The Plan B for when you're not eligible for Plan A — the next best thing to reduce your risks

Accidents change everything.

They can suddenly wipe out your ability to earn an income, endanger your family's stability and alter your confidence for the future.

It's not uncommon for accidents to become the start of unexpected financial stress that can change your way of life. They can push you into more debt to pay for unexpected medical procedures, drain your cashflow, and can even force you to sell off investments or assets to cover debts, at the worst possible time.

The last thing on anybody's mind should be money and returning to work.

What to do when you don't qualify for comprehensive insurance cover?

For many people, a surprise major medical bill or the sudden loss of their income is understandably overwhelming.

• Most people simply protect themselves and their families with comprehensive Income Protection and Disability Insurances.
• But if you don't qualify for this type of comprehensive insurance cover, the next best option may be Accident Only Insurances.

No one's immune from life-changing accidents that can remove their earning capacity and destabilize the financial security of their family.

Why use Accident Only Insurances?

Accident Only Insurances are the next level of personal insurance policy designed to protect against the financial impact of an unexpected accident - whether that involves a Long term Disability, Loss of Income, or even an unexpected Death, as defined in the policy.

• Accident Only Insurance cover as the name suggests pays a benefit in the event of an accident occurring and you needing to claim.
• Accident Only Insurance cover can be a helpful part of your protection strategy when you simply don't yet qualify for comprehensive insurance coverage but still need some level of cover to reduce your risks.

What types of Accident Only insurances are available?

The three main types of accident only covers available are:

• Accident Total & Permanent Disability (ATPD) - pays a lump sum benefit if you are totally and permanently disabled as a result of an accident. There are different types of cover from any occupation or the higher grade own occupation category of claim, and even special definitions to help protect your non-working partner too.
• Accident Income Protection (AIP) - pays up to 75% of your income per month (and can reimburse your employer’s super contributions too) if you’re working and totally or partially disabled as a result of an accident.
• Accidental Death (AD) - pay a lump sum of money if you died from an unexpected and unintentional accident.

Pro Tip: Only a small number of insurers offer this type of specialist cover. Like all specialist insurance cover, this is not suitable for a DIY approach or a simplified online comparison service. Get professional advice from the risk insurance specialists at Unusual Risks Insured.

When you may need an Accident Only Insurance option

There are times when you may not be eligible for a comprehensive life insurance policy, but you still need protection.

This could be for:

• Temporary reasons - while you recover from an existing injury or complete planned surgery or therapies, or
• Ongoing reasons - due to a previous or permanent health issue or even your type of occupation.

There are different grades of Accident Only Insurance cover, all with varying levels of medical assessment and they can become a practical alternative if your current health or occupation makes getting comprehensive cover unavailable.

Who this is especially relevant for?

Many people for very different reasons simply do not qualify (or don't yet qualify) for a comprehensive insurance policy to protect themselves or their families, but still need an insurance alternative.

This is especially relevant for people living with:

• a complex medical history - like leukemia
• a very recent medical procedure where the long-term outcomes are not yet known - like very recent gastric banding, very recent mental health support, and organ transplant recipients
• difficult to manage medical conditions - where the risk of ongoing management makes them commercially uninsurable - like Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome where a person can have so many moles on their skin, that the risk of missing one during a routine examination for melanoma is overly high
• family genetic conditions where the statically increased risks make them not commercially viable for comprehensive insurance cover
• high-risk occupations - like Crane Drivers, Tree Loppers, High Voltage Linesmen and frontline Emergency Services Workers
• self employed occupations with very long hours who don't qualify for comprehensive insurance cover or
• who want to minimise their out of pocket expenses in the event of a workplace accident occurring

Whatever the reason, an Accident Only Insurance policy can be the next best thing (when you don’t qualify for the best thing) and you can still protect yourself from the financial effects of accidental death, disability or loss of income an accident can create.

We specialise in helping people with well‑managed HIV or Diabetes (and other complex health conditions) get their life insurances and income protection sorted.

Life Insurance means financial protection to those you love, at a time when they shouldn’t have to think about money.

Income Protection means you safeguard your able to continue to earn a living, and keep your lifestyle until your recover.

And we help their family members get all their life insurances sorted too, so nobody misses out

• We also help medical professionals and emergency service workers protect themselves from the financial effects of contaminated sharps injuries, and
• We provide Australia wide financial advice and insurances for Surrogates so intended parents can provide the highest quality personal insurances to help protect and support the surrogate parent providing surrogacy services.

These days HIV or Diabetes doesn't have to be a life sentence

But most insurance companies still treat you like it is.

People with pre-existing well‑managed health conditions have, up till now, been prevented from accessing quality Life Insurance and Life Insurance products like Income Protection, simply because of their conditions.

We believe everyone deserves a fair go and equal access to financial advice Drew Browne Founder Unusual Risks Insured

How would you answer these 5 quick questions?

1. Are you or someone you love living with HIV or diabetes?
2. Do you need to learn more about blood-borne disease protection?
3. Want to learn how to protect your partner, family and even your business from the unexpected?
4. Are you just looking for help to get your life insurance sorted?
5. Not sure if it’s even possible?

Here's the great news!

You'll be pleased to know that now there's an Australian company that can offer life insurance services to those who really need it - and you found us.

