INSURANCE

Health premium cuts leave age bomb

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Original article by Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: 3 : 15-Aug-17

A growing number of Australian health insurance policies have exclusions in them, as policy holders try to reduce premium costs. Most exclusions relate to pregnancy-related services and procedures seen as relating to old age, such as hip replacements and eye surgery. Many such exclusions are agreed to when the policy holder is young, but then forgotten about until later in life. The trend towards increased policy exclusions comes as governments try to reduce the exodus of consumers from the health insurance sector.

CORPORATES
MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, NIB HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NHF, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE OMBUDSMAN, CONSUMERS’ HEALTH FORUM OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH. PRIVATE HEALTH MINISTERIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Millennials driving growth in private health insurance with over one million increase since 2008

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Aug-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that since 2008, there has been an increase of 1.1 million millennials with private health insurance, which accounts for 49.6% of the overall market growth. Millennials now account for 24.5% of the private health insurance market, compared with only 16.3% in 2008. Millennials’ share of the market was well below that of pre-boomers, baby boomers and generation X in 2008, but as a result of their rapid growth, they are now close to being the most significant generation in this market. Although 43.6% of millennials overall now have private health insurance, this varies considerably by income. In terms of personal income, 32.4% of millennials with an income of less than $50,000pa have private health insurance, but this increases to 71.1% among those with incomes of $100,000pa or more.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Small private health insurers lead in satisfaction and improvement – big funds lag

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Aug-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that Teachers Federation Health (85.1%), Health Partners (84.6%) and CBHS (84.1%) were the top three performers among Australia’s fifteen largest private health insurance funds for customer satisfaction in the year to June 2017. These three funds all went against the overall negative satisfaction trend over the last year, with Teachers Federation Health up 2.1%, Health Partners up 1.1% and CBHS up 0.8%. Satisfaction with the two largest funds remain below the smaller players, with BUPA on 70.7% (down 2.8% over the last year) and Medibank Private on 68.4% (down 1.6%). Smaller funds also performed best on customer advocacy, with 73% of Teachers Federation Health members being "highly likely" to recommend their fund to friends or colleagues, followed by Defence Health (71.2%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, TEACHERS FEDERATION HEALTH LIMITED, HEALTH PARTNERS, CBHS FRIENDLY SOCIETY LIMITED, BUPA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, DEFENCE HEALTH LIMITED, LATROBE HEALTH SERVICES, TEACHERS’ UNION HEALTH

O’Dwyer lashes out at ‘tricky’ insurers

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 21 : 27-Jul-17

Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has criticised the way life insurance providers have handled requests by superannuation fund members to opt out of life and disability coverage via their super fund. O’Dwyer says life insurers have been "tricky" regarding the issue of opting out. She also argues that life insurers must demonstrate that the products they offer have value to super fund members, and notes that such coverage may not necessarily be relevant to people under the age of 25.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Government pushes for progress on group life insurance code

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Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 4-Jul-17

The Australian life insurance sector’s new code of conduct took effect in the week ending 30 June 2017. The code will be enforced by an independent committee, but it does not come under a legal or regulatory body. As yet, the code does not cover life insurance within superannuation, something that Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer wants addressed sooner than later. O’Dwyer notes that a working group had been looking at the issue for six months, but with seemingly little progress.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AIA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL, FINANCIAL SERVICES OMBUDSMAN LIMITED

Super bodies want wider ban on commissions

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Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 27-Jun-17

The Department of the Treasury is conducting a review of Australia’s Future of Financial Advice regime. The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and Industry Super Australia have used a joint submission to call for the ban on up-front and trailing commissions for life insurance sold within superannuation to be extended to all life insurance sales. They contend that commission-based remuneration structures serve to put the interests of financial planners ahead of their clients.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SUPERANNUATION TRUSTEES, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Satisfaction with risk and life insurance remains the lowest of all major insurance types

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Feb-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that satisfaction among Australians aged 14+ who are risk and life insurance policy holders was 67.4% in the year to December 2016, down from 68.8% in 2015. Less than one in four (23.9%) of risk and life policy holders were "very satisfied" with their insurance company. The survey also shows that satisfaction with risk insurance (covering income protection, disability, accident, trauma, etc) in 2016 was only 66.3%, the lowest of all insurance types and a little below the 68.7% for life insurance. Meanwhile, Allianz leads in customer satisfaction among the 13 largest risk and life insurers (75.7%), followed by Insuranceline (75.2%) and Asteron (74.4%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, ALLIANZ AUSTRALIA LIMITED, INSURANCELINE HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ASTERON PTY LTD

Under-30s turning their backs on private health

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 4 : 13-Dec-16

Data from comparison website iSelect shows that a growing number of Australians under the age of 31 are questioning the need for private health insurance. CEO Scott Wilson notes that the lifetime health cover loading has ceased to be an incentive for younger people to take out private cover, as many are satisfied to use the public hospital system. Wilson expects private health insurance premiums to rise by 4.5 per cent to five per cent in 2017.

CORPORATES
ISELECT LIMITED – ASX ISU

Satisfaction with risk and life insurance declines

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Nov-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that satisfaction among Australians aged 14+ with risk and life insurance policies was 67.5 per cent in the year to October 2016, compared with 69.3 per cent during the year to October 2015. The survey also shows that 96.8 per cent of policy holders would be at least "fairly likely" to renew their insurance with their existing company, but only 35.3 per cent would be "extremely likely" to do so. Asteron Life has the highest level of customer satisfaction among the 13 largest risk and life insurers, at 78.1 per cent, ahead of Insuranceline (73.8 per cent) and Allianz (73.2 per cent).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, ASTERON LIFE LIMITED, INSURANCELINE HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ALLIANZ AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AMP LIFE LIMITED, AIA AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ONEPATH AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SUNCORP INSURANCE AND FINANCE, COMMINSURE, MLC LIMITED, ZURICH AUSTRALIA LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, REAL INSURANCE

Satisfaction with private health insurance declining

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 10-Nov-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that satisfaction among private health insurance policy holders was 74.4% in the year to September 2016, down from 76.3% over the same period in 2015, but well ahead of a decade ago (66.4% in 2006). The survey also shows that over the last year, nearly all major health insurance providers showed declining satisfaction; 10.4% of their members indicated they would either leave their fund in the next 12 months or shop around before they decided what to do. HBF has the highest level of customer satisfaction among the five largest health funds, at 80.2%, down 1.0% point from a year ago. In second place is HCF, well behind on 74.3% (down 0.7% points) and BUPA (73.6%, no change).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, HBF HEALTHFUNDS INCORPORATED, THE HOSPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS FUND OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BUPA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MEDIBANK PRIVATE LIMITED – ASX MPL, NIB HEALTH FUNDS LIMITED, TEACHERS FEDERATION HEALTH LIMITED, CBHS FRIENDLY SOCIETY LIMITED, DEFENCE HEALTH LIMITED, MEDICAL BENEFITS FUND OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED