Claims openness on agenda

The private medical insurance (PMI) industry is to meet next month to discuss claims transparency in...

The private medical insurance (PMI) industry is to meet next month to discuss claims transparency in the corporate small and medium-sized enterprise sector. Insurers will meet on 21 January to discuss differences over whether to make an insured firms claims history available to other insurers, therefore allowing accurate quoting by rival firms.

The meeting is to be chaired by Andy Couchman, director of consultants Bankhouse Communications and co-author of the protection review. Confirmed as attending are Cigna, Standard Life and Groupama. Axa PPP and Bupa are expected to attend, but in what capacity is unknown. As COVER went to press PruHealth, BCWA and Norwich Union had yet to confirm.

The meeting has been organised by the Association of Medical Insurance Intermediaries (AMII) and will also be attended by the British Insurance Brokers Association (Biba). Mike Izzard, chairman of AMII, said: "It is necessary that Biba is included in this meeting, as we need to stand together as brokers' organisations in order to crack this nut. This issue is holding up the development of the fastest growing sector in PMI. It is stalling the development of online services such as pricing and applications.

"We have to work out how to move forward on this issue. The problem is that there are some entrenched attitudes in the industry. It won't be fixed overnight but we have to start somewhere."