Lawyer involvement in the claim assessment stage can lead to the member being financially worse off and increases claims administration costs. What can be done to reduce lawyer involvement in the claim assessment stage?

Comments by: Annette Torrington -CommInsure, Pauline Vamos - Association of Superannuation Funds Australia (ASFA), Andrea McDonell - Aon Hewitt and Bernard O'Connor - NGS Super

The group insurance industry is currently operating in a challenging environment, impacted by a suite of issues.

Significant increases in claims, particularly TPD have led to significant premium increases across the board with both insurers and reinsurers suffering large losses.

There has been no single trigger causing this situation. In fact, many of the issues have occurred over the last few years - and many of the factors are linked.

The industry will need to adapt to survive and be a stronger business for the future. To do this, the industry needs to focus on four key areas: