Hank George, FALU, CLU, FLMI

While we underwriters do not get directly involved in the sales process for the most part, there are likely some advantages to accrue to us if we suggest some “angles,” if you will, that help our producers make the value of CI policy ownership clear to prospective customers.

This is one approach that I think has merit, especially in the USA.

A friend from abroad said to me a few years ago that critical illness insurance would not be much of a seller in the US market.

Karin Lloyd
Strategic and Technical Claims Consultant
London, UK

What do a young woman in Hong Kong, an American wrestling with medical expenses not covered under health insurance, a middle-aged South African man and a couple buying their first house in the UK have in common?

Sorry to disappoint but this is not the start of a naughty joke – in fact, they are all the target market of insurance cover generically known as Critical Illness.

The precise products aimed at each group may vary enormously and Critical Illness is highly sensitive to the context in which it is being sold, but all of the products in this range share some common issues that anyone selling and managing CI products needs to be aware of. Three of these issues are discussed below, with a look at how they are dealt with in various markets.