A future in which human workers are replaced by machines is about to become a reality at an insurance firm in Japan, where more than 30 employees are being laid off and replaced with an artificial intelligence system that can calculate payouts to policyholders.

Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance believes it will increase productivity by 30% and see a return on its investment in less than two years. The firm said it would save about 140m yen (£1m) a year after the 200m yen (£1.4m) AI system is installed this month. Maintaining it will cost about 15m yen (£100k) a year.

The move is unlikely to be welcomed, however, by 34 employees who will be made redundant by the end of March.

The system is based on IBM’s Watson Explorer, which, according to the tech firm, possesses “cognitive technology that can think like a human”, enabling it to “analyse and interpret all of your data, including unstructured text, images, audio and video”.

The technology will be able to read tens of thousands of medical certificates and factor in the length of hospital stays, medical histories and any surgical procedures before calculating payouts, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

While the use of AI will drastically reduce the time needed to calculate Fukoku Mutual’s payouts – which reportedly totalled 132,000 during the current financial year – the sums will not be paid until they have been approved by a member of staff, the newspaper said.

Japan’s shrinking, ageing population, coupled with its prowess in robot technology, makes it a prime testing ground for AI.

According to a 2015 report by the Nomura Research Institute, nearly half of all jobs in Japan could be performed by robots by 2035.

Dai-Ichi Life Insurance has already introduced a Watson-based system to assess payments - although it has not cut staff numbers - and Japan Post Insurance is interested in introducing a similar setup, the Mainichi said.

AI could soon be playing a role in the country’s politics. Next month, the economy, trade and industry ministry will introduce AI on a trial basis to help civil servants draft answers for ministers during cabinet meetings and parliamentary sessions.

The ministry hopes AI will help reduce the punishingly long hours bureaucrats spend preparing written answers for ministers.

If the experiment is a success, it could be adopted by other government agencies, according the Jiji news agency.

If, for example a question is asked about energy-saving policies, the AI system will provide civil servants with the relevant data and a list of pertinent debating points based on past answers to similar questions.

The march of Japan’s AI robots hasn’t been entirely glitch-free, however. At the end of last year a team of researchers abandoned an attempt to develop a robot intelligent enough to pass the entrance exam for the prestigious Tokyo University.

“AI is not good at answering the type of questions that require an ability to grasp meanings across a broad spectrum,” Noriko Arai, a professor at the National Institute of Informatics, told Kyodo news agency.

The Insurance Council of New Zealand has urged Kiwis to be careful after Christmas and New Year burglaries last season cost $8.7 million in claims.

Burglaries from last Christmas and the New Year period resulted in insurance claims costing $414,000 per day, the country's insurance council says.

In urging Kiwis to be more careful this festive period, the Insurance Council of New Zealand said insurers last season paid out $8.7 million for the 2654 burglary related claims from December 20, 2015 to January 10, 2016.

Two burglary claims in particular were for more than $100,000 each, while 183 burglary claims were for more than $10,000 each.

"No one wants to become a burglary statistic and so we are urging people to see their property from a burglar's point of view," Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said.

"Taking 10 minutes now to think about how you can better protect your property from the increased risks of burglary and loss at this time of year could save a lot of heartache later."

The council said burglary-related claims from homes and commercial businesses also increased last Christmas period from the year before.

It said insurers paid $6.15m for 2085 burglary related claims for the same December-to-January period in 2014/15.

COUNCIL TIPS FOR A SAFE HOME:

* Don't advertise that you are away, including on social media, and make it appear someone is at home. Use lights on timers and arrange for someone to collect your mail

* Don't leave a phone voicemail saying you are away

* Check door locks, windows and the security of your garage and outbuildings

* Have sensor lights fitted near entry points

* Record serial numbers and take photos of expensive items on the SNAP database (www.snap.org.nz)

* Lock away jewellery, portable electronic devices and any other valuables

* Check with your insurer whether you are covered if you are away from your home for a long period or if you have friends staying while you are away

Driven by strong growth of tourism, insurers see an opportunity to expand their travel insurance business and experts expect more M&A activity in this segment after Zurich agreed to buy Covermore.

The global travel insurance market will grow at a compound annual rate of 11.6 percent from 2016-2020, according to projections by research group Technavio.

The US travel insurance market, the largest in the world, has grown at 7.1 percent per annum from 2011 through 2015, according to figures from Finacord, a market research firm.

The insurance industry has benefited strongly from the increase in travel in the recent past, Zurich said in a Dec. 12 press release.

The proportion of US travellers purchasing insurance continues to rise, with uptake moving from 8-10 percent pre 9/11 to over 45 percent today, according to the press release.

Travel insurance is an attractive market, said Nel Mooy, head of travel at AXA Insurance. She noted however, that to succeed in this segment a carrier needs scale. As in other insurance segments, digitisation is transforming the travel insurance market, but this requires significant investments to modernise systems, processes and products, and larger companies are better positioned to shoulder these costs. For organisations which have the necessary capabilities, “there is an opportunity to do well,” said Mooy.

Zurich is among a group of the larger insurers that are looking to expand their presence in the travel insurance market. The Swiss carrier has entered an agreement to acquire Australia-based Cover-More, a provider of travel insurance and assistance solutions, to expand its travel insurance business. Under the transaction, Zurich will acquire 100 percent of the issued share capital of Cover-More. The agreement values the company at approximately $554 million. Travel insurance is a fast-growing industry, providing a high-margin, capital-light product with low volatility, Zurich said in a Dec. 12 Zurich statement. The acquisition “will further strengthen our position and expertise in the global travel insurance market and support our ambition to expand our distribution partnerships,” said Jack Howell, Zurich’s CEO of Asia Pacific.

“Through Cover-More’s technology platform, Zurich will be able to attract and serve the needs of retail customers in the growing travel insurance market,” Howell noted.

Cover-More is a market leader in Australia and New Zealand and among the market leaders in India and the US, according to Zurich. Growth in tourism is particularly strong in Asia Pacific, where international arrivals increased by 9 percent in the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period a year ago, and in Africa, which saw an 8 percent gain, Zurich noted.

Part of the rationale behind the proposed acquisition is that it would provide Zurich with a stronger foothold in the global travel insurance market.

Mooy believes that there will be more consolidation in the travel insurance market. “From the insurers' side but also on the customers' side there are more and more international companies that would like a global proposition,” she said.

While AXA Insurance, which operates only in the UK, is not currently planning any M&A, it is looking to expand in the segment through actively looking to work with new partners, Mooy said. There are certainly benefits in working with a partner who has a strong relationship with the customer, particularly because the segment is characterised by low premiums and retention rates compared to other products, she said.

Being Father Christmas is a risky job as he travels around the world on Christmas Eve eating mince pies and delivering gifts, in this article Towergate, from the UK, estimate that the total cost of all of the various insurance policies that he would need would total £27,143,554.20

Father Christmas’s high value and high risk job delivering toys to nearly eight million UK children on 24th December would require a number of specialist insurance policies to cover against any mishaps.

Important factors when insuring the man in the red suit include insuring his trademark ‘ho ho ho’, ‘elf and safety for his workforce, and even cover for the vet looking after Rudolph and co. Not to mention Father Christmas is covered for any of his activities on the night, such as chimney diving and roof hopping!

Starting with Father Christmas’s preparations in January and carrying on right up to the big day in December, the specialists at Towergate have estimated he’d need the following:

Non-Standard Home insurance Leaving behind his 6-bedroom timber, detached Grade-1 listed £2m home in the North Pole, Santa’s home needs adequate, non-standard home protection.

Employers’ liability insurance With a merry work force made up of 200 magic elves, Father Christmas is responsible for their ‘elf and safety while they work for him. If an elf was injured or got RSI from the constant wooden toy production, Santa would need adequate cover to provide compensation.

Commercial property insurance Santa’s toy workshop needs round the clock cover in case of theft, fire – or in the case of the North Pole – flooding (from snow).

Reindeer’s vet’s insurance With eight working reindeer vital to get the sleigh moving, it’s important Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Vixen and co are in the best health. If one or more were sick or injured, this could be costly for Father Christmas if he didn’t have a specialist policy in place.

Over 65s travel insurance Falling into the over-65 category, Father Christmas would require a specialist travel insurance policy. This is needed to protect him for the unusual activities he participates in - such as sleigh-flying all the way over from the North Pole to the UK, chimney diving and roof hopping - not the average activities for a pensioner!

Commercial Vehicle insurance Father Christmas’s yearly deliveries on his sleigh mean commercial vehicle cover is a must – covering against knocking into the odd plane, shooting star or drone; nothing must get in the way of delivering those toys on Christmas Eve!

Goods in transit insurance With nearly eight million excited children in the UK awaiting the safe delivery of their Christmas toys, a policy for Santa’s goods in transit on his flying sleigh is necessary to cover off any stolen, lost or broken toys.

Public liability If Santa truly got stuck up the chimney after one too many mince pies or leaves a soot trail all over the carpet, he’d have to pay the bill himself if he didn’t have public liability insurance.

Performing arts policy A specialist performing arts policy is recommended to cover Father Christmas’s legendary ‘ho ho ho’ should anything go wrong with his vocal chords during the busy festive season.

