Life Insurance and Autism

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The definition of autism can differ between its many variations, however, simply put, it is a disorder of neural development which becomes characterised by social interaction impairment and typically incorporates repetitive and restricted behaviour. According to reports from the National Autistic Society, there are currently half a million people in the UK living with autism.

Obtaining life insurance if autistic can be a complicated process due to the medical complexities of the disability. However, the industry has started evolving. Heath Lambert, one of Europe's major independent and reinsurance brokers, has partnered with The National Autistic Society to provide both life and travel insurance for people with autism.

Heath Lambert’s insurance scheme, Unique, now has arranged for autism to be classed as a disability, rather than a medical condition. This means that the cost of insurance cover is reduced, as well as insurance plans being tailored to meet the specific requirements of the policyholder.

One of the National Autistics Society’s members and branch managers, Samantha Fletcher said: "We often hear from our members that arranging appropriate cover is difficult and so we are delighted to launch this new tailored insurance service.

She continued to state that: "We campaign for people affected by autism to have the same rights and freedoms as the rest of society - Unique are leading the way in terms of insurance provision and we hope the rest of the industry will follow."

It is certainly good news for the insurance industry that policy flexibility in addition to a true understanding of the UK’s community is continuing to thrive.


Rita Millett