On our site, you'll be able to:

• learn why many LGBTQIA+ people and our Allies choose to use our services
• learn everything you need to know about how to get your life insurance sorted if you have well-managed HIV or diabetes or using PrEP to manage your health.
• learn how to protect yourself from the effect of a contaminated sharps injury if you're a medical professional
• take our anonymous pre-assessment to find out if we can work with your situation

So what are the different types of Life insurance products available to you here?

Life Insurances is a name that covers a range of personal insurances designed to protect people from the known statistical risks of life.

These include:

• Death and Terminal Illness cover
• Total and Permanent Disability cover
• Crisis Recovery insurance for serious medical conditions
• Income Protection cover for sickness and illness stopping you from earning your income

For business owners and key people in business, we have additional personal insurances designed to protect business people from the known statistical risks of business life too.

These include:

• Business Key Person and Key Debt protection
• Business Fixed Expensesprotection
• Business Owners and Professional Partnerships protection
• Business Owner and Partnership ownership transfer protection.

Investing in the health and well-being of another is an act of service, greater than ourselves and in many ways it's what makes us human - Drew Browne

For us, this is not just about getting a Life Insurance policy, this is an equality and human rights issue

We believe that every Australian should have equal access to high-quality Life Insurance products, no matter what their sexuality, gender, race, age or beliefs. We believe this is not just about getting Life Insurance, this is a human rights issue.

For our clients, it's about protecting and providing for those they love and simply getting on with living a full and adventurous life.

Life Insurance can help you be certain your loved ones are provided for, children's educational needs are taken care of, and that your family of choice won't have to worry about their future if you’re not there to continue to protect and provide for them.

A sad but all too common experience

Often, when a couple set up life insurance to protect each other, one person has their application accepted, but the other is refused because of a pre-existing health condition. Both are left feeling that a wedge has been driven between them and that their needs and choices were not understood, honoured or valued. At unUsualrisks.com.au our mission is to change this.

Life insurance offers financial protection to those you love at a time when they shouldn’t have to think about money

An insurance payout can help your loved ones:

• Stay in the family home by either paying out the mortgage or providing enough funds to allow then to remain in the community where they're most comfortable
• Maintain the same standard of living by providing funds to be invested and used over time
• Provide for future planned expenses for loved ones or maybe leaving a legacy that makes your difference in the world
• If you're in business life insurance can help protect your revenue, secure bank loans and make shareholders and Key people to the business feel more secure too.
• If you're sorting out your estate planning, life insurance can help equalise the value of an estate so that heirs are treated equally, just in case.

When does life insurance payout?

Life insurance will normally payout upon the death of the life insured or diagnoses of a terminal, illness in the last 24 months.

• It can help their dependents cope financially if you unexpectedly pass away, and
• It can help you in practical financial ways if you suffer a terminal illness

Many people don't know that high-quality life insurance also pays out upon the diagnosis of a terminal illness in the remaining 24 months, making it a strong part of a backup plan.

Most people don't know 30% of life insurance claims are made for terminal illness

For Health Professionals and Emergency Services Workers, contaminated sharps injury protection offers financial stability to you at a time when you need to focus on your ongoing health

An insurance payout can help you:

• Pay you an immediate cash amount to use in any way to need
• It can help pay out debts and remove financial stressors from your life
• It can provide a financial cushion to your loved ones or yourself and help provide time for you to consider your next step
• It can fund a change in your professional career, protect business shareholders and provide you with space to take time to consider what your next step needs to be

So if you're living with HIV, managing diabetes or protecting yourself from these types of conditions (like using PrEP), we can help you with complete privacy, discretion and great advice.

Enjoy your time here on our site, and feel free to get in touch and say G'day.

And if you have sensitive questions or just prefer to chat with a person first, strike up an email conversation here or give us a call direct and ask to speak with Drew.

Crisis Recovery insurance means you can focus on getting better, without worrying about how you’re going to get by once you recover.

Crisis Recovery insurance (also called Critical Illness Trauma Recovery insurance) is designed to pay a specified lump sum (or in some cases installments) to you if you’re diagnosed with a specified serious illness or injury that's covered by the policy such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and breast or prostate cancer.

Up until now, this was simply not possible for people with complex health conditions.

• Poor health can destroy wealth quickly. Hits to our health are often far worst than other financial losses because they often dry up our income-making capacity too.
• Today people often use it as part of a backup plan to fund their major medical expenses, reducing (or even paying off) debts and maintaining their lifestyle while they recover.
• Crisis Recovery insurance is a useful backup plan when you don't have access to savings or large sums of disposable cash when you may need it the most.

An uncomfortable reality

Today's rising cost of sophisticated medical treatments and pharmaceutical interventions means that having a health crisis now equates to having a financial crisis.  Money has become a potent treatment tool as advances in medicine.

This is where Crisis Recovery insurance can be a powerful safety net.

Depending upon the level of cover you choose, it can even allow you to make permanent lifestyle changes like not needing to return to work full time.

Key Terms to know

• The benefit amount is the amount the policy covers you for as chosen by you.
• The defined conditions (listed in the PDS) are the specified conditions the policy is designed to pay out for.