TOTAL - £27 million

Drew Wotherspoon of Towergate, comments: “Being Father Christmas is clearly a risky role and we’ve drawn upon our years of expertise and knowledge to estimate the kind of policies he’d need if such a role did exist. We love creating flexible policies for the more unique individuals and businesses out there, and if we were ever asked to insure the real Father Christmas, his advanced age, speedy delivery schedule, high value gifts and chimney and roof hopping activities all need to be accounted for.

“We haven’t had many enquiries yet for sleigh commercial vehicle insurance or elf employers’ liability insurance, but we pride ourselves at offering more than 200 insurance products for individual customers and businesses.”

Any regular reader of business and technology news would have picked up on a common theme happening across all industries: the disruption of many long established businesses by start-ups which are managing to deliver better services and products more effectively through the use of technology. These incumbents have often been the dominant force in their particular industry sector.

Examples include Netflix v Blockbuster, Amazon v traditional bookstores, Uber v Taxis, AirBnB v Hotels. Is insurance immune from this wave of innovation? That would be wishful thinking.

To understand why let’s investigate the enablers of these disruptive forces: connectivity and cloud computing.

In 2015 there were 3.2 billion people worldwide connected to the internet, compared to less than 500 million in 2007. This is just a count of the internet of people but if you count the internet of things, Gartner estimates there will be 21 billion connected devices by 2020. All of these people and sensors generate vast amounts of data: currently 2.5 quintillion (1018) bytes of data a day according to IBM.

This tsunami of data presents an opportunity to any organisation that is able to interpret that data and provide a service or product based on the insights generated from the data. Prior to the availability of cloud computing this would require a sizeable investment in computer hardware and the resources to maintain it. However, with the availability of cloud computing, these barriers to entry are significantly reduced. New entrants can sign up for cloud computing services and be using them within minutes. These services can start small and scale up in line with business growth. They benefit from the expertise and economies of scale that the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM and others are able to offer.

In general insurance, we have already seen new products come to the market under the telematics umbrella – where the evaluation of risk for a driver takes into account a new form of data that was previously not available – sensor data indicating when, where and how they are driving. A parallel exists in health and life insurance if you consider the sensor data now being generated by wearable devices. Fitness devices and smart watches with heart rate monitors are already readily available. Other devices are under development, for example contact lenses which measure blood glucose levels.

It is quite possible that these devices will have an impact on mortality –e.g. if a smart watch can detect a heart rate pattern which looks like a heart attack and then automatically call an ambulance. Products could also come to market which reward users for healthy lifestyle options such as evidence that they are exercising several times a week. As has been shown by the Vitality product (created by Discovery), the benefit to the insurer is often a better level of engagement with their client and therefore reduced lapse rates.

It is difficult to predict what the disruption vector will be in any one industry or product category. It is however clear that the enablers of disruption are here to stay so being prepared is vital. Part of that preparation is to learn about and adopt toolsets that can handle the data and draw out the information it contains. Gartner, a research and advisory firm, says that by 2020 more than half of major new business processes and systems will incorporate some element of the internet of things.

Toolsets that can handle this type of data will have to provide functionality which addresses Gartner’s “3 V’s of big data”: • Volume – expect large volumes of data, several orders of magnitude larger than your current data sets; • Velocity – data will be generated at speed so you won’t necessarily store all of it but instead listen for specific events and store those; • Variety – many different data formats including unstructured data, images, video and sound; and now extended with a fourth V: • Veracity – data sets are likely to be noisy and incomplete so will require cleansing and validation.

To take advantage of ongoing streams of data and gain competitive advantage, toolsets have to be able to fully automate the production of any necessary analytics and do the analysis of the data very rapidly. To do so may require large amounts of computing power hence the value brought by cloud computing. Out-of-date information will open the door to competitors who will take advantage of such information gaps. In a rapidly changing environment, the toolset used for the automation also needs to be quick to set up and easy to adapt to changing circumstances perhaps by utilising the data equivalent of “robots” that can be inserted onto and removed from virtual data analytics production lines. It is important that such toolsets enable actuaries and analysts to make the transition from manually performing the analysis to becoming the designers and managers of near real-time analytics production lines.

In order to provide flexibility and future-proofing, your toolset should embrace a philosophy of being open and connected.

This will enable you to get the best combination of the services you require at a competitive price. The connectivity might include links to cloud services, extraction of information from images or sound files, machine learning services, sentiment analysis, data cleansing, data mapping and live data feeds.

These are exciting times where the disruption is creating threats and opportunities. To avoid becoming a casualty of the data tsunami, actuaries and all professionals need to start investigating and learning how to use these new toolsets and skills to make sure they are prepared to ride the underlying wave of innovation.

Private health insurance is broken and should be scrapped in its current form and replaced by a single health insurer according to health economists and policy experts who have spoken to Guardian Australia.

This drastic assessment has been prompted by numerous reports from government, consumer groups and peak health bodies over the past six months.

All found private health insurance is increasingly unaffordable due to rising premiums, prompting people to drop their level of cover to policies that are virtually useless for their healthcare but allow the customer to avoid government surcharges.

Consumers Health Forum, for example, describes the way many insurance packages lack adequate coverage for even basic needs, “and yet consumers continue to pay high and rising premiums on these policies with misplaced confidence that they will be covered”.

“Despite offering no promise of improved healthcare, premiums continue to rise on junk products that many consumers feel obliged to purchase in order to avoid punitive measures, such as the Medicare levy surcharge and lifetime health cover,” a statement from the group says.

“Evidence has mounted in recent years that private health insurance has failed to deliver on one of its fundamental goals: taking pressure off the public system to preserve the fundamentals of universal access.”

It is an expensive public policy failure – the government spends between $7bn and $9bn per year to subsidise the private industry, depending on what calculation is used.

A fellow for the Centre for Policy Development, Jennifer Doggett, says spending billions of dollars propping up a system that has been found in numerous surveys to be unsatisfactory for consumers could be described as a crisis.

“If any other industry spent up to $9bn to keep its nose above water, you’d certainly question whether that’s reasonable,” she says.

“How did we get into this situation? What is its role in the health system? What do we want it to be in the future? How should it fit in with Medicare? These questions haven’t been looked at in a structured way. Almost every area of the health system has been reviewed rigorously. But for some reason private health insurance has been immune from that process.”

The Coalition acknowledges there is a problem. The health minister, Sussan Ley, is undertaking a comprehensive review of the private health system, receiving submissions from stakeholders and consumers.

In September she announced the members of an expert private health ministerial advisory committee, who are tasked with devising and planning changes.

The changes will include: developing easily-understood categories of health policies labelled gold, silver, and bronze so that consumers can more easily identify the best policies and what they cover; simplifying billing; making fine print of policies more transparent, and developing products better tailored to those in rural and remote areas, who often don’t live near private hospitals and practitioners.

Experts are mixed on how effective the proposed changes will be once rolled out.

“If you look at the level of health economics expertise in the minister’s department it’s woeful,” Doggett says. “You’d think a department that looks after $40bn spent on health might have an in-house health economist. I’m yet to find one. They set up these groups with input from industry and consumers and ex-bureaucrats, but not those who understand the economics of it.

“The minister’s intentions are good. But I don’t think she understands what to do to get out of this situation. She’s hoping for a plan B no one has thought of that will keep the current system in place while also fixing everything. Like ‘if we just change the language in the brochures, everything will be fine’ kind of mentality.”

Private health insurance is very much “ingrained in our psyche,” Doggett says. She believes successive Labor governments have been too focused on strengthening Medicare to examine private health insurance.

“And the Coalition have an ideological, non-thought-through view that because it’s called private health insurance it must be aligned with their underlying philosophy but it doesn’t, in reality, fit with many of their policies,” she said.

“It’s like the ugly sofa in the corner of the living room you don’t see anymore. No one has stepped back and said; ‘hang on, is it still serving our interests?’”

Doggett says governments should stop focusing on propping up the current system and instead look at establishing a single insurer.

“If you look at evidence worldwide the overwhelming benefits come down on the benefits of having a single insurer,”

Health policy analyst Ian McAuley believes that the government will be forced to move towards a single insurer within the next decade, which would most likely be an expanded and better funded version of Medicare that would cover dental and all medical treatments and surgeries.

“In theory you could have a heavily regulated single private health insurer, but more likely it would be an expansion of Medicare,” McAuley says.

Like Doggett, McAuley believes there might possibly be a role under a single insurer for a few private health insurers offering extras, for example, policies for a bigger hospital room.

But he believes private health insurers will one day be phased out. The government could achieve this by gradually pushing up the bracket at which the medicare levy surcharge takes effect, phasing out the incentive for people to take up private health insurance.

The government could then increase the Medicare levy and abolish the exemption, he said.

“In general people are not opposed to paying increased tax if they know it’s going to a specific purpose,” he said.

“Plenty of research says if you ask people, ‘Are you happy to pay tax to fund health or education’, most people say ‘yes’ if they think it will relieve them of some pressure. Who would not welcome paying $800 more tax if it means paying $1,000 less for health insurance?”

McAuley admits abolishing private health insurance would be too big an ask of the current government. But he believes there will come a point when costs become so exorbitant and private health insurance so worthless that the government’s hand is forced.

“I grew up with a firm belief that both Labor and the Coalition were supportive of industry protection and there was no way any Labor government would withdraw tariff support,” he said.

“That was just set in stone. But guess what the Hawke-Keating government did? They abolished tariff protection. Sometimes a government gets so aware of the need to make reform that it goes ahead. If that realisation can dawn on people that we are paying too much for insurance you will get, eventually, that same sort of feeling set in.

