Mental Healthy announces partnership with Orbis and Active Minds Insurance
By Charlotte Fantelli
“Did you know if you don’t disclose a mental or physical health condition on your policy, your insurance may be ‘null and void’ if you ever made a claim?”
This is part of the reason I am so excited to announce our partnership with Orbis and Active Minds. I was approached by the company and immediately loved their values and products.
I have been tuned down for insurance and once had extortionate excess on my policy, all because I have suffered an anxiety disorder. I am one of the lucky ones, many people have found themselves in a position of needing to claim on their insurance, yet found it null and void because they simply did not mention a mental health condition (past or present) or a disability - seemingly relevant or not!
Discrimination
Many ‘mainstream’ products will assess risk factors such as ‘disability’ or ‘mental illness’ using blanket terms that do not understand individual needs or risks, thus leaving many people unable to get insurance if they do declare their medical history, or with much larger premiums if they can obtain cover.
That is where we are different; Orbis and Active Minds work with every individual, with specialist new forms of underwriting, to ensure you get quality cover at the right price, without discrimination.*
‘Material Facts’
Insurance policies are issued on the basis of the declaration of any ‘material facts’ and the acceptance of ‘utmost good faith’. All insurers wording will have these terms stated somewhere in their policy. Failure to disclose a material fact may, and probably will, invalidate your policy. Medical history is a material fact that needs to be declared when purchasing any insurance policy. This includes conditions that you had, but may not have anymore.
This applies to any form of insurance – Travel, home, life, even motor.
Christopher Jordan, Managing Director of Orbis Insurance Services says: ‘ The insurance industry is coming under fire for not paying out claims, but unfortunately many people are not reading their policy documents carefully to ensure their policy is comprehensive.
‘Our team are experienced in taking medical information arranging cover appropriate for the individual. We have a panel of insurers who have a flexible underwriting criteria and an expert knowledge of the varying medical conditions.’
If you have a gold or a premier account with your bank, one of the benefits may be ‘free travel insurance’. This insurance could be adequate as long as you do not have, or have never had any medical conditions. Many people assume that this cover is comprehensive and do not check the terms and conditions. It is only at the time when an individual needs to make a claim that they realise a policy is not fully inclusive
The cover you need
So where does that leave you right now? Are you sure you are covered if anything went wrong? ‘If you haven’t disclosed any mental or physical illness past or present, you may be in for a shock if you ever needed to claim’ says Lauren Stovell, Manager of Orbis insurance Services.
We advise that you check the policies you have right now and ensure you have disclosed any medical history.
Please see our INSURANCE PRODUCTS and fill in a few details to get a personalised quote and individual advice on what products and services are right for you.