Practically speaking - 'remove the worry of paying bills while you recover from a serious condition'

Why you may need Crisis Recovery insurance

Crisis Recovery Illness insurance (aka Trauma Recovery insurance) is especially important for single people who may not have dependable family support, for people with dependents or who might have a non-working partner.

• Most Australian's just don’t have ready access to at least 6 months of emergency savings at hand that can continue to pay all their debts and normal living expenses.
• Add to this the increased financial burden of unexpected medical and rehabilitation costs and a medical crisis can quickly become a financial crisis too.

It’s especially relevant for:

• Singles with low family support
• Young families with large debt obligations and low salable asset values
• People who are the major income earning in a relationship
• People with low emergency savings at hand

Take a moment to consider how much immediate cash reserves you have on hand today to put towards paying for a serious medical issue (particularly where you may need to stop work due to serious medical trauma or injury).

• What's your realistic plan to cope with the mortgage repayment or the weekly rental, the car loan and credit card repayments and everyday expenses - on top of sudden medical costs for treatments and rehabilitation?

Real Life Statistics

• An estimated 145,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia this year, with that number likely to rise to 150,000 in 2020.^{Cancer Council – Facts and Figures}
• Almost half a million people are hospitalised each year as a result of injury, and a further 12,000 people die due to injury. ^{Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Injury, June 2017}

The average lifetime Cancer Management¹ costs for people 15 years and over are:

• $95,460 for head, neck and thyroid cancers
• $74,600 for lung cancer
• $51,460 for bowel cancer
• $36,800 for prostate cancer
• $36,040 for breast cancer
• $20,360 for melanoma skin cancer

Data source 1 Zurich, the Cost of Care whitepaper, pp.11 – 12

Life Insurance is a complex area with no second chance to fix a mistake

Once you have a Life Insurance policy in force, it can't be taken away from you. But of course, there's the problem of getting one in the first place...

Life Insurance is an 'underwritten financial product'. This means that levels of risk are often measured by insurance underwriters in 'likelihoods' and '% of chance'. Until recently, for HIV research, insurance underwriters had limited data to make predictions from so they simply refused to offer Life Insurance in circumstances where people were diagnosed with HIV.

Why you need a specialist adviser from Unusualrisks.com.au

When you have a pre-existing medical condition, getting high-quality Life Insurance requires the expertise of a specialty Risk Insurance Adviser because of 4 key reasons;

• The different medical underwriting requirements are complex
• The assessment criteria change constantly 
• Not all insurance providers are able to work with pre-existing medical conditions (but they don't tell you that up front so the resulting formal 'application declined' goes on your permanent record)
• We specialise in navigating through this complex area

4 Incredibly important things you need to know about life insurance

Here are 4 significant differences that are often overlooked when setting up specialty life insurance.

• Once a Life Insurance policy is in force, it's considered to be 'non-cancellable' by the insurance provider (as long as you continue to pay the premiums)
• It's automatically renewed each year without any further assessment, for the life of the product (regardless of any changes in your health, occupation or personal situation)
• You may have the option to select level premiums for the life of the product. This can mean savings of thousands of dollars over the life of the product. The earlier this is done, the greater the savings that can be achieved.
• You may be able to pay the premiums from your superannuation fund balance. When done in combination with level premiums, this can be a very cost-effective strategy for most people.

When taking time means good value to you

These are also 4 reasons why Life Insurance companies spend a lot of time in the initial assessment of the policy — because once you have a policy, it can't be taken away from you. So, now you can see the value in having a non-cancellable Life Insurance policy that's right for you.

The typical scenario

Sadly, we come across situations where people have already applied for life insurance only to be refused based upon their lifestyle and their medical conditions.

• Every time they apply for insurance again, (any type of insurance covered by the Duty of Disclosure laws) they are legally required to disclose all past insurance refusals otherwise an insurance company can refuse a claim based upon non-disclosure.
• If they apply for insurance again, they are then legally required to disclose past insurance refusals. This often becomes a real cycle of pain.

Our anonymous pre-assessment process prevents this damage from happening.

Why the standard life insurance application form works against you when you have specialty needs

If you're health-conscious, eat and exercise well, maintain your weight and have an active lifestyle, this is important information that should also be taken into consideration by a life insurance underwriter. But with a standard application form, none of this is taken into account, so the result is almost always an automatic 'no'.

The disturbing reality is that the safety of your data is not safe when you don't use a specialist like Unusual Risks

One of the common practices for general advisers and employed advisers is to simply 'send your health information around to different insurance companies' in the hope that one of them might be interested and provide feedback on whether they can help. The ugly inside truth is that many of the risk insurers don't admit they don't both or provide helpful feedback because of vested interests and concerns over commercial intelligence.

• Unless you're a specialist adviser, you don't have the time to research and stay on top of the changes that occur on a monthly basis.

So now you can see why you need the specialist team at unusualrisks.com.au to get you the result safely, efficiently and confidentially.

Everything we do is all about giving you the best chance of success without the risk

At Unusual Risks, we understand the underwriting processes and the medical requirements that insurers need to work with. We can present you in the most favourable light so that your chances of success are the highest.

• We use technology to help us anonymously pre-assess your medical position so that potential difficulties can be dealt with — without the need to identify you and create a permanent record that might influence a future application.

