Be careful what you Google for, when searching for simple answers to complex questions like; Can people with HIV or other complex health conditions can still qualify for life insurance?

Google Search is part of our modern-day lives.

Who hasn’t made a quick Search for the bio of an actor, the secret to a killer Bearnaise sauce or asked, ‘Is there a sequel to Game of Thrones?’

Search is also a growing part of our personal health management. People's tendencies for a late-night search session with Dr Google self-diagnosing potential medical conditions —by searching for symptoms —are known to trigger many an anxious night of misinformation and questionable comparisons.

The reality is many of our late-night search results usually add to our anxiety and uncertainty.

The new skill of knowing ‘when to consult a professional’ is becoming the new 21th Century survival skill to learn.

COVID-19 & Life Insurances FAQs

Our top frequently asked questions by clients about life insurance policies and COVID-19 and vaccinations

Australia is now in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With rolling lockdowns and much general uncertainty ahead, as we race towards the nation's next mass vaccination target, it's only natural people are looking for certainty and asking important questions about 'whether COVID-19 affects their life insurance policies in any way?'

Well we have some good news to share.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received about life insurances and COVID-19 and COVID-19 Vaccinations.

• Read the video transcript below.

He's a big fan of the party life and 'works hard so he can play hard'. If you ever got into a serious conversation with him, he's an open-minded no-labels kind of guy.

His work ute looks as good as he does and he's in high demand on Saturday night - and always swipes right - if you know what we mean.

Good News for Australians taking PrEP for HIV prevention.

People taking PrEP are now eligible for the full range of Life Insurance products stigma-free: if you know specialist Financial Advisor Drew Browne, the person behind unusualrisks.com.au

This means people using PrEP can get a full range of insurance covers;

• Life Insurance
• Income Protection
• Crisis Recovery Protection
• Total & Permanent Disability (TPD), and even
• past formal declines on insurance applications for Life Insurance or Income Protection cover

All policies are now available to Australians taking PrEP - stigma and attitude free - through the specialist financial advisers behind unusualrisks.com.au

So what is PrEP?

You may have already heard about PrEP or perhaps you're looking for more information about how it affects your chances of getting Life Insurance or Income Protection cover?

Either way, PrEP is a medical breakthrough that's already playing a vital role in the efforts to End HIV by 2020.  Now the medication is listed on the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), just about anyone can now get on it.

Taking PrEP is a highly effective medication for preventing exposure to HIV.

• PrEP is an acronym that stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It involves HIV-negative people taking antiretroviral drugs to protect themselves getting HIV and prevent HIV infection – in just one tablet a day.
• PrEP is, as the name implies, a pre-exposure strategy, unlike post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is taken after potential exposure to HIV has occurred.

Who is taking PrEP?

Whether exposure to HIV is through sex or needlestick injuries, there are many people using PrEP to prevent them from being exposed to HIV and taking control of their sexual health and future well-being. 

• Studies show PrEP is effective but the uptake of PrEP has been slow with research showing that's partly due to Stigma and Discrimination concerns - something the team at unusualrisks.com.au understands and provides a complete solution for when you need to apply for Life Insurances or Income Protection.

In Australia, lots of people use PrEP for lots of reasons

• Some sexually active gay and bisexual men, transgender people and heterosexual people with an HIV positive partner who doesn't have an undetectable viral load, are part of the population groups at higher risk.
• Similarly, Medical Professionals, Police, Fire, Ambulance and Emergency Services Workers are all at higher risk of occupational exposure to blood-borne viruses through sharps and needlestick injury.

Real Life statistics

• In Australia, approximately 30 needlestick injuries (NSI's) per 100 beds occur per year.
• At least 18,000 healthcare professionals suffer from an NSI every year.
• And 80% of reported NSI's involve a contaminated needle. ^{The Alliance for Sharps Safety and Needlestick Prevention in Healthcare}

Research shows that the medication used for PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV transmission among these population groups.

You can learn more about PrEP here.

What's the problem with PrEP and getting Life Insurance?

Up until now, Australians taking PrEP have faced uncertainty, stigma and discrimination from Life Insurance companies towards the use of PrEP (and routinely find they also have to be the educator about PrEP).

• People applying for insurance through online comparison websites report completing the application with full lifestyle and medical disclosures, only to feel insulted when a formal decline is issued due to 'lifestyle considerations'
• People applying for insurance in their Superannuation fund report being routinely knocked back (and usually after having to disclose a full medical and lifestyle history) as the insurance provider doesn't 'deal with PrEP users'.

Most insurance companies and super funds simply do not provide underwriting for people with unusual occupations, hobbies, pastimes or lifestyles - if you get what we mean.

That's why people use the expertise of unusualrisks.com.au to get their insurances sorted - stigma-free.

How have Life Insurance companies treated people taking PrEP?

The New York Times broke the story of Dr. Philip Cheng, a urologist in Boston taking PrEP and being denied full insurance cover until he stopped taking, Truvada (the pharmaceutical brand name for PrEP) to prevent HIV infection.

• Many people applying for Life Insurances when disclosing they are taking PrEP to prevent them from being exposed to HIV have found themselves discriminated against and received forced formal declines on insurance applications for Life Insurance or Income Protection cover.

When American News is not accurate or helpful for Australians

Today as many people get their news from the internet, the growing risk is it may not always be relevant in Australia.

• Many American Life Insurance companies take a discriminatory approach to how they underwrite the use of PrEP and outright deny any form of insurance coverage.

• Many Australian Life Insurance companies and Superannuation Funds formerly decline applications for insurance by people using PrEP and discriminate in a similar way against people with well managed HIV or Diabetes.