“Systems like ours are just not sustainable – they’re not stable.”

Countries including Finland, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Spain and Sweden have a form of single insurance where the state, rather than private insurers, pays for all healthcare costs.

“None of them are perfect,” McAuley says. “But the government is a strong purchaser in the marketplace, everyone has to pay a copayment, but that is capped. But the principle is that everyone has access to the same healthcare and medicare benefit and if you are well off you should have to pay the first few hundred dollars out of your own pocket.”

Last month the chief executives of Australia’s two largest hospital operators, Ramsay Health Care and Healthscope, called on Ley to establish a medical savings account. This is the system used by Singapore, and sees people make a mandatory deposit of 6% to 8% of their salary into a national medical savings system. The savings are withdrawn to pay hospital bills, for surgery and other procedures, and goes into consolidated funds when people die.

“I totally support government getting involved in trying to encourage people to make private choices but I’m not convinced that health insurance is the right horse to back any more,” Ramsay’s chief executive, Chris Rex, told the Australian Financial Review, adding that private insurance was the “weakest link” in the health system.

Consumer groups, experts, private health insurers and the government all agree that the price of prostheses and medical devices is one of the weakest links within private health and in dire need of reform. Rising premiums are being driven by the cost to private hospitals of devices like pacemakers and replacement hips and knees.

Currently the federal government sets a fixed-price benefit that private health insurers are required to pay on behalf of their members for more than 10,000 internal medical devices through the prostheses list advisory committee.

In the public system there is no set price and greater competition around purchasing, with different medical device manufacturers competing to get the business of health state departments to supply their hospitals.

This difference means that a pacemaker can cost double the price – or $26,000 more – if it is delivered through the private system rather than public. A common hip replacement, which costs about $4,000 in the public system, can cost $6,000 for private patients.

In October Ley announced some reforms as part of the government’s review of the system, including reducing the cost of medical devices as set by the prostheses list by 10% for cardiac devices and intra-ocular lenses used to treat cataracts or myopia, and by 7.5% for hip and knee replacements.

Ley says the reforms, to take effect 20 February, will cut costs for insurers by $86m in the first year, and total $500m over the next six years, savings which should be passed on to consumers through lower premiums.

The former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission head, Graeme Samuel, was an adviser to the federal government’s current private health insurance review, and is currently a professor at Monash University’s business school.

He says prostheses reform does not go far enough, and argues the the prosthesis list should be abolished altogether. Insurers should negotiate with manufacturers directly on prices, he says.

“The insurers might also consider going to state governments and saying, ‘add an extra few hundred devices to your order and we will buy the excess from you for a small increase on that, since you buy them for a fraction of the cost’.

“That’s money for jam for state governments and it lowers the price. That’s something again that can be investigated. It’s suggested the amount we’re talking about in terms of excess prosthesis cost is in excess of $800m per year being passed on in insurance premiums.”

However, he said such a move would be opposed by private hospitals and the prostheses manufacturers.

“Some private hospitals might have been putting some pressure on to retain the current list and pricing schedule as they didn’t want to lose the rebates that are quite profitable to them,” he said.

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association is hopeful that the government’s recently revamped prostheses list advisory committee will work out a better system. It has called on the committee to look at inflated prostheses prices which are being passed onto consumers in premiums.

But it and other stakeholders argue prostheses reform alone will not go far enough to fixing the overly complex and non-transparent private health system.

As a starting point the Consumers Health Forum says the private insurers should have to justify the enormous government subsidies they receive and measure their performance against the government’s interests. This could be done by through a reinstated private health insurance advisory committee.

McAuley says the industry is supported by the government and subsidised “off-budget” through some key means.

The main way is that Australians who earn more than $90,000 and who do not have private hospital cover have to pay the Medicare levy surcharge, with the $90,000 threshold frozen by the government.

“With normal inflation, $90,000 in a few years time will become much lower in real terms,” McAuley says. “I worked out that by 2025, $90,000 would be significantly below average weekly earnings, so the surcharge would come in at a lower threshold encouraging more people to take up insurance to avoid it.

“So that’s the key creeping assistance to private insurance,” McAuley says, adding that this was not disclosed in budget papers.

“Assistance to the industry should not be hidden off-budget,” he says.

“Apart from a few people like me who calculate it, there’s no official record of it. It’s what is called a hidden subsidy. Just about every economist says if you assist an industry, then expose it. Make sure it’s recorded. That’s been a very strong principle in public policy. But this is hidden. This is going into the dark world of hidden figures. Any economist would want to see that figure.”

According to Samuel, the performance of doctors and surgeons should also be more transparent. At the moment there was no way for consumers to compare the prices being charged and quality of service being provided by individual public and private hospital surgeons.

Reviews by individual patients were not enough to determine the quality of surgeons, he said.

“If I go in to have a surgical procedure the most I can say is I had a short conversation with the doctor or nurse, I went to sleep, and I woke up,” he said.

“I can’t tell you much more though my recovery might be good or bad but I won’t know if that’s the result of good or bad service by the surgeon. Medibank has entered into arrangement with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons where it does an analysis of quality of service by surgeons. So what it will tell you is amongst all surgeons that are a member of the college there is a variation in experience from good to bad. That’s nice to know but I’d prefer to know who is providing the very bad and very god. But they won’t tell you.”

He said the data was available, but not to consumers.

“Consumers should be able to see who the surgeons are operating out of a hospital and be able to say, ‘I’m not keen on this one because of infection issues or longer recovery time or higher death rates’,” Samuel said.

What all the experts, politicians, and stakeholders seem to agree on is that private health insurance is incredibly complex. This is, in part, because of an endless series of tweaks and minor amendments to aspects of the system over the years by various governments.

While the concept of a single insurance and the abolishment of the private health industry might seem pie-in-the-sky at the moment, it is the massive shakeup the industry needs to reform, many experts agree. And it may become the only logical option within a decade or so, if consumers continue to feel frustrated by lack value-for-money from their private health insurance and if premiums continue to rise.

When you think of insurance, you probably think of three types. The most common types are car insurance, home insurance and life insurance – all designed to protect your belongings, and your family. While many of us wouldn’t insure too much else, there are those people who insure legs, voices, and some things all the more bizarre.

Here are our top 10 most surprising insurance policies…

1. When supermodel, Heidi Klum decided to insure her world-famous, and never-ending legs, she flew to London to be “inspected” by underwriters. The strangest part? Her legs were valued at £1.5 million as a pair, although individually, one leg is worth £130,000 less than the other. (The less expensive leg has a tiny, tiny scar on it.)

While not a paltry sum, Klum may be slightly disheartened to find out that Mariah Carey’s legs were insured by Gillette for an enormous sum of $1 billion

2. In 1984, Dr. Peter Brass claimed that 150 people a year died after being hit on the head by falling coconuts. Shortly afterwards, a UK travel company, took out an unusual policy; “injury by falling coconut insurance”. One of their customers visiting Sri Lanka was subsequently hit on the head by a falling coconut and successfully made a claim.

3. Full disclosure, this next insurance policy is pure gossip, but it was too good not to share. Rumour has it that Welsh singing legend, Tom Jones, took out an insurance policy against the loss of his infamous chest hair for a massive £3.5 million. Mr Jones has yet to issue comment.

As Aegon are based in Edinburgh, we thought it imperative to find an example of bizarre insurance policies on our home turf. Lo and behold, we found not one, but two.

4. In 2006, three Scottish sisters were insured against the possibility of a virgin birth in the event of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. While the £1 million policy was withdrawn after numerous challenges by the Catholic Church, it was too unusual a policy to be left off the list.

5. The myth of ’Nessie’, the Loch Ness Monster has long since been a beloved tale believed by locals and tourists alike. In 1971, Scottish whisky company, Cutty Sark, decided to capitalise and offered a £1 million prize to whoever managed to capture the mythical beast. The whisky company soon broke into a cold sweat at the prospect of dolling out the reward, and so insured the competition. (The underwriters insisted that if Nessie was captured successfully, the monster would have to be verified by the curators of the National History Museum and would, thereafter, be their property.) Nessie continues to roam free.

6. Now, we love a dance as much as the next financial services company, but insuring our feet? Lord of the Dance himself, Michael Flatley, apparently had his feet insured for £25 million.

7. Small business owners, listen up. Did you know that there is such a thing as Lottery Winner’s Insurance? Think about your weekly sweepstake, what happens if (or when, thinking positively!) some of your workforce hit the jackpot and decided never to come in to work again? Lottery Winners Insurance is designed to pay for things like hiring temporary staff and training new employees. Unfortunately, it only covers you if two of more of your employees leave work due to a win, at the same time – safe to say that odds are against you.

8. Gene Simmons – famous for his notably long, and overexposed, tongue. In the 1970’s, when the Kiss frontman was at the peak of his career, Simmons insured his tongue for $1 million. We will leave you to make your own assumptions about the requirement for this particular policy.

As you know, we are part of Aegon N.V, an international financial provider based in The Netherlands. And so we go to Holland…

9. Dutchman, Ilja Gort, owner of Chateau de le Garde in Bordeaux, has an insurance policy against…his nose. The £3.8 million policy protects his precious noggin against damage, providing he doesn’t take part in; a) winter sports b) a boxing match, or c) fire breathing. The policy covers Ilja for a complete loss of smell. After all, as he said, there is"a chateau of people hanging on (his) nose."

