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No. The privacy laws are very strict and you don't have to answer questons in front of your partner. In fact, you have to give your consent before being asked any sensitive medicqal questions too. You get to control where an application takes place and who you permit to be there.

No. We’re here to help. We can do it all for you or you can be involved too. After a quick conversation we try and complete forms online or over the phone, whatever is best for you.

No. You can choose to pay a policy premium annually, bi-annually, quarterly or monthly by direct debit or credit card.

• Annual payments usually attract a one-month discount, half-yearly payments attract a half months discount etc.
• Annual payments are the least expensive, but the most important decision is 'what works for you and your budget'

You can also pay for your life insurance and income protection cover annually from your Superannuation fund. This is a speciality service offered by unUsual Risks so be sure to speak with us about it to see if it suits your needs.

No not at all. Our senior adviser Drew Browne is a front-line underwriter and he's particularly comfortable and skilled at talking about what matters most with people, in a down to earth and respectful way. A little preparation beforehand and the process is straightforward and usually completed in about 30-40 minutes.

Here's one of our fun explainer videos that talks directly about this question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uuy7seYEMw

Disability discrimination in insurance is now illegal. That said, reasonable distinctions based upon actuarial data in insurance assessments are not considered discriminatory as Life insurance is based upon statistical probabilities and measurement.

In 2000 Mr Graeme Innes AM, the then Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner stated “ …insurers are in the business of insuring against risks, not already known certainties. The Disability Discrimination Act allows for distinctions and exclusions based on disability if and where this is reasonable. Reasonableness can be established on the basis of actuarial data that is reasonable to rely on in the circumstances, or by reference to other relevant factors. …"

What is reasonable? Section 46 of the DDA contains a specific exemption for the Insurance and Superannuation Industry to recognise that some informed judgment is part of the nature of most types of insurance in Australia. Reasonable decisions based upon actuarial or statistical data where this is reasonable available are permitted".

No. Not at all. Unusualrisks.com.au is an online discrete and focused pre-assessment service run solely by our parent company Sapience Financial.

After completing a successful online pre-assessment, the entire application process, all correspondence, updates and reviews are completed through our standard market-branded service, Sapience Financial. They care for a full range of different clients with different needs from mortgage brokering, estate planning, financial advice and strategies and even small business risk management.

No.
Income Protection Insurance policies vary in quality, what they cover, and how they each define a sickness as it relates to a pregnancy. An Uncomplicated Pregnancy is a difficult term to define and every insurance provider will have a different approach as it relates to IVF procedures and possible complications. This is why you need to work with a specialist risk adviser at Unusual Risks Insured who understands the complexity that can be Income Protection Insurance and Pregnancy.

The good ones won't.

• Relationships, regardless of gender, are now recognised by the quality insurance providers who have modified their application questions so that 'unprotected sex', in a monogamist relationship is considered standard.
• A few insurers are yet to update their assessment processes and monogamous same-sex relationships may inadvertently trigger an additional questionnaire about behaviours.

While this is an ongoing frustration for unusualrisks.com.au we know those providers to avoid and those to use.

As part of the general underwriting process, insurers ask a standard question about recreational drug use similar to:

• “Have you ever injected, smoked or otherwise taken recreational or non-prescribed drugs, taken any drugs other than medically directed or received advice and/or counselling for excess alcohol consumption from any health professional?”

Past moderate use may result in an increase to an insurance policy premium as would a history of drug-induced psychosis.

Current harder use may result in an automatic decline for a fully underwritten insurance policy. These same questions often don't get asked as part of the application questions for an accidental death or accident income protection policy. Speak with us about this issue further. Either way, that's why you need a specialist at unusualrisks.com.au to handle all that for you.

Speak with us about this issue further. Either way, that's why you need a specialist at unusualrisks.com.au to handle all that for you.

There have been significant reforms to the way gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex people and trans folk are treated by insurance companies. The Australian Financial Services Insurance Council has issued guidelines removing the so-called 'gay questions' from application forms and now require all insurance underwriters decisions to be based on sexual 'behaviour' instead of a 'person’s sexuality'.

• Each insurance application can only be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, using the best available relevant evidence.
• It is no longer acceptable for insurance companies to ask if a person applying for a policy is gay or bisexual and insurers will not ask questions about sexuality. Companies cannot make assumptions about a persons sexuality from the details of their living arrangements, occupation or medical history.

If you have taken a HIV test you do not need to declare negative HIV test results. The fact of having an HIV test will not, of itself, have any effect on your acceptance terms for insurance.

Yes - everyone gets asked that same question now anyway.

• Insurers now ask all applicants if they have ever tested positive for HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis B or C or if you are awaiting the test results for the same.

If you are applying for a particularly large level of insurance cover, eg: $1,000,000 or more, all applicants (regardless of medical status) will usually be required to undergo a blood test for HIV and cholesterol as standard practice.

No.

There have been significant reforms to the way gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex people and trans folk are treated by insurance companies.

• It is no longer acceptable for insurance companies to ask if a person applying for a policy is gay or bisexual and insurers will not ask questions about sexuality.

Companies cannot make assumptions about a persons sexuality from the details of their living arrangements, occupation or medical history.

Life insurance is part of the personal insurance industry and life insurance products are similar products like Income Protection insurance, Crisis or Trauma Recivery insurance, Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Insurance, Children Crisis insurance and alike.

They are all concerned about protecting people; not things.

Simple. Just get in touch by emailor give us a call and we’ll arrange a time to chat further with you.

You will need the following information close to hand:

1. Your GP’s name, address and full contact details.
2. The common names and doses of any medications that you might be taking.
3. The approximate date and reason for your last medical appointment, who it was with and the outcome eg: '6 months ago in September, I went to my local GP for a flu shot and some sinus medications I took twice daily for 4 weeks. etc.'
4. The results from any medical tests eg: blood pressure or cholesterol results.
5. Details of your medical history eg: the approximate date you were diagnosed with a particular medical condition if you have had extended time off work because of it etc.

It’s a good idea to keep a Health Diary of important dates, tests, current medications or results that are significant for you.

This is the longest part of the process and can take a few weeks or more, depending on how busy your doctors are and how many doctors you are using.

The good news is we're really good at this and use a dedicated medical information collection service to manage this process for us.