Standing up to insurance industry

Beyondblue, an Australian not for profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression, is taking a stand against the reported insurance industry’s discriminatory policies and fighting for the rights of millions of Australians with a mental illness.

For the past 10 years, beyondblue and the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) have been working to influence the insurance industry to make changes to their policies and practices.

The aim of this work is to improve access for people living with a mental health condition or those with a lived experience.

beyondblue chief executive, Kate Carnell AO, said insurance companies routinely discriminate against people with a mental illness by rejecting their claims and refusing to offer them a range of products including life and travel insurance, and income protection.

This is despite the insurance companies having provided no evidence that people who have experienced or who are being treated for depression or anxiety are a higher risk.

Ms Carnell urges everyone who believes they have been discriminated against by insurance companies because of mental illness, to contact beyondblue to share their story, with a view that beyondblue will investigate supporting them taking legal action, including a potential class action.

“More than three million Australians currently have a mental illness, but if they try to get insurance, they may face discrimination that adds to their stress, stops them from insuring themselves and discourages them from seeking treatment,” she says.

Ms Carnell claims since beyondblue started talks with the insurance industry in 2002 no significant progress had been made.

“We have asked the industry for the data that enables it to assess risk in relation to mental health, but it has repeatedly refused. That’s why we believe the data does not exist and that the industry is breaking the law that says insurance companies can only discriminate against potential clients if it is based upon sound evidence,” she adds.

Under current legislation, and proposed legislation to consolidate Australia’s existing anti-discrimination laws, legal action may be the only way to hold insurance companies accountable.

Ms Carnell addressed the Australian Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee in Melbourne late last week to argue beyondblue’s case on behalf of people with mental illnesses, and their families.

Alzheimer’s Australia strongly supports beyondblue’s efforts to remove the discrimination that exists in the Australian insurance industry.

If you believe you have been discriminated against by insurance companies  due to a mental health condition or a dementia diagnosis, contact beyondblue at theinsuranceproject@beyondblue.org.au or forward your experiences to Alzheimer’s Australia at consultations@alzheimers.org.au who will forward it to beyondblue.

Provide a brief summary (no more than a page) that addresses the following questions:

1. Who were the insurance provider(s) you approached?

2. What type of insurance did you apply for or make a claim against, and when was this?

3. If/when you disclosed your mental health condition, did it relate to a past or current mental health condition?

4. From the point of contact with the insurance provider, can you briefly outline what happened? Did you fill in an online form or did you speak to someone?

5. Did they explain the product/protection you were applying for? (eg the Product Disclosure Statement)

6. What did you understand as the impact of sharing your experience of a mental health condition or diagnosis of dementia? What was the result? (did the insurer offer a product, was there a higher price quoted, or was your claim rejected?)

7. What was the outcome? Did you receive the product/protection you were expecting? If not, did you seek insurance elsewhere or did you take alternative action – such as complaining? What was the result?

8. When did this happen?

A member of the beyondblue health system support and advocacy team may wish to contact you to further discuss your experience. If you are comfortable with this, please indicate in your response and provide your preferred contact details. Stories must be submitted by tomorrow.