10. Although you might envisage that a midnight trip to Mars might be covered by your travel insurance, in all likelihood, it’s not. However, if UFO abduction is a concern, there are more options for you thank you may think. While Lloyds of London claim to have around 20,000 insurance policies covering UFO or alien abduction, in order to make a claim, you need to take a lie detector test and have a third party witness to get your pay-out.

Just as the Immigration New Zealand website saw 88,353 visits from US users in the 48 hours after Trump’s election win, a similar spike in US interest has occurred on specialist insurance recruiter Ensure’s website too. NZ general manager for Ensure, Hamish McDonald, said compared to this time last year there had been a 100% increase to the New Zealand site from traffic originating from the USA, and an even larger 172% increase for its Australian business. “Recent direct enquiries have overtly stated the uncertainty they see within America, post the election of Donald Trump, and the desire to move to a place far removed from this,” McDonald told Insurance Business. “Fortunately, New Zealand is seen as politically stable, innovative and safe. “Most recently I have had candidates with actuarial science qualifications making contact, and since their skills are scarce and in demand there are options for most of them. Similarly, we have had contact with underwriters and distribution specialists.” McDonald said it was very important to ascertain whether their response to the Trump election was a knee-jerk reaction or not. “There are a myriad of other factors that go with emigrating to another country, so we need to assess whether they’ve taken a deliberate and well-thought out approach which they’re motivated to see through,” he explained. “A lot of the skills we look for are technical and specialised to the insurance industry, so we are always open for a conversation with skilled applicants from anywhere in the world. “New Zealand doesn’t typically see a large volume of Americans moving here, particularly in insurance, but it would bring further diversity to our market which I’m sure each organisation would welcome,” he added. Paul Wheeler of Human Edge Recruitment said he, too, had noticed a ‘huge spike’ in hits from the US in the days following the election result. “I have recruited some great guys across from the States and fully expect to see some more talent reaching out over the next few weeks.” Wheeler also said there were challenges around preparing candidates for a Kiwi culture shock. “It can be a challenge with these candidates, not only logistically but also around preparing them for the different culture the New Zealand insurance market has, compared to what they are used to,” he noted. “But it is a great talent pool to dip into, that can bring new ideas and initiatives with them.” Wheeler said after Brexit he experienced a ‘a lot of ‘tyre kickers’ immediately afterwards’. “A few followed up after the initial interest that I’m hoping to bring across in the New Year,” he said.

The Konnect Net e-app is now being used by three insurers: Asteron Life, MAS and Co-Op. Another insurer is trialling the system at present.

It can be accessed via a web browser on PC or mobile devices and displays insurers’ application forms as electronic smart forms.

It delivers applications as PDFs, branded with an adviser’s business logos.

Chief executive Michael Weiss said it should lead to quicker turnaround times, higher conversion rates, reduced re-work and double handling of files.

There are about 100 independent advisers using the e-app at present.

He said, for insurers, the e-app was quick and easy to implement and use. Insurers would not have to put up the same capital investment in using Konnect Net’s app as they would in developing their own.

“A lot build their own or buy off the shelf but our model is pay-as-you-go,” he said.

There is an implementation cost as the system is set up with the correct configuration of forms and then transaction fees.

But he said it worked out more cost effective for insurers.

He said he had initially though that the window for e-apps has closed but he was discovering that many were still having problems developing a system that worked.

Some had built their own but struggled to get enough uptake. Others had introduced things such as editable PDFs or smart paper with pens that record what is written. But he said often they suffered because they could not get the payback on the initial investment made in application technology. “Most of the time New Zealand insurance companies don’t have the capital to throw around.”

For advisers, it was designed to be as flexible as possible from a sales point of view, he said. “We find advisers’ processes are as numerous as there are advisers. They don’t like to be locked down to distinct processes.”

Advisers can fill out the forms using the app themselves, or ask a client to do it. It can be done remotely or in a client meeting. The platform is integrated to XPlan, which allows advisers to drop from needs analysis straight through to the application with no login required, and some of the data pre-populated.

Weiss said it should become a familiar tool that would help speed up adviser sales processes to make them more efficient. “We’re definitely not doing generic application forms. One of the key features is the ability to quickly and easily configure [the app].

“We want to drive sales in this country and this is a way to make advisers more productive and get much more done in a day.”

Online applications would help deal with the problem of incomplete or inaccurate application forms being submitted, he said. The app could also tap into Konnect Net’s SureMed databases to verify details such as the names and addresses of GPs.

Specialist travel insurance group Cover-More has announced a binding heads of agreement has been signed with Berkshire Hathaway Specialist Insurance Company.

Cover-More and BHSI already work together in the USA to market online travel insurance to consumers and the new relationship will see BHSI become the primary underwriter in Australia and New Zealand.

Key terms of the agreement detailed in the ASX announcement include:

Commercial terms will be similar to the existing terms with Munich Re's Great Lakes Australia however with greater certainty of underwriting premium;There will be no downside risk for losses worse than an agreed target loss ratio;The agreement will run for a 5 year term;The new agreement enables Cover-More to terminate the current underwriting agreement with Great Lakes Australia

Cover-More first entered into a long term underwriting agreement with Great Lakes in 2009 for their Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom operations.

You know what it’s like. Some people are so much fun to work with that you actually look forward to seeing their faces come Monday morning....

And others? Well. You wish they worked somewhere else.

It’s great to be a memorable coworker -- as long as it’s for the right reasons. There are two kinds of skills that will make people want to work with you: professional and interpersonal.

We all know people who have the most pleasant personalities but can’t make bread in a bakery. And we know others who are the best things since sliced bread when those sales goals need meeting, but they just happen to be the biggest jerks on the planet.

Either combination is sourdough for all concerned. You’re fooling yourself if you think that you can focus on one in the absence of the other.

There are six indispensable interpersonal and professional skills that will make you memorable.

1. Friendly

You’re pleasant to be around. You’re cool under pressure. Your focus is on our success -- not just your own or the task at hand. You care about and connect with me as a person and a human being.

Relationship Action: Stop saying “hello.” It may sound counterintuitive, but “hello” and “how are things?” have become ubiquitous, impersonal greetings that mostly mean “I see you” -- and sometimes not even that. We say them without a second thought and certainly without expecting a response. Instead, take the time to stop and talk. Show interest in the success of others – both in work and outside of it.

2. Cooperative

If your childhood report cards gave you high marks for playing well with others, then you’re headed in the right direction. Working well with others, providing support, input and guidance when asked and proactive when you see the opportunity will set you -- and others -- up for success.

Relationship Action: When others ask for your input or advice, stop what you are doing, talk to them, and don’t multi-task. When participating in a team meeting or problem solving discussion, be present.

3. Respectful

Far too many professionals get this one wrong. They think they're too busy, too important or both to “make nice.” And they have the entirely erroneous view that, in order to demonstrate competence, they have to maintain a reign of terror. We may not be best friends, but we do need to work respectfully together.

Relationship Action: Listen to what others are saying. Quiet the inner voice that may be chattering away and distracting you from the conversation at hand. Be curious about what others are asking and experiencing. In doing so, you may just discover that you don’t just respect others, but actually like them.

Related: 3 Ways to Build a Happy Staff That Wants to Win

4. Expertise

No one wants to be around someone who's incompetent. It must be said, however, that everyone is incompetent for the first six months or so in a new job. Notwithstanding the idiosyncrasies involved in doing the job itself, you have to learn the organization’s policies, procedures and more. And as much as you’d like it to be otherwise, you can’t pick up all those things by putting a funnel in your mouth and pouring it in. It takes times to assimilate the nuances.

Relationship Action: Learning is a lifelong journey, but it's easy to forget this and continue with the it’s-worked-in-the-past-it’ll-work-today approach. It’s up to you to stay abreast of new research, thinking and solutions being introduced in your field. Whether you read, watch TED talks, attend conferences or return to school, it’s absolutely critical to your career success that you actively engage in new learning opportunities on a regular basis.

5. Genuine

“Fake it until you make it” may be a clever book title, but it has no place in the working world today. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then whatever else you bring is just smoke and mirrors. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help, advice and guidance is OK. The sky won’t fall in, people won’t think less of you -- in fact, people (the ones you want around anyway) want to help you. Success is a team sport -- a fact often overlooked -- and it's easier and more fun to achieve when you have others around you.

Relationship Action: Involve others, ask questions, seek input and differing perspectives. You don’t have to act on all the feedback you get, but you'll find that everyone can achieve more when people have "skin in the game" and are invested in your success.

6. Judgment

Decision-making is one of the weakest skills for many professionals. This may be due in part to the deficiencies of the rational decision-making model, which overlook that fact that people are not nearly as rational as they think they are. Those who are memorable for the right reasons know how to think through a problem, and then to make the best of a range of choices.

Relationship Action: Quit making decisions in a vacuum. Look for opinions where needed, and talk about your intended course of action before jumping in headfirst. You’ll find others more willing to implement your decisions when they feel they’ve been heard, and they understand the context and rationale for why a certain course of action was decided upon.

So, what about you? Are people glad to have you on their team, or would they prefer that you took a permanent vacation?

Peer-to-peer platforms could be as big a disrupter of the insurance industry as Napster was to music, it has been predicted.