In reality, someone living with HIV or diabetes is still more likely to be turned down for life insurance by mainstream insurers than someone who doesn't have these conditions. If you are offered cover, you'll pay about the same premium as other people with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, certain kinds of heart conditions, or smokers.

Our anonymous pre-assessment processgives you the absolute best chance of success.

How we do it?

• We start by providing up-to-date, high-quality relevant information about what's now possible for people living with diabetes or HIV.
• Then we provide an anonymous online pre-assessment service so that people can quickly find out if their medical condition is one we can work with.
• Finally, we check your medical information with you to confirm if you were to make a formal application for life insurances, you'd have a very significant chance of success.

10 Good reasons to choose Unusual Risks as your specialty risk adviser

1. You control the conversation
2. Easy online pre-Assessment
3. The ability to be pre-Assessed anonymously
4. The ability to complete personal and private questionnaires securely online
5. Our expertise and deep understanding of HIV and diabetes issues
6. Our skill at matching the right clients' health profiles to the right insurance providers
7. Our ability to talk about anything without judgment or embarrassment
8. Our No-surprises No-BS Guarantee
9. All our practices, procedures and interactions with our clients are Trauma Informed
10. Your choice of communication method: Video-to-Video, phone-to-phone or face-to-face (or just old-school email).

Tell us how we can best work with you, and we'll make that happen.

Protecting yourself from sickness and injury – so you can keep on earning a living.

We help people living with well-managed HIV, diabetes or other complex health conditions get high quality Income Protection cover

Previously, people with complex health needs were excluded from high-quality Income Protection - now that's changed for our clients.

• Income Protection is an insurance cover for one of the most important assets of all – your ability to continue to keep on earning a living.

Explaining Income Protection

Income Protection insurance as the name suggests is designed to protect your ability to continue to earn an income and pay up to 70% (previously 75%) of your income if you're unable to work due to sickness or injury. It can provide cover worldwide 24/7 and can even protect 100% of your employer's super contributions too.

• The waiting period is the number of days before the income benefit payments start. It can be as short as 14 days and can be as long as 12 months (or even more), whatever you choose.
• The benefit period is the length of time you’ll receive payments while you’re unable to work due to sickness or injury. These can often be for set periods of 2 years or more, even up to age 65 (and now in some cases age 70), depending on what you choose.
• The payment method is the way you agree to pay the insurance premiums. These can be from your personal funds, perhaps from your super fund or even a combination of both, depending upon whatever you choose.

There are so many different options available with Income Protection.

Your financial advisor from unusual risks is the expert to best help you understand your options and cut through what can often feel an overwhelming process to find your unique solution.

Our income drives our lifestyle - not just paying rent, mortgages, car loans and credit cards, but living a full and interesting life Drew Browne

Practically speaking - always protect what you cannot afford to lose

Why you may need income protection

The financial engine of our lifestyles is our continuing ability to earn our incomes.

Over the course of a lifetime, most people will earn a small fortune (and rely upon their super contributions for their ability to eventually retire).

Protecting your ability to continue to earn an income makes clear financial sense.

It’s especially relevant for:

• Single people who might not have strong family or relationship support
• People in relationships depending upon dual incomes
• People with ongoing debts, like a mortgage, rent, credit cards and personal loans that couldn't be paid if they were unable to work due to sickness or injury.
• People who have regular family expenses like food, household bills, council rates or strata fees, school fees, vehicle costs (and perhaps child support payments or IVF treatment costs) and who don't have immediate access to substantial savings to use to replace their lost income if needed
• People who want an effective backup plan in place if one (or both of their incomes) were to stop due to sickness or injury

A special note for self-employed people

Self-employed and business people have different needs and restrictions on their incomes so if that's your situation, relax, the professionals behind Unusual Risks Insured can talk you through your special options too.

Real Life Statistics

• 20% of all mortgage defaults in Australia are ‘due to illness or accident in household'
  ^{(Mortgage default in Australia: nature, causes and social and economic Impacts, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, March 2010)}

Business Owners and Professional Partners have unique risks and needs not usually adequately covered by their private family insurance plans.

Business is filled with uncertainty. Now you can plan for that.

While the risks to businesses are seemingly unending, the personal risks to Owners and Professional Partners can usually be found in 4 areas.

• Business Key Person and Debt protection
• Business Fixed Expenses protection
• Business Owners and Professional Partnerships protection
• Business Owner and Partnership Succession protection.

These become increasingly sensitive and complicated issues for business owners and business partners who may have specific personal medical issues that deserve an enhanced level of privacy and are kept totally separate from their commercial activities.

• Company directors may need to use life insurance to protect the company trading debts, the director's account (when Director's funds have been lent to the company) or to protect the capital investment.
• Business partners may need to use insurances to limit becoming personally liable for company losses as their personal homes are often cross-securing the company debts.
• Partnerships and Investors may require company key-persons to use a range of insurances to help protect capital invested.

Why is this really important?

Personal insurance applications are one of the very few areas in business life where an individual's personal health and lifestyle is mandatorily required to be disclosed.

• Your private health and lifestyle history is considered an integral part of the insurance application and assessment process. This is because personal insurances are contracts between the life insured/policy owner and the life insurance company, so there's a legal duty to take reasonable steps not to mislead under Section 20B of the Insurance Contracts Act, requiring the full and frank disclosure of all personal sensitive medical and personal health data.
• Should an application for insurance be formerly declined, this can have unintended and long-lasting effects on so many areas that it becomes a risk to all future insurance.

