Hi everyone, I have Matt back with me and this time we are focusing on Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This is an autoimmune condition that increases the chance of someone developing blood clots. More women than men are diagnosed with APS and at the moment there is no specific reason why APS develops. It is thought that a mix of environmental factors can lead to APS developing, but there are still people that are diagnosed with APS where no known cause is found.

When applying for protection insurance most insurers will want to know if a person has been diagnosed with APS. It is very likely that the insurer will want to see a report from the applicants GP, to confirm details about their health. If they have letters from their consultant that detail their diagnosis and any recent check ups, you never know the insurer might be able to underwrite using that rather than waiting for a GP report. It’s always worth asking!

The key takeaways:

• APS increases the risk of a person developing deep vein thrombosis and experiencing a heart attack or stroke
• The questions you need to ask someone to do your underwriting research well
• Two case studies of people living with APS and other medical conditions, that were able to get life insurance

Next time we will be starting season 9 of the PPP and I am going to be kicking it off with a look into keyperson cover, what it is, how you can advise on it and things not to do! 

Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors Octo Members.

If you want to know more about how to arrange protection insurance, take a look at my 13 hour CPD Protection Insurance in Practice course here and 1 hour CPD Protection Competency Exam here.