The rise of peer-to-peer insurance is one of the trends highlighted in KPMG's recent general insurance update. It said 82 per cent of insurance chief executives were worried that their current products and services might not be relevant to customers as little as three years from now.

KPMG's analysts warn that it is only a matter of time before peer-to-peer insurance comes to New Zealand and the big insurance companies operating in the market find they have new competitors to deal with.

"Faster, more tailored and better value insurance is on the way for Kiwi consumers," said Steve Graham, head of digital futures at KPMG.

He said while early efforts to set up peer-to-peer insurance models in New Zealand had so far been unsuccessful, international operators such as Lemonade.com were showing the way. "It's all about timing and where the market is at, being at the right place at the right time. If the model doesn't fly [in New Zealand] today, it doesn't mean it won't in future."

Lemonade.com takes a fixed fee from customers' monthly payments, pays its reinsurance and other expenses and uses the rest of the money to pay claims. Any unused premiums are returned annually or donated to a cause chosen by the customer. Lemonade uses an artificial intelligence (AI) bot to organise the right insurance policy.

Graham said there was the potential for a shake-up on the scale of that musicians had gone through almost 20 years ago.

"If we travel back in time to 1999, we are reminded of the P2P architecture popularised by the file-sharing system of music-sharing company, Napster.

"How big was that impact? Global recorded music industry revenue, adjusted for inflation, dropped from approximately $40 billion in 1999 to less than $15 billion today. General insurance firms should continue to monitor the opportunities and impacts of new business models that are incorporating leading-edge digital solutions."

He said a big drawcard for peer-to-peer models was that they were transparent and the fees were low.

But he said existing insurers should not be written off.

In the same way that Apple had moved to take on Spotify and cornered 17 million subscribers within a year, he said the incumbent insurers could adapt to new models and thrive.

A key consideration would be how much foresight they had and how they planned to respond to the increasing disruption, he said. "They've got the history and the database of customers."

Graham said a big problem for a lot of companies was that they had out-of-date IT systems.

"Even if companies have spent a lot of money on legacy IT systems, new players are emerging that have systems that will eclipse the old in the same way that cloud based business models up-ended the music industry. Media, photography and music have all been re-engineered and insurance is now underway – it's a sector that touches everyone."

But he said New Zealand insurance companies were well-placed to lead and develop new models for insurance.

"The Kiwi mindset, attitude and culture is important because New Zealanders have a drive to innovate, adapt and improve, and these attributes must be leveraged. We've seen it already in products like SmartDriver from Tower and innovative new cyber security products developed here.

"New Zealand also has a burgeoning technology eco-system that is collaborative, supportive and advanced, that companies should be tapping into. Alongside this, companies need to be finding those people inside their organisations who are the rebels, challengers, and visionaries, those often hard-to-manage employees and rope them into change projects.

"Finally, companies should create their pathway rather than spend all their time trying to predict the future. Insight driven creativity will help insurance companies thrive. If they do not re-imagine a future built on emergent technology and customer driven business models, they risk being left behind. Young innovative start-ups which can target and scale quickly at less cost and therefore offer much improved premiums to consumers are arriving."

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) have become joint owners with New Zealand Post of Kiwi Group Holdings (KGH) Limited. KGH is the holding company for Kiwibank, Kiwi Wealth Management, Kiwi Insurance and New Zealand Home Loans.

Post retains 53% ownership of KGH with the NZ Super Fund picking up 25% and ACC 22%.

The Chairman of Kiwibank, Rob Morrison has welcomed the new shareholders, saying it was a great vote of confidence in the overall strategy for the bank and in management and staff.

"Having a strong New Zealand-owned bank is important for New Zealand and the NZ Super Fund and ACC are ideal new shareholders."

He said the share sale valued the bank at about $1 billion which was remarkable considering the bank has been operating for less than 15 years.

"We now look forward to working with the new owners to ensure the bank continues to grow and maintain its strong financial performance."

Two-thirds of consumers are dissatisfied with their health and life cover, a Consumer NZ survey has shown. Three out of ten respondents thought their insurance was good value for money, according to an article by Radio NZ. Consumer NZ CEO Sue Chetwin told Nine to Noon that it should be a requirement for insurers to provide a straight-forward, one-page summary of core policy cover to help people get a fairer deal. Chetwin said incomprehensible legalese through insurance policies was confusing to the customers and also in comparing policies between different insurers. “It’s very hard to get any information from insurance companies about their premiums, unless you go to their individual sites.” Consumer New Zealand also says proper disclosure from insurance companies is important. “Proper disclosure is a two-edged sword in some respects, you can be deluged [with information], but what we’re saying is proper disclosure of the terms that would really affect you, and transparency.” Chetwin said she would like to see legislation governing the insurance industry reviewed within the coming twelve months. “Insurance, you have to have it, you’d be mad not to, but the industry itself has got a lot of work to do. I would like to think that there are some new regulations that will happen.” According to the Health Funds Association of New Zealand (HFANZ), over a million Kiwis hold a health insurance policy, and over a billion dollars has been paid by health funds in the last recorded year. A survey of health fund holders by Canstar Blue showed that only Southern Cross Healthcare received a five-star review from Kiwis for overall satisfaction for health claims. The research also found that 90% of New Zealanders value the peace of mind that their insurance brings and 63% said they will sacrifice spending in other areas before giving up their health care policy. 24% had compared premiums online from different health funds in the past year but only 3% have actually switched providers. Of those who had stayed put with their provider, 56% said they were happy and felt no need to go elsewhere.

1. Study the company

One of the best job interview strategies that most candidates ignore is to study the current events of the company. Knowing what the current events of the company is important so that you can ask pertinent questions. Doing so will show the interviewer that you have done your homework, and also have a genuine interest in the company. This strategy will definitely help your job interview. Google the company and click on the news tab at the top for recent articles on them.

2. Understand your CV

As a candidate, you should be very familiar with your CV. In any job interview, anything on your CV is at the interviewer’s disposal. Implementing this job interview strategy will help build credibility with your interviewer. It is your responsibility to convince the interviewer that you can come in and do the job. Speaking intelligently about each of your previous positions will help do this, and is one of the best job interview strategies to follow.

3. Prepare an interview emergency kit

Many candidates don’t properly prepare for a job interview. Getting together a “job interview kit” is a great job interview strategy to follow. Suggested items for the kit include extra copies of your CV, directions to the office, a bottle of water, eye drops, pens, and notepad. But you should only bring the extra copies of your CV into the office with you, preferably in a portfolio.

4. Study the job description

After landing an interview, you need to study the job description to truly understand what the interviewer is looking for. If the description calls for attentiveness to detail, you will want to tailor the discussion accordingly. Knowing this, you can navigate the interview and discuss examples from previous jobs that will exemplify this trait. Do this for all significant traits or qualities that you identify in the job description. This is one of the best job interview strategies I have used, and know that it can bring you success.

5. Build rapport

Relationships are so important in the NZ business arena, especially in the insurance industry. You know the saying, “There’s never a second chance to make a first impression?” That holds very true in the case of job interviews. That is why building rapport is such an important job interview strategy. Shake hands, make eye contact, and smile. Put those three together when you first meet your interviewer and it will set a positive tone for the rest of the interview.

6. Make eye contact

Making positive eye contact is one of the best job interview strategies to follow. Eye contact is one of the strongest forms of nonverbal communication. A person’s qualities and personality can be detected simply based on eye contact. Making direct eye contact communicates confidence and high self-esteem, two key qualities employers look for in candidates.

Thus, it is very important that you make eye contact when you first meet interviewer and shake hands. And during the interview, it is important to make eye contact, not only when you talk, but also as you listen. Simply doing this job interview strategy will greatly help your chances of success in an interview.

7. Body language

Just as eye contact speaks volumes about you, so does your body language. Proper body language conveys confidence and high self-esteem. During the interview, things like sitting up straight with your chest out and keeping a pleasant demeanour on your face will project confidence. The interviewer will be aware of this, and it will help you stand out in his/her mind.

8. Display your skills with concrete examples

When it comes to discussing their skills, many candidates make the mistake of “telling” instead of “showing.” One of the best job interview strategies is to use concrete examples to demonstrate their skills to the interviewer. For example, if one of your skills is successfully handling multiple tasks at once, providing an example of how you do that will help paint a picture for the interviewer. It also gives the interviewer something to “hold on to” once the interview is over, and helps him/her remember you when it comes to decision time.

9. Be yourself

A common mistake that many candidates make is not being themselves. Some feel that they need to fit a certain mould and act accordingly. This will only end up hurting both parties in the end when your “true” personality comes out. You will be surprised how easy it is to detect insincerity during an interview. Thus, it is important to be professional, but also maintain your true essence. When you do this, your sincerity and genuineness will be picked up by the interviewer. This is one of the best job interview strategies to implement, and will go a long way in determining your success.

10. Make it known you want the job

At the end of the interview, it's time again to offer a good handshake (don't forget the eye contact) and let the interviewer know that you enjoyed meeting them and you would be very keen to move forward to the next stage.

You now have 10 of the best job interview tactics to follow. There are many aspects of a successful job interview, but if you implement these 10 best job interview tactics listed above, your chances of success will skyrocket!

if you would like more information on these tip, or to discuss how we can help you find insurance jobs in New Zealand, contact us here at Human Edge Recruitment Ltd.

