Been declined critical cover on my life insurance because of PND

[toddybell]

Just that. Wanted to update my life insurance policy and add critical illness cover to it but been declined it because I suffered from PND after the birth of my first baby. How fucking unfair is that?!

It's awful isn't it. It took ages to get my life insurance this time because I'd been on antidepressants...like half the bloody nation!! Eejits .

Wow. That is very sexist given that a high number of women suffer from this after a baby it's so normal, and only women have babies. So men get to become fathers without their cover being declined. It is outrageous.

I had this and challenged it. They offered me cover that didn't include mental health cover.
Alternatively you can complain to the insurance ombudsman

I'm so pissed off. It took two years for me to realise what I was feeling wasn't normal (PND signs missed by by HV/doctor) and then I actively reached out for help and didn't get it. I paid a fortune in private therapy and am semi-back on my feet and trying to sort my shit out and then this. As if women/mothers don't have enough going on as it is. I think I will complain to the insurance ombudsman. The weird thing is, I have an autoimmune condition that needs managing with medication for life but they don't give a shit about that (the likelihood of developing another autoimmune condition if you already have one is incredibly high) but something like PND (which is often temporary) means I'm untouchable to them makes me so angry! I now have to ring around and most likely pay higher premiums to get critical illness cover because of the PND. Bastards.

I've just made a complaint to the company who I was trying to get cover from (one of the conditions of the financial services ombudsman is to contact organisations in the first instance to see if they can resolve things) and they've said they'll contact me in the next couple of days...

Find a different insurance company.

You'll probably find that most places will either exclude pre-existing conditions or pay huge premiums to include them. It is very common practice.

I will be going through a broker this time to find me something that fits what I need based on my medical history. Being declined because of PND is ridiculous especially since it's now gone and I feel fine and also because I have another lifelong medical condition they're not bothered about insuring me for!

I work in life insurance, and I can appreciate why this is upsetting, but being declined cover is not a personal attack.

Insurers have to manage risk according to the statistics available to them. Maybe their underwriters have seen data that shows this condition increases the chances of critical illness in the future - even if you know that you are completely over it, they only know you as boxes ticked on a form and have to make an assessment according to statistically likely outcomes. It might just be that your medical history creates too much uncertainty and they would rather decline than have too much volatility in their future claims.

I would suggest trying another insurer. As it happens, when we applied for CI a few years ago, my wife was declined by the first company that came up on our price comparison search, but another (one of the big name insurers) was fine.

Well, itvwas ruled wasnt it that men couldnt be charged more for their insurance 🤔 so they can employ or reject sexism to suit men it seems.

Whether it's personal or not, it's upsetting because imo it's sexist, unfair, an expense a man wont have...

I don't know why you think it's in the insurer's interest to employ sexism? If for example a history of breast cancer in your family is a strong predictor that you are a higher risk for breast cancer then underwriting has to reflect that - it's a commercial decision to get as many customers as possible while being able to manage risk and uncertainty.

As average mortality for women is lower than for men, it's possible that many women will get a lower premium. You are right that the rules around gender-neutral pricing have ruled out making blanket distinctions by sex, but it's still permitted to use other underwriting factors where there is a statistical justification.

I got turned down for a mortgage because of a chronic uti. 😳

So, just spoken to a broker and they're willing to insure me FULLY with the same insurer but at a much lower price- PND included! How can this be?

@daddaddad insurers werent allowed to charge men more car insurance!
Who is stepping in to protect women from being charged more?

@toddybell

So, just spoken to a broker and they're willing to insure me FULLY with the same insurer but at a much lower price- PND included! How can this be?

Good for you for sorting it out x

[quote AnFiadhRua]@daddaddad insurers werent allowed to charge men more car insurance!
Who is stepping in to protect women from being charged more?[/quote]
And they were equally stopped from charging women more for annuities!

Actually, on the car insurance, the gender-neutral pricing has probably helped to drive (ho, ho) innovations such as smart devices that sit in your car and monitor your motion etc, so what you get charged more directly reflects the riskiness of your driving. That means careful female (and male) drivers can pay less.

@DadDadDad

I don't know why you think it's in the insurer's interest to employ sexism? If for example a history of breast cancer in your family is a strong predictor that you are a higher risk for breast cancer then underwriting has to reflect that - it's a commercial decision to get as many customers as possible while being able to manage risk and uncertainty.

As average mortality for women is lower than for men, it's possible that many women will get a lower premium. You are right that the rules around gender-neutral pricing have ruled out making blanket distinctions by sex, but it's still permitted to use other underwriting factors where there is a statistical justification.

I'm assuming you're a man. It would be good to get a females perspective who has experience with insurance companies.

Don’t get me started. I’ve been declined over a combination of things but mainly my depression which medication. It has nothing to do with the crucial illnesses. The broker admitted that the companies need to move with the times. In the meantime I’m single and the only provider for our almost 4 year old so goodness know what would happen if I couldn’t work. I would lose the house I imagine. 4 year old would be financially better off if I died.