This is why you need a specialty financial adviser from unusualrisks.com.au to help an individual and their company through the process.

How it all comes together.

Business Key Person and Debt Protection

The death or disablement of a key person could have a significant impact on the revenue of a business and therefore its ability to meet its day-to-day expenses.

• This could be because the key person for example, has a unique skill or has particular knowledge relevant to the business or has relationships with key clients nationally or internationally.

Business Fixed Expenses Protection

Business Overheads cover, (also known as fixed business expenses cover), allows a business to continue to pay its fixed expenses if one of the business owners becomes sick or injured.

• This type of cover usually pays a monthly benefit to the business, to meet its day-to-day fixed costs, generally for up to 12 months, if the insured person is disabled and is unable to work in the business at their full capacity.
• All family businesses need an insurance firewall to reduce business liabilities becoming personal liabilities.

Insurance policies to cover business overheads are generally owned by the business entity, sole traders or partners (in the case of a partnership and the policy premiums are generally tax-deductible, and the proceeds are treated as assessable income to the business.

Building protection into your business planning is one of the most important decisions you can make.

Business Owner and Professional Partnerships protection

At some point, many businesses will borrow money from a financial institution or a director – this may be to provide a business with capital for a major purchase or improvement, or simply to provide a source of working capital.

The purpose of business debt reduction insurance is to protect the business against its debts and to protect the guarantor and their estate against any claim over their personal assets.

• If the Key-person or Guarantor to a business loan experienced a serious illness, accident or worst - an unexpected death - a business could experience significant financial difficulty and may find it hard to continue to meet all of its loan repayments.
• A loan default could result and then trigger a 'call-up' of the business loan facility (usually 7 days notice) with a demand for the loan to be repaid in full.

Most 'at call loans' deem a Key Person death or disability as an automatic trigger event to call up the loan.

Business Owner & Partner Succession Protection

If you own a business with other people, it’s important for everyone to agree on how the ownership of the business will be transferred, should one of the owners (or principals) pass away, become disabled, or leave the business for another reason; eg: resignation or retirement.

• This is referred to as business continuation or succession, planning.

How that is made possible is usually heavily dependent upon;

• successfully applying and establishing personal insurances for protecting business risks, and
• involves the full and frank disclosures of all personal sensitive health and lifestyle information.

These create multiple specialty risks.

Unusual risks are the experts to manage and protect the information security and advice structures required by these business owners and professional partnerships.

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

If you're thinking about life insurances, chances are you have something worth protecting.

These days HIV or diabetes doesn't have to be a life sentence

But most insurance companies still treat you like it is.

People with pre-existing well‑managed complex health conditions have, up till now, been prevented from accessing quality Life Insurances and Income Protection cover, simply because of their conditions.

Explaining Life insurance cover

Life insurance (also called term life or death cover) is designed to protect against the financial impact of unexpected death and pay a specified amount of money to your beneficiaries, helping to make sure they’re looked after in the event should that occur.

• The benefit payout is either paid to the owner of the policy, your nominated beneficiaries, or your estate.
• High-quality life cover can also payout upon diagnosis of a terminal illness in the final 24 months.

Practically speaking - don't leave your debt to people you love

Why you may need life cover

Most people don't know that 30% of all life insurance payouts have been for terminal illness

Expenses to protect could include:

• How much would be needed to pay off all your debt upon your unexpected death?
• How much would your surviving partner (and any dependents) need to pay living expenses?
• How much do children need to complete education and how will this be funded?
• If you unexpectedly passed away, would you want your partner to need to downsize and move to a cheaper location?
• Would you want them to have the stability of being able to remain in a familiar environment and help any children complete their education with the advantage of having a parent at home to look after them?
• And what are the practical cost for end-of-life expenses and how will this be funded?

Real Life Statistics

• 30% of all life cover claims are for terminal illnesses.
• 43,477 deaths were attributed to cardiovascular disease in Australia in 2017 and kills one Australian every 12 minutes. ^{Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Injury, June 2017}

This is not just about getting a Life Insurance policy, this is a human rights issue.

We believe that every Australian should have equal access to high-quality Life Insurance products, no matter what their sexuality, gender, race, age or beliefs. We believe this is not just about getting Life Insurance, this is a human rights issue.

Life Insurance can help you be certain your loved ones are provided for; your child's educational needs are taken care of and your chosen family won't have to worry about their future if you’re not there to continue to protect and provide for them.

When does life insurance payout?

Life insurance will normally payout upon the death of the life insured and can help their dependants cope financially after you die.

Many people don't know that high-quality life insurance can also pay out upon the diagnosis of a terminal illness in the remaining 24 months, as well making it a strong part of a backup plan.

A sad but all too-common experience

Often, when a couple establishes a life insurance policy to protect each other, one person has their application accepted, but the other is refused because of a pre-existing health condition.

Both are left feeling that a wedge has been driven between them and that their needs and choices were not understood, honoured or valued.

At Unusual Risks Insured our mission is to change this and be the change we want to see in the world.