Good news for Australians taking PrEP

The good news is Australians using PrEP and who need Life Insurance or Income Protection, now have a clear pathway to getting their cover sorted - stigma and discrimination free - through unusualrisks.com.au

And that's great news for everyone who's using PrEP medication to take better control over their health.

• PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) is an anti-HIV medicine taken by a person who doesn't have HIV to lower their risk of infection.
• The brand name of the drug known as PrEP is Truvada and it's now listed on the PBS and subsided by the Australian Government.

Caring for caring professionals. 

Blood Borne Disease Insurance compensates you if you contract HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C due to a sharps injury while working in your regular occupation

Hospitals, surgeries, clinics and accident sites are often high-pressure, fast-paced environments where sharps injuries to medical professionals occur all too frequently.

• A needlestick or sharps injury (NSI) can also have a devastating impact on your long-term income earning capacity

White-collar professionals are often highly paid and highly leveraged, so they need a comprehensive insurance strategy to safeguard what they have worked hard to achieve.

Accidents do happen

Watch Donald's real-life story below of how a trauma nurse experienced an accidental needle stick injury.

They met on a dating app and have been good mates ever since.

Simon is a teacher currently completing additional night study at Uni.  Jordan works from home 4 days a week in IT support for a large logistics and distribution company.

Both guys have separate casual relationships and enjoy live music, online gaming together, and following music festivals around the country. They’re both fit and healthy, have packed social calendars and both use PrEP to help manage their own sexual health.

Taking PrEP to look after yourself and your mates

Looking after yourself and your mates is one of the key motivators behind people learning more about whether taking PrEP medication is right for them and their situation.

Taking care of the riskier parts of life (and work)

While most occupations have some low-level risk involved (ranging from papercuts to tripping over computer cables, to working with power tools or falling down mine shafts) some occupations have additional exposure risks to needlestick and sharps injuries - and if that's your occupation, you need to know about your PrEP and Income Protection insurance options.

Meet Tina and Garry - proud new parents of a baby boy

A miracle you might say - because Tina and Garry are officially a serodiscordant couple. (In simple terms, it means one of them is HIV positive).

Deciding to have a baby is a big decision for anyone, but for a couple living with HIV the decision is more complicated. Tina and Garry today join the growing numbers of seroconcordant couples in Australia who have successfully given birth to healthy babies.

Are you using PrEP to better manage your good health?

Good news!
If you're using PrEP to help manage your health and wondering if you can still get high-quality life insurance cover, the simple answer is now Yes!

• The good news is, Australians taking PrEP are now eligible for the full range of Life Insurance products stigma-free.
• The bad news is, not all insurance companies have the same attitude about why it's used, so you'll need expert help to find the ones that suit you best.

Lucky for you you've already found the Australian experts at unusualrisks.com.au who understand what's required to help people who use PrEP to manage their health, get their personal insurances sorted.

We understand PrEP helps to prevent HIV

An increasing number of Australians are using PrEP to better manage their good health but still have uncertainty about how this can affect an application for a life insurance product.

• We've been working with people Australia wide to manage their privacy around their decisions to use PrEP and specialise in understanding complex health management systems.
• This means you don't have to continually be the educator for an insurance underwriter or financial adviser about what they know nothing about.

You shouldn't be disadvantaged for being responsible.Drew Browne Founder UnusualRisks Insured

Here are the questions we'd be asking when you use our services to help get your insurances sorted.

Questions we'll ask when you're making an application for cover

When getting ready for an application for a life insurance product, you'll need to know the following;

• When did you first begin taking PrEP?
• How often do you test for STIs?
• Do you have any other medical conditions that might prevent you from taking PrEP long term?
• When was your last followup with your GP?

And if you'd like to fast-track the application process, if you have the results of your recent blood test on hand, that might enable us to speed up the assessment process for you too.

Why should people using PrEP only use the experts at Unusual Risks Insured to get their life insurances sorted?

We're glad you asked.

• Australian life insurance companies traditionally have not developed and marketed their products with the LGBTI community in mind. This means, whether by design or default, you'll see insurance companies tend not to give the issues of LGBTI people and their families the equal consideration and respect they deserve.
• When it comes to the broader understanding of ‘why responsible people use PrEP to better manage their sexual health’, such concepts don't fit the conservative (some would say blinkered) world of old school insurance underwriting.
• Too many times we have seen personal biases and discriminations - religious or otherwise -  inappropriately affect the assessment of life insurance applications.

If you're tired of continually having to be the medical educator to other people, (we understand your frustration) and would love to help you out

• That's why we say it's critically important to only work with an insurance adviser from unusualrisks.com.au who understands our issues and more importantly, understands in advance how an insurance company we might recommend, will respond to those issues.
• You need a financial adviser who will be your powerful advocate in dealing with an insurance company, and not someone whose own bias may undermine your efforts (and perhaps even compromise) your future ability to obtain coverage.
• In short, when it comes to getting your personal insurances sorted, you need a financial adviser with whom you can be completely forthright and upfront - free of any stigma and discrimination.

And after you've found that person, it's also imperative that you are in fact forthright and upfront about your circumstances.

Lucky you have found unusualrisks.com.au

We’ll help you navigate the life insurance environment safely and keep your dignity intact.

Read more about Life Insurance for People using PrEP.

If you're parenting solo, it’s twice as important to plan

We all know too well that raising a child in a two-parent household is tough - but raising a child solo is a whole different ball game!

And it's a responsibility more and more Australian parents are taking on.