AIG Life has launched a new simplified approach to group critical illness (CI) insurance which sees it consolidate conditions under grouped headings.
The insurer says the move, which bring its group CI cover in line with its individual CI cover, will offer employees ‘simpler, fairer and broader’ coverage.
This one level of cover groups over 27 conditions under eight headings. These groups focus on specific surgeries or the impact on daily life for employees, not the name of the illness. If the impact is the same, the employee will be covered – whatever the name of the condition. The headings are:
- Degenerative neurological disorder
- Reduced heart function
- Surgery to the heart, aorta or pulmonary artery
- Surgery via the skull
- Brain injury
- Loss of use of a limb
- Lung disease or removal
- Blindness or removal of an eyeball.
It also covers 21 standalone conditions that AIG Life says doesn’t make sense to group together.
In response to feedback from the market, AIG Life has also updated its flexible benefits terms to make sure they meet employees’ needs. As well as ensuring flex cover is an option for employers of all sizes, it has removed the benefit level limits at flexible benefit windows and lifestyle events, relaxed actively at work requirements and improved related medical conditions exclusion wording, so it’s easier to make a claim.
There is also an option to add total permanent disability (TPD) and provide group critical illness for the employee’s partner.
“We’re offering a real game-changer in the group critical illness market that is simpler for employees to understand and enhances the prospect of a successful claim for themselves and their family”, said Lee Lovett, managing director, group protection at AIG Life.
“We’re removing the complexity that has plagued our industry, to make having group critical illness a no-brainer. Until now, employers had to choose which medical situations they want the insurance to pay out on, and needed some level of medical knowledge to know what they’re buying. Really, it’s about relieving employees’ money worries as quickly as possible, to help them feel confident about their financial future. Leaving them to focus on what matters: their recovery.
“We’ve simplified the conditions covered and made it easy for employees to understand by grouping conditions based on the impact it has on everyday life, not the name of the illness, and in turn our cover has broadened. Doing this means the employee’s cover keeps pace with new medical developments and doesn’t diminish over time.”
Children’s cover is also included in group critical illness as standard. It pays out up to age 18 (or age 23 if in full-time education) and includes 10 child-specific illnesses.
“Whether it’s common childhood illnesses or something more serious, the children’s critical illness cover that comes as part of Group Critical Illness, along with Smart Health’s every day health and wellbeing services, is designed to support families every step of the way” Lovett added.