The industry signposting agreement for protection insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions and disabilities, which marks its five-year anniversary since launching in January 2020, has resulted in 41,330 people seeking a specialist provider from BIBA’s Find Insurance Service.
The enquiries received to BIBA under the voluntary agreement include life insurance, critical illness and income protection, with the customers being directed to vetted specialists.
Graeme Trudgill, BIBA’s CEO said: “Helping customers access the insurance they need is really important to us – we’ve been involved since the very beginning of the agreement. Signposting helps customers and it has really made a difference to those looking for protection insurance who have a medical condition or disability. In fact, the wider number of people helped is likely to be much higher as these figures only represent the customers who come to BIBA for help, and not those who are signposted directly to a specialist broker or provider.”
Whether customers apply direct to an insurer or use an insurance broker, if they cannot be offered insurance because of their medical condition or disability, they should be signposted towards a firm who may be able to help, or to BIBA’s Find Insurance Service, which is available both online and by phone.
The agreement is an industry collaboration initially launched in January 2020 and then renewed in 2023 for a further three years. There are 39 signatories including industry bodies such as BIBA and the Association of British Insurers, protection insurance groups, insurers, brokers, charities and other stakeholders.
Peter Hamilton, Zurich’s Head of Market Engagement and the industry’s Disability and Access Ambassador, added: “The signposting agreement is a great example of different parts of the industry coming together and collaborating to make access to insurance easier for those with more complex medical histories. There’s more to do – we want to grow the number of charities signposting to BIBA for example – but the number of customers visiting the site and seeking cover over the last 5 years is evidence of a very real need that the industry is well placed to meet.”
BIBA believes there is the potential to help more customers and in its 2025 Manifesto is calling for both brokers and insurers to embrace the principle of total signposting across all lines of business to help people seeking the insurance they need. BIBA manages the industry’s Access to Insurance Committee, which oversees this signposting agreement along with others relating to travel and motor insurance for older customers and for travel insurance for those with medical conditions, along with the industry agreement on signposting to the Flood Insurance Directory.
The protection signposting agreement was launched in response to work undertaken by charities, consumer groups, and Government which found that consumers with pre-existing medical conditions were struggling to navigate the life and protection insurance market and obtain affordable cover.