It’s not so surprising that solid objects made from printed plastic or titanium, such as replacement hip joints or dental implants, can be made by 3D printers. More remarkable is that new human tissue might be printed from bio-ink comprising of droplets of living cells, stem cells and other biomaterials to replace or support an existing biological structure - a process known as regenerative medicine.

The conclusion of a decade of study has proved it is possible to print large-scale, viable human tissue for implantation that has the delicate vascular networks and blood vessels needed for survival. The technique of using clinical imaging data to add layers of cell-laden hydrogels to a bio-degradable plastic framework of the desired shape is called integrated tissue and organ printing (ITOP).

The breakthrough inclusion of microscopically small vessels, which allows nutrients to reach the printed cells, is what gives the printed tissue prolonged survival. Although the ITOP process requires much more time to be developed fully, it could significantly alter how doctors approach operations, reconstructive surgery and even transplantations. Long waits on donor lists, problems with graft rejection and life-long immunosuppressant therapy could become a thing of the past for some transplant patients.

Custom medical devices fitted for individuals, such as prosthetics and implants, can be created at a relatively low cost and a higher level of precision with 3D printers. The potential to apply the technique in medicine and healthcare is advancing. Over the next decade 20% of an industry worth an estimated $8.9 billion will be represented by medical 3D printing, which includes drug manufacture, surgical equipment and body spare parts.

Two dimensional (2D) radiographic images, including CT or MRI scans and x-rays, can be digitally converted to print complex 3D anatomical and medical structures. The imaging technology allows printing of a prosthetic that conforms to a patient’s exact shape and movement, thereby improving outcomes.

Eventually techniques may allow in-vivo printing of cells to take advantage of the natural hosting protection that the body offers developing cells. Meanwhile, laboratory-based in-vitro bio-printed tissues have immediate potential in testing the toxicity and effectiveness of drugs.

Despite the fact that it may take some time to become part of everyday clinical practice, the potential for 3D printers to create new organs to replace damaged and diseased ones is already a reality. In the future, underwriters could be reading medical reports that describe how the destructive effects of major medical disorders have been reversed using printed replacement parts. It is even possible, as worn-out parts are replaced by new ones, that our ideas about longevity may require a rethink.

Could that Instagram image of you bungy jumping in your 20s result in having to pay higher insurance costs in the future? One insurance expert thinks so.

Michael Naylor, a senior lecturer in finance and insurance at Massey University, says people should expect insurers to mine their social media accounts in the future to determine how much they will charge for insurance premiums and if they will pay out on claims.

"People have to be aware everything they do on social media can be effectively public.

"You can set privacy settings, but of course they can be hacked."

He says New Zealand insurers are not set up to deal with social media at the moment but they will be.

"Some in the US are already doing it."

Naylor says the cost of paying a person to do the research has made it prohibitive up until recently but apps that can identify a person from an image by using social media are making it cheaper and more likely.

He predicts it will be one to three years away in New Zealand and says it may not come from existing insurers but new entrants to the market who will use personal data to cut insurance premiums for less risky customers.

That could leave old-style insurers with more risky customers and the prospect of rising premiums to cover their costs.

He says the change could have implications for people who seek adventure when younger and record it all on their social media pages.

"Of course the internet doesn't die."

They may have to prove they no longer undertake those activities to get insurance in the future or sign exclusion agreements meaning they won't be covered for certain activities, says Naylor.

Insurers are already warning home-owners to be careful about what they post on Facebook about going away on holiday because it could be in breach of their duty of care policy provisions for house and contents insurance.

Vero, one of the country's largest insurers recently posted a blog, giving people tips on how to avoid making this social media faux par.

Jimmy Higgins, Vero's head of claims says it is not telling people to stop posting their holiday snaps online but to be careful about revealing too much detail and casting that information too widely.

It might not be your Facebook friends that act on the information but a friend of a friend, he warns.

Higgins says people can protect themselves by not being specific about the dates they are away and making sure they don't identify where they live.

He also recommends having tight privacy settings on your social media pages so people outside of your close social network don't get information you would rather they didn't have.

But that doesn't mean Vero is trawling your Facebook page looking for reasons to turn down a claim.

"It would have to be pretty obvious and also deliberate to even contemplate that," he says.

A spokeswoman for Vero confirmed the company does not use social media to vet potential customers and doesn't plan to do so in the future.

Tim Grafton, chief executive of the Insurance Council New Zealand says he would be surprised if any New Zealand insurers monitored social media routinely.

But he said the gathering of data across a wide range of technologies - from phones to GPS, fitbits and Google searches meant there was a higher potential for insurance to be more personalised in the future.

"I think no matter what industry you are in there is a phenomenal amount of data that is collected by one thing or another."

"It's more than just talking about Facebook. It's all the data that companies know about."

Already there are telematic devices in cars which can tell insurers how safe a driver is and charge them accordingly.

But Grafton doesn't think people should worry about how posting risk-taking photos on Facebook will affect their ability to get insurance in the future.

He says like car insurance there would likely be an age cut-off for charging a higher premium.

"Things don't hang over you for the rest of your life."

Grafton says there has been talk of Google or a telecommunications company entering the insurance market as both collect a lot of data about people and he admits that would present significant challenges to the existing industry.

But he is hopeful they would partner with insurers.

"So far it hasn't happened."But he says if it does it will just be another evolution for insurance.

"The need for insurance won't go away...risks will always be there."

Partners Life has made a positive change to its medical commission structure and launched two new products. In September 2012 Partners Life switched from paying up-front medical commission to as-earned medical commission in response to its unprecedented growth at launch. Following the close of its recent $200 million capital raising, Partners Life has now returned to offering up-front medical commissions.

Partners Life Managing Director Naomi Ballantyne says, “Partners Life’s medical product is rated number one by the two major independent research houses, as are a number of our other products in keeping with our ‘best value for customer’ philosophy. We can now build on that market-leading proposition while providing commissions that are consistent with the market. We will still offer as-earned options for advisers who prefer them.”

Meanwhile, Partners Life has launched two new to market products: “Rural Partners” and “Partners Legacy Gift Plan”. Rural Partners is for customers from the agricultural sector and involves a wide range of great value benefits. Partners Legacy Gift Plan allows clients to leave sums to their deemed charity in accordance with their wishes.

Ballantyne says the new products were created in response to identifying the unique requirements of those clients. “New Zealand’s rural sector is the backbone of the economy. Those in this sector have particular needs when it comes to protecting themselves and their loved ones and we are proud to support them. New Zealanders are also very generous donating to charity and we wanted to make it easier for them to support their favourite causes.”

Ballantyne says Partners Life will continue to apply its guiding philosophy of “if it’s grey, we will pay” to all of its products. “We are here to pay claims. That gives the customer a great deal of confidence that they are not on their own, trying to fight for a claim at a time when they are ill.”

Life insurers are in the midst of an incredible number of changes that impact their business. From new players entering the market (think tech start-ups and peer-to-peer insurers) to new technological advances that are changing risk management and customer engagement (i.e., wearables, mobile technology, decision analytics), there is much to stay ahead of in today’s insurance industry.

Given these changes, the need to create sustainable and pro table growth is even more of a priority. One segment that is ripe for Life insurance is Generation X. While they possess a significant share of national wealth, they’re still on track to have the most debt, with debt projections expected to increase 4.3% in the next two decades. Yet insurers still haven’t cracked the code on what will motivate them to purchase or increase their coverage to adequate levels. Why should insurers reconsider the “Sandwich Generation” and how can they better serve their unique needs?

Three Reasons to Target Gen X

As a consumer segment, Gen X poses an ideal opportunity to increase Life insurance sales. To engage this group effectively, understanding their unique purchasing needs is key.

So, what exactly do insurers need to rst appreciate and understand about Gen X to be successful?

1. You should expect more with Gen X.

As the smallest cohort of all generations, it’s no wonder they’ve been overlooked. But that shouldn’t be the case with insurers seeking new customer segments. For one, Gen X will surpass Baby Boomers in sheer size within the next 12 years and while their cohort will remain smaller than Millennials, their financial power will be significant, according to projections of their total net household wealth by 2030.

2. They put family first.

Gen Xers’ lifestyles demand an adequate and consistent level of protection when it comes to insurance. Given they’ve now earned the label of the “Sandwich Generation” (those caring for both their children and parents), they have an enormous amount of pressure to protect their loved ones.

In fact, 44% are living with adult children in their household, and nearly 30% are providing regular assistance or care to parents or in-laws.

Almost three-quarters of Gen Xers have children, with the average at 2.5 per family.

3. The new “Sandwich Generation” loses out by remaining underinsured.

Gen Xers are becoming bogged down by debt. In fact, they bear 82% more non-mortgage debt (student loans and credit cards) than Boomers. They also carry more student loan debt than other generations. On top of everything else, their savings just aren’t adding up—53% of Gen Xers who completed a financial wellness assessment admitted they have no emergency savings. Finally, when it comes to increasing their insurance, their priorities are definitely questionable, 23% in a recent survey said paying for recreational activities, such as going out to eat, movies or shopping, was a priority over purchasing some or more Life insurance.

Luckily, the tide seems to be turning concerning their level of interest in purchasing insurance. In fact, according to data from one private exchange, they’re purchasing an average of 5.3 non-medical insurance products per person, more than any other generation. However, a considerable Life insurance coverage gap still exists for Gen Xers.

