements of his private equity investors and partners. In another business case we arranged £250,000 of HIV life Assurance for a client taking out a Commercial Mortgage with his Business Banking Manager to buy a hotel.

In both cases Unusual Risks were the key to meeting the lenders conditions, allowing our clients to complete both business deals. If you are a business person who happens to be HIV Positive and are concerned about getting business life assurance, please call us to find out more about how we can help?

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/

Unusual Risks the medical financial advisers have recently appeared in the national financial press with their latest Press Release focused on HIV Life Assurance and HIV Life Insurance.

They are very proud to have appeared in both the leading Financial Industry Newspaper – The Financial Times, FT Adviser and also the leading Financial Industry Magazine, Cover Magazine.

To read these stories please visit the links below …

Financial Times – FT Adviser

http://www.ftadviser.com/2014/08/11/insurance/life-assurance/data-reveal-fall-in-average-hiv-life-assurance-G1BgAbbP3oBiNOBv2r4yzK/article.html

Cover Magazine

http://www.covermagazine.co.uk/cover/news/2359645/dramatic-changes-to-hiv-life-assurance-unusual-risks

NEW SURVEY …

Unusual Risks are currently collecting data relating to the needs of the HIV community around Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover in order that we can challenge the Insurance Industry on this important issue in the future

If you have been on HIV medications for at least 12 months and are either employed, or self-employed we would like to ask you to complete our latest  HIV Insurance Survey.

Click Here To Complete Their Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7HD379C

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/

Unusual Risks, the medical financial advisers have today published the results of their latest research into the average amounts of Life Assurance that HIV Positive men and women are insuring themselves for. Currently HIV Positive people who are taking out Life Assurance in the UK are insuring themselves for an average of £114,607.

This latest survey was conducted as a follow up to similar surveys released around the same issues where the average figures were £134,130 in 2012 and £134,667 in 2013. Although the new figures are surprising they reflect changes in the general accessibility of Life Insurance products to the HIV community.

Chris Morgan, Marketing Manager of Unusual Risks, Mortgage & Insurance Services says,

‘It has come as a complete surprise that the Average Sum Assured of an HIV Life Assurance Policy has decreased over the last year to £114,607. However, at the same time over the last twelve months we have also seen a rapid increase in the number of people taking up HIV Life Assurance products’.

‘We believe the volume of people taking HIV Life Assurance has increased by around 140% over the last two years, which seems to have had an effect on the average sum-assured being taken by policy holders. We are of course delighted to see that more people with HIV are protecting their homes, mortgages, families and children’.

Unusual Risks have been campaigning for a wider range of Life Insurance products and fairer premiums since the launch of HIV Life Assurance back in 2009. Over the last five years there has been a continued change in the accessibility of HIV Life Assurance, with premiums now being both realistic and affordable for those applying for cover.

In last year’s HIV Life Assurance Survey it was established that 70% of Life Insurance providers now offer cover to people with HIV. However, the terms and premiums they offer vary wildly between different insurance companies. Those looking for HIV Life Assurance are urged to seek specialist advice before applying for Insurance.

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/

Unusual Risks have recently enjoyed national press coverage for their latest HIV Life Assurance and HIV Life Insurance Survey.

They appeared in the leading mortgage industry magazine “Mortgage Finance Gazette” and also in the leading insurance industry magazine “Cover Magazine.”

Their recent survey established that 70% of HIV Positive people taking out Life Insurance did so for the purpose of protecting their mortgage. The survey also established that 30% of policies were taken out to protect partners, families and children.

Click here to read the Mortgage Finance Gazette …

www.mortgagefinancegazette.com/insurance/70-per-cent-of-hiv-life-assurance-applications-protect-mortgages/

Click here to read Cover Magazine …

www.covermagazine.co.uk/cover/news/2344478/most-hiv-life-insurance-applications-now-to-protect-a-mortgage

NEW SURVEY …

We are currently collecting data relating to the needs of the HIV community around Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover in order that we can challenge the Insurance Industry on this important issue in the future

If you have been on HIV medications for at least 12 months and are either employed, or self-employed we would like to ask you to complete our latest  HIV Insurance Survey.

Click Here To Complete Our Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7HD379C

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/ 

Unusual Risks are the UK’s leading Mortgage and Insurance advisers within the HIV community …

Our Lead Financial Adviser Chris Morgan started the campaign to get HIV Life Assurance products in 1999 and continued negotiations with the Insurance Industry through until the introduction of products in 2009.

