Bupa will offer premiums discounts of up to 20 per cent to income protection (IP) applicants that are accepted on the condition that certain medical conditions, such as mental illness, are excluded.
Musculoskeletal problems and mental ill-health, both of which have quite a high incidence in the general population, are the two conditions for which IP policy-holders are likely to make a claim for.
One in four people suffer from a mental health problem at any one time and lower back pain affects 38 per cent of adults in any one year, of whom one in four experience significant disability . However, an individual's experience of either condition may not result in an exclusion. Steve Casey, head of sales and marketing for Bupa individual protection, said that exclusions would only be applied as a "last resort".
The insurer is also offering a benefit guarantee whereby, by verifying a customer's salary at application, Bupa will guarantee that even if their situation changes, they will receive the agreed amount if they make a claim .