When a Tesla vehicle with its Autopilot system engaged was involved in a fatal accident in Florida on May 7, it was the first one involving a partially automated Level 2 driving system. Since then, this accident has been the subject of scores of articles.

The sentiment has ranged from This will force a slowdown in the introduction of driverless technology,to While any fatal accident is a tragedy, this will not slow the inevitable quick march towards driverless vehicles.

Let's not forget, however, that the primary reason for moving toward fully automated vehicles is contrary to what many of us believe; we're not very good at driving. According to the National Safety Council, there were some 38,300 fatal auto accidents in the U.S. in 2015 as well as 4.4 million people injured.

Fully automated vehicles represent the promise of a dramatic reduction in both frequency and severity of accidents. Predictions range as high as an 80% to 90 % reduction.

Even if one believes that such lofty predictions are unrealistic, a recent article in Insurance Thought Leadership stated, “A 25% reduction in auto-accident-induced fatalities would save more lives than curing leukaemia; a 75% reduction would save more lives than eliminating suicide.” Pretty compelling reasons not to slow down such technological advancements.

Obviously, we are not there yet; we have seen additional reports of accidents possibly involving Tesla's Autopilot. These include an August 10 report of a Tesla vehicle in China with its Autopilot engaged hitting a car "parked half off the road;" on August 19 a Tesla Model S reportedly in Autopilot mode allegedly steered off the road into a guardrail in Kaufman, Texas. The driver admitted he was not paying attention due to his trust in the Autopilot system. The driver sustained only minor injuries but the car may have been totaled.

Despite those accident reports, automakers and tech companies from around the globe continue to invest in driverless technology and seemingly race towards fully automated vehicle production. For example, here are just a few announcements since the May 7 fatality:

BMW will have a "fully driverless car" on the market by 2021.Jaguar Land Rover will begin testing driverless cars in the UK in 2016.Audi will launch self-driving car in 2018 to handle up to 80% of driving situations.GM will use Lyft to launch its first self-driving car. Mercedes-Benz launched its self-driving, full-sized bus.Auto parts suppliers Delphi and Mobileye team up to develop a self-drive system that car makers could begin placing in their vehicles beginning in 2019.Highways around Columbus, Ohio will begin testing driverless platooning tractor trailers starting in 2016.

In addition, the DOT and NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) are also strongly pursuing "new life saving technologies…and tools that save lives."

The current technology used in Tesla's Autopilot system and those of other manufacturers working on partially and fully automated vehicles will certainly improve. Tesla itself will soon introduce the next generation of the Autopilot system, bringing it to Level 3 automated driving, which the NHTSA defines as: "Limited Self-Driving Automation (Level 3): Vehicles at this level of automation enable the driver to cede full control of all safety-critical functions under certain traffic or environmental conditions and in those conditions to rely heavily on the vehicle to monitor for changes in those conditions requiring transition back to driver control. The driver is expected to be available for occasional control, but with sufficiently comfortable transition time. The Google car is an example of limited self-driving automation."

Additional accidents will, inevitably, occur. The key issue is when will they become - or have they already become - better drivers than we are? According to a few news reports, Teslas on the road had already accumulated 130 million miles of driving while on Autopilot by the time the fatality occurred. Compare that to about 94 million to 100 million miles driven by humans per fatality.

Some authors argue that such systems are already better than human drivers. Others have

stated that the above comparison isn't valid. On the other hand, given the track record of human driving, if such systems are not yet better than we are, they soon may be.

Insurers have some time to come to grips with this potentially disruptive technology, though, as one can see from the most recent announcements listed above, maybe not as much time as some have thought.

New Zealand-based travel insurer Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has found that one fifth of the country’s residents travel without insurance.

SCTI CEO Craig Morrison highlighted the fact that no traveller is immune from disaster: “Kiwis head overseas looking for adventure and excitement, but the adage that anything that can go wrong will go wrong remains true – you could lose your luggage, get robbed, find yourself in the middle of a natural disaster, or get injured or sick.”

The company has created a list of tips for travellers. Top of the list is ensuring they have travel insurance to protect them from the burden of the high cost of medical treatment overseas. SCTI has revealed that the top three claims it has paid so far this year were for medical emergencies, the highest being $1.3 million.

Also on the list is buying insurance the same day they buy their flight which, Morrison explains, means they will be covered in the event of something unexpected happening before their holiday. “It doesn’t cost any extra to buy travel insurance in advance,” he said. “If something unexpected happens before your holiday starts that you would be covered for under your policy, which prevents you from travelling – such as an illness, injury or a natural disaster – you’re covered. It’s a no-brainer.”

SCTI has also recommended that travellers check which activities they are covered for and, finally, to ‘think before they drink’. “There’s a difference between having a few beers in the sun and having far too many and winding up in a dangerous situation, or doing something reckless that causes yourself injury,” Morrison advised.

A significant rise in the number of elective surgical procedures paid for by not-for-profit health insurer, Southern Cross Health Society, shows more New Zealanders are choosing to rely on the private health system.

In the financial year to 30 June 2016, Southern Cross paid for 206,000 surgical procedures, up 18,000 (10%) from the previous year. In the same period, membership increased to 820,469 – the first period of sustained membership growth since 2009.

“We’re taking the claims trend, and the growth in the number of people we’re insuring, as signals that more New Zealanders are turning to the private health system to look after them if and when they need it,” said Peter Tynan, CEO of the Health Society.

Tynan said the trends aren’t surprising, given research from the Health Funds Association of New Zealand, which showed that 280,000 Kiwis are waiting for elective surgery, with 170,000 of these not even on a waiting list. People with private health insurance have their surgery on average 100 days quicker than those in the public system.

“While the public health system does a fantastic job looking after acute or urgent medical issues, it struggles to keep up with elective demand. We’ve all seen stories in the media about Kiwis waiting for surgery, often living in pain and discomfort.

“Obviously more Kiwis are concerned about this and see the value of using the private sector for their healthcare. This also has flow-on benefits for the wider health system in that it reduces the number of people waiting for treatment in the public sector – meaning greater access for everyone,” he said.

Southern Cross paid 3.1 million claims totalling $861 million (GST inclusive) last financial year – approximately 71% of New Zealand’s health insurance claims. Along with surgical procedures, this included 428,000 specialist consultations, 650,000 prescriptions and 726,000 GP visits.

If you are backpacking then New Zealand is the best place to fall ill or need medical treatment as it is the most cost effective, but India is the worst, according to new research.

The survey aimed to identify the best and worst places to need medical treatment in the world’s most popular backpacker destinations, based on cost of treatment based on average expenditure, impact on budget, and value of care.

It looked at these costs in the United States, India, Peru, Vietnam, Thailand, Costa Rica, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka and found that the cheapest average cost was £180 and the most expensive £920.

According to Bought By Many, a member’s only insurance service, the survey highlights the need to be aware of costs involved while travelling in another country for some time and also found that 35% of backpackers don’t have insurance to cover themselves for accidents and unforeseen medical costs.

The firm explained that the cost of care is not the only consideration as the quality of care versus other costs is also important because it reveals the destinations with the best and worst value care.

New Zealand came top even although it doesn’t have the highest World Health Organization rank overall (Australia has that title), but the research found it has the best ratio of quality of care against cost of care. India is in bottom place due to its high medical costs and low quality of care.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand offer the most affordable treatment costs, while the average cost of treatment is highest in the US, followed by India, based on the average costs for travel insurance medical claims in each destination for the insurance year 2014/2015.

The US is the most expensive place for treatment, which is unsurprising given the country’s notoriously high medical costs. However, backpackers might be shocked that the average medical claim is second highest in India considering the country’s affordability is a key attraction to backpackers.

The survey report also points out that low travel costs do not necessarily equate to low healthcare costs. For example, the average cost of medical treatment in India is 888% of weekly spend. In other words, backpackers in India are at the greatest risk of having their entire holiday budgets subsumed by medical costs.

‘The lesson in all of this is that the 35% should probably get backpacker insurance before travelling; though if you find yourself in a medical scrape whilst abroad, then, well, New Zealand would be the best place for it,’ said a Bought By Many spokesman.

BMS Group, an independent specialist re/insurance broker, has introduced a broking operation for Australia and New Zealand.

Based in Melbourne, the team will be led by Shamus Breen, working closely with BMS global affinity practice leader Brian Gomes.

Breen has more than 20 years of experience, having most recently served as a national manager for consumer affinity at Marsh.

He has held numerous roles at Marsh, including national manager for specialty and national manager for motor.

David Battman, chief executive officer of BMS International, said: “I am delighted to announce the launch of our Melbourne office, building on our existing wholesale and facilities broking offices in Sydney and Brisbane.

“Globally, there is a growing market for our industry-leading online sales technology, which is serving us so well in Canada. By introducing this proven technology platform to Australia and New Zealand, using our new base in Melbourne, we are demonstrating our commitment to a market with significant growth potential.

“Shamus brings a wealth of industry knowledge and market contacts to the new BMS operation and we are convinced he will contribute significantly to the growth and development of our regional business.”

It involves two computers, at least one printer, some string, a battery and a box of matches

Stories of insurance companies refusing to pay out have existed for about as long as insurance companies themselves.

Yet few can be as surprising, elaborate, or involve as many bizarre details as the case of British expat Christopher Robinson and the fire that destroyed his $1.6 million mansion in New Zealand.

Mr Robinson, in his late sixties, moved to a remote part of North Island near Kerikeri with his wife and two children in 2005.