We are the UK’s most knowledgeable and experienced advisers on HIV Life Insurance and HIV Mortgages in the UK and constantly research the financial needs of the HIV community and the financial products available.

These are some examples of the research we have completed in the last two years and the results we have published in the national press.

* We are Independent advisers currently sourcin products from 40 different Mortgage lenders and 20 different Insurance providers.

*70% of Life Insurance providers now offer Life Assurance to people with HIV, however, the term and premiums for this type of cover can vary wildly.

*23% of HIV Positive people now have some form of Life Assurance policy in place to protect their Mortgage, Home, Family, Partners or Children.

*70% of HIV Life Assurance Applications are taken out to protect Mortgages and Homes, with 30% taken to protect Families, Partners and Children.

* The Average amount of HIV Life Assurance being taken out by applicants is currently £114,607.

*0% of UK Insurance Companies are currently offering Income Protection policies and Critical Illness Cover to people living with HIV.

We are currently collecting data relating to the needs of the HIV community around Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover in order that we can challenge the Insurance Industry on this important issue in the future

If you have been on HIV medications for at least 12 months and are either employed, or self-employed we would like to ask you to complete our latest  HIV Insurance Survey.

Click Here To Complete Our Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7HD379C

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/ 

Unusual Risks, the medical financial advisers are today announcing further results from their latest HIV Life Assurance research. After conducting the most extensive survey into the financial needs of the HIV community, they can now confirm that 70% of HIV Life Assurance applications are being made in connection with a mortgage.

This figure is very encouraging for a community that for many years was unable to get Life Insurance and in turn was reluctant to take out Mortgage finance. The survey shows that HIV positive people are starting to look after their financial future and protect their homes. The survey also established that 30% of Life Insurance applications are taken out as family protection for partners and children.

Speaking about their survey, Chris Morgan, Marketing Manager of Unusual Risks said;

‘We’re delighted to see that the HIV community are now protecting their homes and their families with Life Insurance and Life Assurance. The introduction of HIV Life Assurance products has been hugely successful because it has encouraged people to plan for the financial future and purchase a home for their family’.

‘Every week I’m contacted by HIV Positive people who are still unaware that they could apply for Life Insurance and Mortgage products without fear of discrimination. Unusual Risks are committed to helping the HIV Community find the best financial products from the wide range of those now available in the market place ’.

In their latest survey Unusual Risks have looked into the financial needs of the HIV community in greater detail, with the percentage of HIV Positive people that now have insurance running at 23%. They also established that 58% of those now holding life insurance had taken their policy after the introduction of HIV Life Assurance in May 2009.

Chris Morgan and Unusual Risks have been helping people living with HIV to find the best Mortgage and Life Assurance for their needs for the last fifteen years. Unusual Risks in the next few months are set to release more research into the other types of insurance that HIV+ people are likely to be interested in were they to become available in the market place.

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance, HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance, Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/ 

In the latest of a new series of mini articles our lead financial adviser, Chris Morgan shares some of the themes that have been emerging since the introduction of HIV Life Insurance and HIV Life Assurance products in the UK …

Here’s some advice for those who are thinking about surrendering their Life Assurance following their HIV diagnosis.

The vast majority of Life Assurance polices do in fact cover HIV if the policy holder was negative at the start of the policy. If you bought your insurance in good faith before, then you should check the paperwork, maintain your premiums and continue the plan as you would have before your diagnosis.

If you have cancelled your Life Insurance plan in the past as a result of your diagnosis and are now without any Life Assurance, there are now many new options for taking Life Assurance that include HIV. Many people are now protecting their children, families, mortgages and homes with HIV Life Assurance.

Many HIV+ people still have endowment policies from the past that they may have elected to keep because they at least wanted some Life Assurance. If you do have an existing endowment it may be worth reviewing your options against the new Life Insurance options that are now available.

Our recent research shows that 76% of HIV+ people cancel their Life Assurance following their diagnosis in the belief that they are not covered on their policy. Before you cancel your policy please make certain that you are making the right decisions with your insurance policies and seek expert financial advice.

If you require more information on HIV Life Assurance, HIV Life Insurance and HIV Mortgages or Hepatitis C Life Assurance, Hepatitis C Life Insurance and Hepatitis C Mortgages you can contact Unusual Risks Mortgage & Insurance Services on 0845 474 3075, or email at Enquiries@unusualrisks.co.uk or on the web at http://www.unusualrisks.co.uk/