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Russell Hutchinson Opinion

How junk is junk insurance and why should you care?

Thursday 1st of August 2019

What do people mean by junk insurance? Several types of insurance cover were referred to as "junk insurance" during the proceedings of the recent Australian Royal Commission. The hallmark of junk insurance is usually two things:

  • A very low ratio of claims to premium
  • A high ratio of declined to accepted claims
What is a low claims ratio? The average for life insurance in New Zealand is about 60%, for trauma and income protection it is much higher. For health insurance, likewise. While regulators aren’t talking about a specific number, claims ratios that are only 30%, or lower, look suspiciously poor value for customers. Added to that, they tend to be sold with no advice, often is situations that are not supportive of the client making a good decision.

Gap insurance, for example, is meant to cover the difference between the value of a car and any finance remaining outstanding, in the event the car is written off during the period of the loan. It is hard for the consumer to assess the value of the contract, and they are perhaps more focused on getting the car and the loan needed to acquire it.

Redundancy insurance has also been criticised for being sold to people who could never qualify for a claim payment under the terms of the contract.

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