ProtectionJun 7 2017

Insurers failing to support mental health sufferers

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Insurers failing to support mental health sufferers

Insurers should provide better mental health support via direct or group insurances, Christine Husbands, managing director at RedArc has urged.

Ms Husbands said she was "pleased to see" all the major political parties promoting equality for mental and physical health but warned insurers were lagging, as they "simply don't offer enough support for people with these conditions".

She added: "We believe that insurers need to follow suit and ensure they have policies in place to support people who suffer with mental health conditions, such as anxiety, chronic depression, stress, PTSD & trauma, psychosis and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. 

"Further, a major part of some parties’ approach to the treatment of mental health will be via employers – so group insurers would be wise to get their ducks in a row sooner rather than later for this market too.”

Research by RedArc, part of Punter Southall Health and Protection, based on two widely-used mental health screening tools, PHQ9 and GAD7, found early intervention was key to the successful treatment of mental health issues.

The research revealed with early-intervention programmes, usually via health insurance or group risk products, eight out of 10 patients saw a reduction in both their PHQ9 and GAD7 scores, equating to their condition improving - the average reduction in the score for both tests was more than 50 per cent.

In addition, 70 per cent of patients recovered to normal mood levels within three to four months.

Claire Walsh, chartered financial planner at Aspect 8, cited a case study where in applying for protection on behalf of a female client she had found previous mental health issues to be judged "very harshly".

Her client was offered private health insurance with an exclusion for mental health on the basis a few years earlier her doctor had noted "she had once burst into tears in his office" and had offered her anti-depressants which she refused.

Ms Walsh said: "She thought it was very unfair that they would exclude mental health for this reason and we requested that they get back in touch with the GP for further info. They didn’t do that, they simply reviewed the case and agreed and removed the exclusion.

"I found this all quite odd, as I didn’t realise they would change their minds simply because we asked and it made me doubt previous instances where I’d recommended to a client that we accept an exclusion as I assumed that most insurers would view in the same way."

Ms Husbands asserted: "Many insurers simply don’t offer enough support for people with these conditions but they need to wake up and smell the coffee: policies with thought-through and full mental health support are the ones that will stand out in this market. 

"Not all mental health support is the same, some can be very light touch and short term and, in our experience, this doesn’t go far enough. Support that is provided by specialists who have the time, experience and knowledge is where we see the most effective results."