We understand that today's modern families can be biological or logical

They can also include:

For someone living with pre-existing medical conditions like HIV or diabetes, a family can even extend to a network of close friends.

However you identify and whoever is family to you, we believe no one should miss out.

No one should miss out

While our anonymous online pre-assessment is designed for people with well-managed HIVor diabetes, we understand that you might be here at our website because of different reasons too.

If you're HIV negative or non-diabetic

• you're HIV negative and have a partner, friend or relative who is HIV positive
• you're non-diabetic and have a partner, friend or relative who is a diabetic
• or if you're living with another complex health condition or caring for someone who is

whoever you are, we'd love to work with you too.

How can we help you?

We find that generally, people want to be responsible.

• When given the opportunity and the tools they rise to any challenge and actively look for ways to help protect and provide for their loved ones.

Advice and help for everyone

We can provide helpful advice and strategies about ways to protect and provide for your Modern Family - whoever that is to you - covering:

  Life & Terminal Illness protection

  Income Protection protection

  Medical Crisis Recovery protection

  Total & Permanent Disability (TPD) protection

And a full set of personal insurance solutions for Self Employed people and those with high privacy needs.

Advice and help for those practical issues like

  Transferring & Managing Existing Life Insurance Policies to consolidate and manage for you

  Updating & Managing Beneficiary Nominations for life insurance and super

  Establishing Life Insurances for Intended Parents and Surrogates

  Establishing Key Person Protection for Non-for-Profit registered entitles

Advice and help for business people

Business Ownersand their families often have additional needs not usually catered for in their personal insurance strategies.

We can help you fix that with helpful advice about:

  Specialty Business Key Person and Debt protection

  Specialty Business Fixed Expenses protection

  Specialty Business Owners and Professional Partnerships protection

  Specialty Business Owner and Partnership continuation and succession protection

The information you find on this website will give you a good understanding of insurance and related products and services available for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

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.

The better we protect the people who are important to us, the better our lives are.

Total and Permanent Disability insurance (often called TPD for short) is designed to protect against long-term disability and pay a lump sum(or in some cases by installments) if you become permanently disabled, as defined in the policy.

• Generally, a permanent disability means you can’t work in your current occupation or in a job you’ve already trained or studied for, or previously worked in.
• Importantly the minimum waiting period is 6 months before any payment is available.
• It’s important to carefully read the fine print in these specialty policies because different definitions usually apply to TPD insurance.

Your financial advisor from Unusual Risks Insured is the expert to best help you understand your options and how to ‘sift through the rocks to find the diamonds’.

Practically speaking - "don’t let disability ruin the rest of your life"

Why you may need TPD cover

Our greatest asset is our ability to continue to earn our income.

Most Australians just don't have enough savings or backup resources available to protect their lifestyle if they suffer a permanent disability.

• If you were unable to work, how would you afford to pay your living expenses?
• How would you afford the new and ongoing medical costs associated with serious illness and injuries?

TPD insurance can provide the funds to pay off debts, pay for medical treatments, and maintain your lifestyle while you focus on adjusting to what may be a very different lifestyle after a significant accident or illness.

It’s especially relevant for:

• people with partners (and dependents) - particularly if you’re a one-income-family
• people who are financially responsible for a special needs sibling, aging parents, or managing a long term medical condition
• people with mortgage debt or paying large rent, who have debts that couldn't be paid out from savings alone

Real Life Statistics

• In Australia, a person suffers a stroke every nine minutes and there are an estimated 475,000 stroke survivors living in our communities. ^{National Stroke Foundation}
• Almost half a million Australians are hospitalised each year as a result of injury, and a further 12,000 people die due to injury. ^{Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Injury, June 2017}

Can we take over the ongoing management of an existing life insurance policy for you?

Yes, we can.

This is one of our most asked about questions.

The next most commonly asked question we're asked is;

'Can you tell me if my existing policy actually covers me for a particular medical condition?'

And Yes, we can do that too. (And we actually do a lot of that by the way).

Are you one of the thousands of Australians who have lost track of their personal insurance policies?

Do you have an existing Life Insurance policy, Income Protection policy, or perhaps a Super account providing insurances you've lost touch with?

• Not sure what your old insurance policy actually covers, if it's still value for money and meeting your needs?
• Maybe you have some concerns about its wording, cover limitations, possible exclusions, and whether it will actually pay out if needed?
• Perhaps your health or personal circumstances have changed since you first took out these insurances and you're not really sure where you stand?
• Maybe you feel it's just time to move on and start working with a Specialty Adviser like unusualrisks.com.au who's more aligned with what you value?

If this sounds like you, it sounds like you could benefit from our second opinion and discrete Transfer & Manage My Insurance Policy Service.

We can manage the transfer of neglected insurance policies when your provider has forgotten about you (or worse still - simply abandoned you).

Sadly, this is a common and frustrating problem for many people. Advisors leave the industry, businesses are sold and closed and people lose touch for many reasons.

It's the cause of many constant low-level irritations afflicting busy people already juggling busy lives and responsibilities.

Relax. We have the solution

Our Transfer & Manage my Insurance Policyservice can take over the day-to-day management of any life insurance policy already in force and manage them all under a single agency for you, with absolute security, privacy, and discretion.