On 9 September 2011, the couple drove 400km from home to visit Hamilton. That night, shortly before midnight, neighbours in Kerikeri phoned the emergency services to say the Robinson home was going up in flames. It, along with Mr Robinson’s E-class Mercedes, was reduced to cinders.

Yet almost five years later to the day, the family has not received a penny from insurance giant IAG.

IAG’s fire investigators believe Mr Robinson set the fire himself -remotely.

Sifting through the remains of the home, they found an Acer desktop computer which, forensic tests showed, had been remotely accessed on the night of the fire.

They also found the burned-out remains of two printers, which were connected to the Acer, and tell-tale burn marks to suggest the fire had involved the use of an accelerant such as petrol.

The investigators’ theory, according to Stuff, is that Mr Robinson used his Macbook Pro in Hamilton to log in to the Acer remotely.

The Acer then (according to the theory) sent a command to the printer, which pulled through a piece of paper, which pulled a piece of string, which was attached to a switch. The switch would then turn on a 12V battery, heating an element that would light a match, setting alight a flammable liquid and, finally, bringing down the whole house.

The theory may sound farfetched, but the evidence of remote access on the Acer in particular was enough for police to take it seriously, and Mr Robinson was charged with arson and making a fraudulent insurance claim.

According to a New Zealand Herald report from earlier this year, the insurance company’s theory collapsed when prosecutors could not prove that a print command had actually been sent, despite extensive forensic work on all the computer equipment in question.

Yet IAG still insists the fire was started deliberately, and refuses to pay out. A civil case on that front is still pending.

For his part, Mr Robinson told Stuff he believes the fire was started by intruders.

The idea he would use an elaborate Rube-Goldberg (or Heath-Robinson) machine was nonsense, he said. “Why would you use such a system rather than just plugging a cheap time-switch into the wall-socket?”

The plot thickened further, if possible, when Mr Robinson emailed IAG executives and their lawyers threatening to discredit the company online if they didn’t pay up.

In May this year, he was found guilty of blackmail, the Herald reports, and sentenced in June to nine months’ home detention.

With everything invested in the Kerikeri mansion, Mr Robinson is now formally bankrupt - a status which is making it difficult for him to chase IAG for his pay-out.

IAG, meanwhile, say the failure of the criminal case against Mr Robinson changes nothing about their view that is was a deliberate fire.

The Independent has contacted IAG for comment. Meanwhile, the bizarre saga continues.

Baby blip boosts health insurance coverage

Higher birth rates and young families taking out new policies have caused a surge in health insurance numbers in the year to the end of June, according to the latest figures from the Health Funds Association (HFANZ).

The total number of New Zealanders with private health insurance cover stood at 1.348 million as at June 30 this year, up 14,100 or 1.1 percent on the same time last year. In the June quarter, lives covered rose by 6100, or 0.5 percent.

Of significant note was an increase of more than 7000 lives covered in the 0-4 age group during the year, an increase of 12.3 percent, and a 6.4 percent increase in the 25-39 age bracket.

HFANZ chief executive Roger Styles said it appeared more young families were taking out new policies covering themselves and their children. New Zealand’s birth rate had increased over the past year for the first time in four years, and young people had also been keen to take up the new types of minor medical health insurance policies available.

“Things are looking up. It’s pleasing to see young families are taking no chances regarding their healthcare. They realise the government can’t fund everything, and that they are going to have to take more responsibility for the healthcare of themselves and their children.”

Mr Styles said these figures showed the fifth straight quarter of growth, and marked the strongest annual growth in numbers recorded since September 2008.

Regional figures showed the main centres were leading the way, he said, with Auckland, urban Canterbury and Wellington having the highest health insurance coverage, followed by Southland and Taranaki. All five regions were above the national average of 29 percent coverage.

“These areas are the best prepared when it comes to looking after their healthcare,” Mr Styles said.

Total claims paid amounted to $1.076 billion for the year ending June 30, 2016 – up 6.2 percent on the previous 12 months. Claims paid for the June quarters were $290 million, up 10 percent on June 2015.

Advisers are going to find a lot more of these clients in the next few years. What’s going on, and why?

It will not surprise you to know that direct insurance has a low conversion rate. Without the assistance of an adviser many clients do not carry on with their applications for insurance under their own steam. A big reason for that is underwriting questions. The more personal, complicated, and pointed, the more likely a client is to drop out.

But, remove the underwriting and hey presto! More people are covered, and in a world where not enough have cover that is a good thing.

But that comes at a cost.

Two costs in fact. The premium will be higher and the policy will usually have some quite tough restrictions – pre-existing conditions, sports / hobbies, and some occupations.

Take price. There is a conventional wisdom that ‘going direct’ and ‘cutting out the middle man’ means lower cost. This can be true for some specific offers, but typically isn’t true overall, and when you bring in differences in policy features the value demonstrated is, frankly, a matter of choice. But if non-underwritten products come to dominate then costs will routinely be higher. One example we just did shows that a popular non-underwritten cover is 40% to 60% more expensive than the underwritten equivalent. That’s a big difference, but it doesn’t end there. Whether you are covered or not isn’t that simple. One insurer offers a great brochure to explain how pre-existing conditions exclusions, occupational exclusions, and hazardous pursuits exclusions all work. It’s eight pages.

Having said that, I am actually glad these products are available. Clients taking them out to save an hour filling in an application form, or the embarrassment of confessing to a stranger a medical condition, are making a trade-off – an expensive trade-off – but nevertheless one that they have chosen. You may even suggest these products in rare circumstances. A person with pre-existing conditions and an urgent need for cover could buy this in the interim.

But there is another reason you might like the fact that this cover is becoming so popular: when you come across someone who is now ready to invest a little time, it is so easy to offer something better.

An 82-page booklet designed to aid Canterbury claimants through the cash settlement process would be ‘unhelpful and misleading’ and was being suggested about ‘three years too late’, according to NZ insurers. Information showing that members of the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) had rejected the Government’s idea to publish the booklet last year has been released this week,Fairfax Media has reported. This followed the Labour party’s application under the Official Information Act for the correspondence between insurers and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) from March to August 2015. Labour’s Canterbury spokesperson Megan Woods said she believed the Government had bowed to insurer pressure not to publish the booklet and had ‘failed’ in its responsibility to help Cantabrians through the cash settling process. Social media users had also slammed the move, with one describing it as ‘the gangrenous last straw’ and another asking ‘Who is this government working for?’ But insurers said they felt they should provide their own information to customers. ICNZ operations manager Terry Jordan said there were ‘serious issues’ defining the industry’s position on cash settling as each insurer had different policy wordings and approaches. He thought the booklet could add millions of dollars to the cost of recovery as customers sought payments beyond policy benefits. Vero’s claims EGM Jimmy Higgins said the booklet promoted the use of advocates which wasn’t helpful. “The insurance industry has worked very hard to deal with unreasonable advocates who are demanding outrageous and extravagant settlements on behalf of customers that simply can’t be justified,” he said in the Fairfax Media report. Tower earthquake recovery manager David Ashe said the booklet ‘would have been extremely useful’ three years earlier. But publishing in 2015 would ‘not encourage confidence’ in the recovery, nor in the homeowners’ decisions since the earthquakes. MBIE then came to share this view, according to MBIE building and resource markets acting deputy CEO Chris Bunny. “As the booklet was being developed it became apparent that generic cash settlement guidance being applied to specific, more difficult cases, created the risk of confusion – the opposite of what was intended. “This was the view of a number of insurance companies and was shared by MBIE. We tried to work through the wording, but decided the risk of publishing confusing or inaccurate material was too great,” Bunny said. ICNZ CEO Tim Grafton said they had fully supported all the post-settlement advice in the booklet, but generic advice to people pre-cash settlement was ‘not possible’. “This would have created confusion as people contrasted the generic information in the booklet with their policy,” he said.

Strong customer growth is being credited for nib’s New Zealand operations doubling their underlying operating profit to $19.6 million this financial year.

nib New Zealand premium revenue was up 15.4% to $189.1 million. Customer numbers were boosted by the acquisition of OnePath’s New Zealand health insurance book.

Full year Group UOP increased almost 50 per cent to AU$132 million. nib New Zealand chief executive Rob Hennin said the most pleasing aspect of the result was that the business was generating strong levels of sales.

“Our strong customer growth highlights the value Kiwis place on health insurance when they take out our flexible and affordable products. We’re finding consumers want peace of mind that if something does go wrong or they need treatment they are covered. They can also choose when, where and who provides their treatment. Our products are meeting these needs and providing assurance which is reflected in our performance,” he said.

“This year’s result signals a remarkable turnaround since we acquired the business in 2012. We’ve transformed a business that had been experiencing customer decline for almost a decade. Our rebranding of the business and launch of New Zealand’s first direct-to-consumer insurance range has been the catalyst for change.” He said the focus for the future would be on pursuing more growth opportunities. “We will continue our heavy investment to grow our brand, such as our major sponsorship of the Auckland Blues, and we have a number of projects and initiatives in the pipeline that will surprise and delight our customers to further differentiate us from our competitors,” he said.

“There is no better example of this than nib’s healthHQ, a unique health and wellness package for the corporate market. We think healthHQ is a real game changer, not just for employers to better manage the health and wellness of their people, but also to help Kiwis take a much more active role in looking after and monitoring their health and wellbeing.”

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