Back Care Awareness Week

Back Care Awareness Week

It’s estimated that around 8 million adults in the UK experience chronic back pain, and I can only imagine that number is set to increase after the recent pandemic. Many of us have been working remotely, lost access to our usual exercise routines and basically been stuck at home. There are now more people than ever who are continuing to work or study at home.

People often overlook their comfort whilst working. Things such as your posture can play a big part in your long term back care, which is why Back Care Awareness Week started, to ensure children and young adults look after their backs, to prevent issues as they get older. Little things can play a big role when it comes to your back, making sure that you have a comfortable seat and adequate exercise can make a big difference. This might seem like common sense, but it’s so easy to get caught up in what we are doing and slip into bad habits.

There can be so many different causes and types of back pain, and people may be affected in different ways. The Back Care charity provides a wide range of information to help.

Access to insurance

Back pain is one of the most common reasons why a person has to take time off work, and costs the UK economy around £15 billion a year. If you then take into consideration the fact that 80% of the UK population will be faced with back problems at some point in their life, there is a clear reason as to why people should be taking out insurance to protect their income.

You may be thinking that you have no need for income protection, or that you’re happy to just rely on statutory sick pay if you were to fall ill. With statutory sick pay, you would receive £96.35 per week, for a maximum of 28 weeks. Of course none of us want to think about being ill for that length of time, but do you have the means to support yourself after the 28 weeks if it comes down to it? And would £96.35 be a sufficient amount to cover all of your living expenses? 

Could you live off £2,697.80 for 6.5 months? That’s all that SSP will give you.

Income protection is a policy which will pay a tax free monthly amount if you’re unable to work due to ill health. The amount you receive is based on a set percentage of your income. The cost of the policy is dependent on your individual circumstances, but the average income protection policy costs just £1 per day. £1 per day!

Some people are fortunate enough to have an enhanced sick pay scheme with their employer, that will pay their income for some time. It could be that the cover from your employer pays right up to your retirement age. But it is more common at the moment for it to be set amounts like 6 months full and then 6 months half pay. In this case, income protection can be used to top up any loss in earnings.

There are things to consider other than how much you would like to be covered for, such as the deferment period. This is basically how long it takes before you’re able to claim financial support on the policy. For example, if you had a deferment period of 4 weeks, you would have to be ill and off work for 4 weeks before the insurer starts to trigger the first payment for a successful claim.

When applying for income protection, an insurer will have a range of questions such as your name, age and date of birth, as well as some health, family history, occupation and income related questions. It is quite common for an insurer to request a report from your GP surgery if you have any existing health conditions, so that they can get the full picture before making a decision on your application. This isn’t always the case, but if they do ask, please don’t be worried, it can be quite a positive thing, as you know that they have everything recorded accurately from your GP.

If you already experience back pain, it is likely that the insurer will add an exclusion on to the policy, meaning that they wouldn’t pay any claim related to any back problems. This is also the same for other health conditions, the policy usually won’t cover anything existing.

This might seem harsh and also really put you off the cover. Your feelings are valid and it’s completely up to you over what feels right or not. Some people don’t want the policy with an exclusion, it is their right not to go ahead with it. But we would suggest stepping back for a moment and having a good think before you make your mind up. A back exclusion will be frustrating, but you would still be covered for many other conditions that could stop you working e.g. mental health, a heart attack, a stroke, Parkinson’s, and much more.

When it comes to life insurance or critical illness cover, simple back pain won’t usually have any bearing on the terms you are offered. You may however receive different terms such as a price increase or an exclusion for life insurance if your back pain is related to another health condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Depending upon any other conditions that you’ve had critical illness cover can sometimes be unavailable on the standard market, and more specialist options needed.

Added benefits

If you do have an income protection policy, or benefit from the use of an employer’s policy, there are things we call ‘added benefits’. The added benefits available to you depends on which insurer you have your policy with, but they can range from things such as a handy mobile app giving you access to second medical opinions, rehabilitation support or even appointments with medical professionals such as a physiotherapist. Some insurers also have a hospital benefit, for if you have had a hospital stay over a certain number of days, which can be available even if you haven’t claimed on the income protection aspect of your policy.

Income protection is often misunderstood and may sound complicated, but with the help of a protection adviser it can be much simpler than you may think. It could be that you have an existing health condition, or that you have a high risk occupation or hobby. At Cura, we have a range of protection advisers and are able to support clients with a wide range of needs.