For Chris Mooney, great advice isn't about selling a policy. It's about helping people understand their options and make confident decisions about their healthcare and financial wellbeing.
What does Chris help customers with?
Chris specialises in private health insurance, helping customers understand:
- what's covered and what isn't
- the difference between insurer assessment options, called ‘underwriting’
- how claims work
- how to choose cover that reflects their needs and budget
His focus is helping customers make informed decisions, with no surprises later when they need to use their policy.
Why understanding your health insurance matters
Private health insurance can be confusing, particularly when it comes to understanding what's covered and what isn't. One of the areas customers most commonly find confusing is ‘underwriting’ – the process insurers use to assess applicants.
Moratorium Underwriting
Across much of the health insurance market, policies are arranged using moratorium underwriting.
This means customers don't need to complete detailed medical questionnaires when they apply. Instead, any medical conditions they've had symptoms, treatment, medication or advice for within a set period, usually the previous five years, may be excluded from cover initially.
While this can be a quick and convenient way to set up a policy, Chris believes many customers don't fully understand how it works or what it could mean if they need to make a claim in the future.
Questions about pre-existing conditions, exclusions and future claims are among the most common concerns customers raise when exploring private health insurance.
Full Medical Underwriting
Drawing on LifeSearch's long-standing expertise in protection, Chris helped develop an approach that places much greater emphasis on full medical underwriting.
With full medical underwriting, customers provide information about their medical history at the start of the application process. The insurer then reviews that information and confirms any exclusions before the policy begins. In simple terms, customers know exactly what's covered and what isn't from day one.
Today, more than 75% of LifeSearch's private medical insurance policies are arranged on a fully medically underwritten basis, setting LifeSearch apart from much of the wider private medical insurance market.
Chris believes this helps reduce uncertainty because customers understand from the outset which conditions are covered and whether any exclusions apply.
“If someone is paying for private medical insurance, they deserve clarity about what's covered, what's not, and why. The clearer the conversation upfront, the better the customer experience later on.”
Chris Mooney
Private Health Insurance Expert
What customers often get wrong about private health insurance
Common misunderstandings include:
- assuming every health condition will automatically be covered
- believing all insurers assess medical history in the same way
- assuming cheaper policies always represent better value
- misunderstanding how exclusions apply
According to Chris, many frustrations arise not because a policy has failed, but because expectations and policy terms weren't properly understood from the outset.
Chris' approach to customer service
Chris believes great advice starts with understanding why someone is considering health insurance in the first place. Rather than focusing solely on policies, premiums and products, he encourages his advisers to understand why somebody is considering private health insurance and what outcome they're hoping it will deliver.
For Chris, understanding the reason behind the enquiry is often the most important part of the conversation.
“It's all about the 'why'. Why are you looking at health insurance? What's prompted you to have this conversation today? Once you understand that, everything else becomes much easier because you're advising based on what really matters to that customer.”
He is a strong advocate of clear, straightforward recommendations and believes customers should never feel pressured into making a decision. Instead, advisers should present the options, explain them clearly and give customers the information they need to make an informed choice.
By focusing on relationships rather than sales, Chris believes advisers create better outcomes for customers and build trust that lasts long after the policy has been put in place.
As well as supporting customers directly, Chris leads LifeSearch's specialist health insurance team, helping advisers deliver consistent, highquality guidance and stay up to date with insurer developments and market changes.
“I'm a big believer in practising what you preach. Spending time on the phones and understanding what's happening with customers helps me support advisers better and keeps me connected to the reality of the role.”
Qualifications and recognition
Chris is a CII Registered Professional and is committed to ongoing professional development. His qualifications include:
- R01 Financial Services, Regulation and Ethics
- R02 Investment Principles and Risk
- R05 Financial Protection
- CF6 Mortgage Advice
He’s also currently studying towards a specialist health insurance qualification.
Within LifeSearch, Chris has been recognised with the company's Advice Giver of the Year award in two consecutive years, recognising his commitment to helping customers, supporting colleagues and sharing his expertise with others.
Care at the heart of everything
Of all the LifeSearch values, the one Chris identifies with most is ‘care’. While anyone can learn the technical side of insurance, he believes it's genuinely caring about customers that makes the biggest difference.
“Anybody can learn the technical side of insurance, but if it's not done in the right way it can have real consequences for customers. If advisers genuinely care about getting the right outcome, the customer gets a better experience and greater confidence in what they've bought.”
That philosophy shapes the way Chris supports customers, coaches advisers, supports customers and approaches leadership across the health insurance team.
No two days are ever the same, whether he's working with insurer partners, developing advisers, improving customer journeys or helping solve complex cases. But for Chris, the real satisfaction comes from knowing the work his team does can have a meaningful impact when people need it most.
“We're not selling something people don't need. When someone requires treatment, investigations or specialist care, having the right cover in place can make a huge difference. Knowing we've helped make that happen is incredibly rewarding.”
Explore your private health insurance options
Whether you're exploring private health insurance for the first time, reviewing an existing policy or simply want to understand your options, Chris and the team can help.
Get in touch with a LifeSearch adviser for clear, straightforward guidance on finding cover tailored to your needs and circumstances, so you can have confidence that it's there for you when you need it most.
