Women’s Health and Insurance: Azaria Bell on Getting the Right Cover”
Navigating personal insurance can feel daunting, especially when women’s health conditions enter the picture. In her video discussion, Skye Wealth Financial Adviser Azaria Bell explains how Australian insurers assess women’s health – and why working with an adviser and using pre-assessments can secure better outcomes.
Azaria highlights that conditions like endometriosis and PCOS don’t automatically bar you from cover. Under Australian underwriting guidelines, most women with endometriosis can obtain life and trauma insurance at standard rates, though TPD and income protection may carry a specific exclusion for endometriosis-related claims or a small premium loading. PCOS, on the other hand, is often accepted at standard terms, with only moderate loadings applied if other risk factors (weight, blood sugar) are present.
Pregnancy complications are usually treated as temporary conditions – insurers often wait until after childbirth to issue new cover or apply a short-term loading. Normal pregnancy itself isn’t an insurable event under income protection, but serious complications like eclampsia may be covered under specific trauma benefits if the policy is already in force. Postpartum depression is another sensitive area: mild, past episodes can be accepted at standard terms, but recent or ongoing mental health almost always leads to a blanket mental health exclusion on disability policies (income protection and TPD), though life and trauma cover are typically unaffected.
Azaria also notes that a strong family history of breast cancer can trigger a trauma policy exclusion specifically for breast cancer, while life cover is usually unaffected. This varies widely by insurer – some offer standard cover, others add a loading or an exclusion – which is why adviser-led pre-assessments are so valuable. And for common issues like low iron, insurers rarely impose any exclusions or loadings at all, unless the deficiency is severe or unexplained.
Her takeaway is clear: “Insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. By doing medical pre-assessments with multiple insurers, we can see the likely outcomes upfront, avoid formal declines, and place each client with the most suitable provider.” This process helps women secure the best possible cover for their circumstances.
Watch the full video with here: https://youtu.be/IdjRUGoewW8
Check out Skye Wealth’s YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/@skyewealth
If you’d like to get started, book in a call here: https://www.skye.com.au/phone-call
