Legal & General Umbrella Benefits (Protection Review: Gold, Adviser score 7.5)
Legal & General (L&G) has launched a package of health and wellbeing benefits available as an optional extra to add to its core protection products.
The Umbrella Benefits package can be added to life, critical illness, income protection or rental policies and features a choice of health and wellbeing benefits, including cover for accidental injuries and private medical consultations, plus cover for accidental injuries and private medical consultations.
Fracture Cover is an annually renewable contract that encompasses 31 different injuries - 20 different fractures, nine different joint dislocations, Achilles tendon ruptures and knee ligament tears. Multiple claims can be made in in a 12-month period. The benefit costs £5.90 a month and can be added to single or joint life policies.
The benefit pays out if the customer sustains a specified break, fracture, rupture, tear or dislocation, up to a maximum of £7,500 in any policy year, and on a sliding scale basis depending on the seriousness of the injury.
Private Diagnostics is an annually renewable contract and gives access to UK medical consultants (up to three primary virtual consultations a year) and diagnostic testing in private medical centres throughout the UK, covering investigations for cancer, cardiac and neurological conditions. It costs £4.50 a month per person covered (plus children), and is also available on single and joint life policies.
Customers have access to preferred UK specialists remotely via the Trustedoctor website or app. If test are needed, the results are sent directly to the customer’s specialist who can then discuss next steps with them and either refer them back into the NHS or to their private healthcare provider if they require further investigation or need to start treatment.
L&G's existing Wellbeing Support, provided by RedArc, is automatically included on the insurer's core protection product range, with Rehabilitation Support automatically included on income protection plans only.
Fracture Cover and Private Diagnostics are arranged through Legal & General Partnership Services Limited and are underwritten by AXIS Specialty Europe SE. The claims management is provided by Trustedoctor, part of the Further Underwriting International Group.
In terms of exclusions, customers are not eligible for Fracture Cover if they have osteoporosis or pseudarthrosis. Certain types of fractures, dislocated joints, ruptured tendons and ligament tears are also not covered. Private Diagnostics exclusions include the costs of invasive diagnostics tests, regardless of specialist recommendation. The benefit covers children up to the age of 22.
Fracture Cover and Private Diagnostics cannot be added to L&G’s Whole of Life Protection plan or Relevant Life plans.
Comment: We’re starting to see a trend towards not just more third party or service benefits (we really should have a better name for them – I still like ‘help insurance’) but also towards charging an appropriate fee to add them, and greater choice over what to add.
That makes sense, although it does make the solutions more complex and deciding which to have and how much to pay can make the buying process harder too.
Nevertheless these look to be good benefits if that’s what the customer wants and are moving towards more customer choice and wider cover being available – albeit the days of ‘add more and make it free’ may increasingly be numbered. There are some limits though and some may see fracture cover as a bit gimmicky, as are other accident-only benefits.
Plus points: Choice of benefits; Useful cover options; Simple to add at outset; Relatively low cost to add; Potential to make even more options available in future; Clever use of L&G’s corporate logo in the name.
Not so plus points: Not free; Can be relatively expensive; Complicates the sale.
Website: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/adviser/protection/umbrella-benefits/.
Rating (max 10): Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: Other; L&G
I Mark: No
Read more about our adviser panel here