The PPP - Organ Donation

Organ Donation

Kathryn is back with the second episode of season 6 of the Practical Protection Podcast. This time, Kathryn is joined by regular guest Matt Rann. September has organ donation week, so what better time to have an episode about organ donation, and how this might play a role in the options available to you when it comes to protection insurance.

There’s a great number of people who donate organs, but even more people who might be in need of an organ donation. Did you know that one person alone can save up to nine lives if their organs are donated? There are currently about 6,600 people waiting for an organ in the UK, so knowing about organ donation really can make a difference.

In the UK everybody is now actually signed up automatically to be an organ donor unless they’re from an excluded group, and it’s down to each individual to opt out if it’s not something they’re willing to do. We tend to think about organ donation as happening once a person has died but there are times that people can voluntarily donate organs to help others whilst they are alive.

When it comes to personal life insurance, critical illness cover or income protection, it can be a little bit tricky to arrange if an organ has been received. That’s because of a number of things, such as the reason for the organ being needed and any complications that have arisen since receiving the organ. 

If you’re an adviser finding protection insurance for a person who has received an organ, there are specific things to know depending on the organ. For example, there are at least 6 key pieces of information needed to be able to properly research the market if a person has had a kidney transplant. During this episode, Kathryn and Matt talk about some of the technical medical terms used which can help you do your research. They also talk about what questions might be expected during the application process.

The underwriting outcomes can vary massively depending on a person’s situation, a person who has donated an organ will have very different terms offered to them than a person who has had to receive an organ. Matt explains some of the things an underwriter will take into account depending on the organ which has been received. Kathryn and Matt talk about per mille ratings, and how these are often used by insurers to set the price of the policy when someone has received a transplant. Each insurer will do this differently, which can make it quite difficult as an adviser to estimate the price of a policy. They also talk about how long a protection insurance application might be postponed for after receiving an organ.

It’s also important to note that donating an organ shouldn’t have a bearing on your protection insurance cover, if you recovered fully from the procedure.

To find out what else was said during this episode, you can listen below.

Check out the Practical Protection Podcast website to listen to more episodes.

Remember, if you have listened to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on the website, thanks to the podcasts sponsors Octo Members.

If you would like to know more about how to arrange protection insurance, take a look at Kathryn’s Protection Insurance in Practice course.

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