Stuff reported yesterday on the plight of Meg Bourke.
It is yet another example of an insurance claim gone wrong. Mrs Bourke's story has evoked a lot of emotion in the BRAVEday office, from sympathy to anger, to outright disgust - so we thought it was important to share our view, and again highlight the benefits of using the services of an adviser when taking out insurance cover.
This is a prime illustration of how your doctor's records can be misconstrued, and how an observation can be interpreted as a definitive diagnosis. According to the report there was no diagnosis for Mrs Bourke.
Our experience has been such that when clients disclose any past mental health issues, the life insurance policy will either have an exclusion for suicide, or if the incident was circumstantial (as in Mrs Bourke's case - due to one event) and a reasonable amount of time (around 5-10 years) has passed then the cover is often standard.
At BRAVEday, we stress the importance of full disclosure many times in the application process - but if there is any doubt that something has been missed, we have medical notes requested at the time of application - this way any kinks are ironed out before you even start paying any premiums. Aside from the perceived issue of non-disclosure in this case, BNZ Life have handled this claim poorly, and the treatment of Mrs Bourke has been appalling. We would never treat any of our clients as a number.
We believe that our reputation and the relationships we have formed with the insurance companies are integral in protecting our 100% claims record. Our dedicated claims managerdeals with the insurance company and follows up with doctors from when the initial paperwork is completed until the claim is paid, so you can concentrate on spending time with your loved ones - we fight for you at claim time.
We have numerous 'good news' stories from clients who have had their insurance claims paid out (including two cases where the claims were initially declined, and then full payouts were negotiated by the BRAVEday team). Below are some of the words our clients have to say about us: