Zurich pays more than £300m in claims in H1 2016 across Life, Income Protection and Critical Illness Insurance

• Zurich’s UK life division paid out on 95% of all claims it received in the six months to June 2016.
• The insurer rejected just 72 claims out of 1,345.
• Zurich paid 89% of Critical Illness claims, 87% of Income Protection claims and virtually all (98%) of Life Insurance claims.
• Successful claims made on Zurich insurance policies across both life and general insurance in the first half of 2016 totalled more than £1bn, with life business accounting for 30% of this.

Important figures

Claims for cancer and heart attacks foremost for Critical Illness

1 in 5 Critical Illness claims Zurich received in the first half of 2016 were for breast cancer. A further 17% resulted from heart attacks, the second-most common reason or claiming.

Cancer, heart attacks and strokes are the three major reasons customers make claims on any Critical Illness policy, not just Zurich.

In the first six months of the year, Zurich also paid more than £225,000 paid in claims to the parents of children who suffered a critical illness.

Zurich’s average claim value in the first half of 2016 on all Critical Illness policies was £83,336.

Income Protection vs Critical Illness claims

Just as with any insurer, Zurich’s Income Protection policies pay out on a wider definition of illnesses than Critical Illness claims, offering cover for most conditions that render the policyholder medically unable to work.

This is seen in Zurich’s claims data, which shows that a combined 26% of claims were from policyholders with spinal disorders and those with musculoskeletal complaints excluding the spine. A further 23% of Income Protection claims made in the first half of the year were for mental illnesses.

In total, Zurich paid out on 87% of its critical illness claims in the first half of the year, with the average monthly payment being £1,460.