We can also provide additional professional insights and advice on;

• Whether an existing life insurance policy has any special conditions,
• How any new health issues may (or may not) affect the outcome of a potential future claim, and
• Add or update your official nominations about who should be your Life Insurance Policy Beneficiary or Super Fund Account Beneficiarytoo.

Why do people use our Transfer & Manage Service?

Since the last damming report of The Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, many people are now using our Transfer and Manage Service to get the clarity they need on existing insurance policies and to have us manage them all in one place.

• Citing concerns over potential conflicts of interest, more and more people are moving away from financial services providers who are either owned, backed or franchisees of major financial institutions. 
• People today are simply no longer prepared to support a business with a history of putting the commercial interests of their shareholders before the best interests of the customer.

How to use our Policy Transfer & Manage Service

There are 5 Steps to regaining control over a lost or abandoned policy using our Transfer & Manage Service.

1. If you still have a copy of your original policy statement, grab it and look for the policy number (or member number). If you don't, relax, we can trace it if you provide us some basic information too.
2. Send us the details (or a scan of the document).
3. We'll send you back a pre-completed form to sign confirming you give us permission to make discrete inquiries on your behalf.
4. We'll find out what you need to know and give you some options.
5. When you're ready, we can take over and manage your policy for you.

Can we manage your Life Insurance and Super fund Beneficiary Nomination for you?

Yes, we can.

This is another one of our most asked about questions.

Understanding how to keep track of your insurance policy nominations can feel a little like rocket science.

You probably already know that when you take out a typical Life Insurance policy, you have the option to nominate anyone you like as the beneficiary(s) to the policy, so they can receive any future payout if you unexpectedly pass away.

• Standard Life insurance payouts are usually paid tax free to your nominated beneficiary.

But did you know that if the Life Insurance policy is paid from a super fund, you are restricted to who you can nominate as a beneficiary, and there may be significant taxation complications too?

• Super Life insurance payouts are taxed unless the person you nominate is an eligible beneficiary under the tax laws.

Are you one of the many people who have lost track of their beneficiary information?

Do you have an existing Life Insurance policy or perhaps a Super account with insurance you've lost touch with?

• Maybe you haven’t nominated a beneficiary to your life insurance policy or super account?
• Have you forgotten who you did nominate and now need to update your wishes?
• Did you nominate a previous partner from a past relationship and now need to (urgently) update your nomination instructions?
• Have you recently divorced or separated, or
• You may have forgotten a binding nomination needs to be renewed every three years?

If this sounds like you, it sounds like you could benefit from our Update My Life & Super Beneficiary Nominations Service.

Making a beneficiary nomination is separate to making a Will

Making a beneficiary nomination is something you can do today that will make a significant difference to your loved ones. It can give your chosen beneficiary a level of protected financial security outside the reach of any relatives and biological family members who may try and challenge a Will and seek to erase your partner's rights.

• If you're one of the 76% of Australians who don’t yet have a Will, the government usually appoints an administrator and applies its own set of rules (called Rules of Intestacy) to decide who gets what in your estate – and you probably won’t like those rules.
• To make matters worse these Intestacylaws are not uniform Australia wide so it’s a bit of a hit-and-miss affair and can become a source of heartache and sorrow for the modern Australian Family.

Why everyone needs to make a beneficiary nomination

Most people know that a Will takes care of your estate assets; like a house, vehicle, personal assets and artworks and collectibles etc.

• What many people often don’t know is that Life insurance payouts and Super account payouts are usually considered non-estate assets and therefore do not form part of your Will and the assets it controls.
• This means if something does not form part of your estate, it's not covered by your Will — and cannot be challenged with your Will.

Who can I nominate as my Life Insurance beneficiary?

Anyone you want.

Who can I nominate as my Super Life Insurance beneficiary?

Your super can only be paid out to an eligible beneficiary.

An eligible beneficiary is either a dependent, a financial dependent or your legal representative (ie: the Executorof your Will or Administrator if you have no Will, for your estate).

• Dependentscan include your spouse or de facto partner (regardless of gender), your children (biological, adopted, step and ex-nuptial), or someone (regardless of gender) with whom you have an interdependency relationship. In most cases, siblings are not considered dependents for super purposes unless financially dependent upon you.
• You can also leave your super to a financial dependent, which may include someone who relies on you to meet daily living expenses such as rent, utilities and household outgoings. This also covers anyone who shares your major financial commitments such as mortgage

Pro Tip:
To be able to prove a person is financially dependent upon you and eligible to receive your super death payout tax free, they have to show they are ‘financially dependent' upon you - at the time of your death.

Without expert assistance from the specialists at Unusual Risks, this can be very difficult.

Practical Issues many LGBTQIA+ people face

Not everyone is Out, fully Out or wants to be or safely can be

• So often the most significant people in our lives, are not always legally known and adequately provided for in either our Life Insurance policy or Superannuation account beneficiary nominations. This is usually because nobody has taken the time to show us how to make provision for the people we love and protect our privacy at the same time.

Some people in the LGBTQIA+ Community have complex past relationships

When past relationships have ended, sometimes it can take longer to unwind ourselves from their effects and we simply may have forgotten to update our legal documents and policy nominations.

