TAL has launched an underwriting education initiative to assist advisers and their clients better understand the process around assessing musculoskeletal health conditions in the spine.
The initiative will provide advisers and their clients with information around musculoskeletal conditions, how to manage back pain, and the process used by the insurer in underwriting, including when exclusions are applied and when clients may be eligible for an underwriting review.
TAL General Manager for Health Services, Dr. Sally Phillips said the aim of initiative was to tackle any confusion advisers and their clients may have and to support provide support outside underwriting and claim time.
“We view this as an ongoing partnership, so explaining the reasoning behind an underwriting exclusion, when they might be eligible for another review, and providing guidelines on how to manage back pain and promote spinal health will help them continue to lead fulfilling lives,” Phillips said.
The first phase of the initiative, which will move onto underwriting for other health conditions later in the year, will be led by TAL Musculoskeletal Manager, Gavin Law, who noted that back pain affected around 3.7 million Australians.
“We also know that underwriting the spine can be challenging when customers have a history of back pain because there is often no specific problem or disease that can be identified as the cause of pain,” Law said.
“Our first suite of education materials up-skills our adviser partners on the specifics of back conditions so they can have well-informed conversations with their clients about spinal exclusions in addition to enabling them to engage with their clients about managing and supporting their health,” he added.
The education material is available from the TAL Adviser Centre.
