Peanut butter lover day, national jumper week - silly cultural days come and go and we barely notice. But Purple Tuesday deserves everyone's attention.  

Officially started last year, Purple Tuesday asks us to recognise and support disabled people and their families as they continue the fight to be counted and included. 

At LifeSearch we protect families of all situations and circumstances and we're proud to fight daily battles on behalf of customers with different needs. We take action, we have successes, and we'll continue to do our very best. 

 

Self-confessed geek, pop-culture junkie and mega font of mega knowledge, Ste's been at LifeSearch four years and fallen only once to absence - the great flu of 2018. 

Ste had to have his knees reconstructed at 15. The screws in his legs pass through nerves and there's no way to eliminate the pain - all Ste can do is manage it day to day.

Diligent, impressive, intelligent, generous - Ste's a no-brainer for any job. Before LifeSearch, he'd attend job interviews and all would go well … but doors would close when he disclosed his disability. 

Their loss, our gain. We love having you here, Ste. 

Seen HitSquads in films? Our mob do the same. But instead of taking aim at politicians or big-time gangsters, it's insurers in our crosshairs.

As a broker, we connect families to the most suitable protection products out there. But we're at the mercy of insurance companies. Each insurer views health and lifestyle differently, often applying inflated premiums and exclusions on health grounds. These are called ratings.

We've been protecting families for 21 years - long enough to know what's fair and what's not. So if a rating looks unfair, we call in the HitSquad. 

Our HitSquad challenges insurer decisions, providing more info and arguing on behalf of customers for a fairer deal. This year alone our HitSquad has helped 1112 families secure better terms in their protection policies.

Certain health conditions and disabilities can lead to difficulties when applying for protection products. At LifeSearch, we pride ourselves on our ability to land customers cover. While we can't convince insurers 100% of the time - if cover is possible we'll find it.

A new customer recently approached LifeSearch to investigate his options after claiming on an old critical illness policy. He wanted to take out new cover but was an amputee suffering from a rare bone disease, so it wasn't straightforward. 

Luckily, LifeSearcher Adam Blake secured the client new cover, protecting him for everything other than limb amputation. This kind of success is replicate day after day week after week at LifeSearch. If cover is possible, we'll find it.

At LifeSearch, we have specialists in place to investigate options for customers rejected by mainstream insurers. 

Here, our man on point, Tom Needham, shares some recent successes. The percentage rating indicates the increase in premium. At first glance it may seem high, but where there are serious and complex medical conditions at play, securing cover at all is a massive success. 
 
“One male client, 38 years old, was declined in the open market as he has Polycystic Kidney Disease, which is notoriously hard to cover. LifeSearch found him a policy with a 325% rating.
 
Another client, a 56 year old male, had suffered a heart attack six years ago and was declined in the open market due to his cardiovascular risk. LifeSearch found him cover with a 250% rating.
 
A 41 year old female client, who struggled in the open market because of ongoing Functional Neurological Disorder (symptoms include fatigue, memory loss and concentration problems). LifeSearch located cover with a 125% rating.

Lastly, a 41 year old male suffered a rare condition called Pompe’s Disease, a metabolic conditions which damages muscles and nerves in the body. We successfully found him a policy, too, with a 200% rating.”

We don't take no lightly. 

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Despite the equality movement's great strides, we can't pretend that disabled people yet enjoy the same physical and financial access to services, conveniences and opportunities that the best of us take for granted. 

So this Purple Tuesday, let's ask what we, our employers and our communities can do to improve the experience for everyone.