• Because Life Insurance and Super account payouts are not automatically included with your Will (the technical term is non-estate asset) nominating your Life Insurance and Super account beneficiary directly can be a powerful way to keep funds outside your Will and away from the reach of those who may seek to challenge your Will and estate later.

If you've changed Partners since your last nomination was made and you haven't yet updated your nomination, your former partner (and not your current one), could be entitled to the balance of your super fund payout.

More complex issues LGBTQIA+ people face

• If you're a Co-parent of non-biological children and not living with them, additional legal advice might be needed as the child of a lesbian co-mother or gay co-father will have to prove financial dependence.
• If you're part of a couple who are Living Apart Together you might not qualify under these definitions and additional legal advice might be needed.
• If you're part of a Polyamorous relationship, you might not qualify under these definitions and additional legal advice might be needed.

Let's face the truth about discrimination and intolerance in many biological families

Each LGBTQIA+ person may have differing levels of support from their own biological family.

• Often LGBTQIA+ people need to take special actions to protect ourselves and our partners from our biological families.
• Sadly, many LGBTQIA+ people have biological families who are not supportive or just downright homophobic, biphobic or transphobic.
• Many biological families have rejected their LGBTQIA+ family member (either as a child or adult child) and are selectively intolerant, and even hostile towards their family member's partner and family of choice.

Some may even seek to deny next of kin rights to our partner or even attempt to erase our existence or our partners existence, should we unexpectedly pass away.

Where there’s a Will, there’s a relative

We have seen some straight families who appeared initially supportive of their LGBTQIA+ children, change overnight when opportunistic siblings decided to challenge their absence in a Will, after their LGBTIQ+ relative unexpectedly passed away.

• It’s fair to say, not everyone behaves their best when facing grief, and money.

Why do people need a beneficiary nomination service?

Life is busy and navigating relationships can be complicated.

Add to this the ever-changing tax laws and you can accidentally find yourself leaving a Life Insurance policy payout to someone you no longer want to. And you can also forget to make allowances for the potential tax bill involved.

Relax. We have a solution for these types of problems.

• LGBTQIA+ people are often faced with each partner having differing levels of support from their own biological families and each partner may have a different level of comfort about being Out or not.
• This imbalance can feel particularly uncomfortable when it comes to speaking with biological family members or considering speaking with a Financial Adviser for the first time.

Getting your beneficiary nominations sorted is just one more thing you can do to bring more certainty and equality to your relationships, and at Unusual Risks Insured, we’d love to help you with that.

#LoveTakesAction

So what type of insurance is on offer?

Today, everything

When Unusual Risks Insured first started making specialty insurance available to people living with HIV and other chronic manageable health conditions, only Life Insurance cover was available usually with restrictive terms and conditions.

Over the years and after an immense amount of working with the international re-insurance teams, we are now proudly able to say, all types of insurance cover is open to all our specialist clients - and all through our enhanced privacy management process and health pre-assessment system.

The Good Stuff!

We believe the highest quality personal insurance products are the ones that clearly indicated what they do and do not cover upfront and who complete all their underwriting and assessments during the initial application; not left, or deliberately postponed until claim time.

This means there are no hidden agendas, problems or extra work required during the most important time of the policy – claim time.

• In a perfect world, everyone has access to the highest quality insurance available and the best risk advisers
• But we don’t live in that perfect world yet so different types and levels of insurance cover are used to best meet the different needs of people

Whether it’s a ‘best to budget' scenario, ‘take whatever I can get’ scenario or you want to ‘top up your existing cover' to protect the new mortgages or celebrate the arrival of a new member to the family – we can help you get through this minefield safelywith your dignity and privacy intact.

Our expertise includes strategy, helpful advice and access to

Helpful advice for Everyone:

• Life Insurance covering unexpected death and terminal illness
• Crisis Recovery (aka Crisis and Trauma) cover for major specified conditions
• Total and Permanent Disability (often called TPD)
• Income Protection cover

Helpful advice specifically for Business Owners

• Business Key Person and Debtprotection
• Business Fixed Expensesprotection
• Business Owners and Professional Partnerships protection
• Business Owner and Partnership successionprotection.

So what's 'not' the good stuff, we hear you ask?

Some insurance companies have taken a token approach to insuring people with HIV and provide 'time-limited' life insurance policies.  These low grade cut-down policies were designed, some would say, to take commercial advantage of people who could least afford to run the risk of never being able to claim on them because of their deliberately designed time-limited structure.

• A time-limited policy is an outdated policy that lasts for a 5 or 10 year period only - then are effectively canceled when the term finishes
• Similar to a car insurance policy, these time-limited policies have to be reapplied for at the end of the contracted period when the acceptance criteria goalposts can be moved by the insurance company at will.
• Fresh medical, lifestyle and occupational assessments are required with no certainty of being eligible for cover.
• Any policy that specifically excludes HIV.

Thats why the team at Sapience Financial built the specialty brand unusualrisks.com.au - to be the change they wanted to see in the world. We believe that people deserve better, but better was difficult to find for the average person.

Did you know some insurance premiums can be paid from a Super fund?

A cost-effective way to pay the premiums for your personal insurances, like Life, Income Protection and TPD insurance is either automatically from a Superfund or split between Super and Personal payments?

Talk with us more about your options when you're ready.

#LoveTakesAction