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Experien Insurance Services has helped clients secure more than $200 million in life, disability and business expenses insurance claims across Life Insurance, Total and Permanent Disability (TPD), Trauma, Income Protection (IP) and Business Expenses policies from many life insurers.

Analysis of these claims arranged for our clients highlights several observations :

1. Many individual claims exceeded $4 million.
2. The largest claim exceeded $8 million.
3. Medical professionals account for a significant proportion of claims we have arranged, particularly dentists, doctors, surgeons, anaesthetists and other specialists.
4. Cancer is the most common serious illness leading to claims.
5. Neck and back claims are common claims causes for dentists
6. Hand and wrist injuries are a major cause of disability among dentists and surgeons.
7. Mental health conditions represent a substantial and recurring source of long-term disability claims.
8. Some Income Protection claims generated more than $2 million in cumulative benefits.

Largest Claims Paid

Many clients received life-changing insurance benefits, including:

1. Death insurance claim $8 million
2. Death insurance claim $5 million
3. Death / Terminal Illness insurance claim $4 million
4. TPD insurance claim $4 million
5. Mult Death, TPD Claims $2.6-$4 m

These outcomes demonstrate the significant financial protection insurance can provide when serious illness, injury or death occurs.

 Who Claims Most Often?

The claims experience for our clients is heavily concentrated among professionals, including:

1. Dentists and Dental Surgeons
2. General Practitioners and Medical Specialists
3. Anaesthetists and Surgeons
4. Veterinarians
5. Radiologists
6. Orthodontists
7. Optometrists
8. Pharmacists

For many professionals, their livelihood depends on fine motor skills, hand function, dexterity and vision. This highlights the importance of insurance structures designed around occupation-specific risks.

Cancer: The Leading Cause of Claims

Cancer is the most common cause of claims across Death, Terminal Illness, Trauma, TPD and Income Protection policies. Common diagnoses included breast, prostate, bowel, lung, brain and skin cancers, among others. Many clients received benefits from multiple policy types following a cancer diagnosis.

Hand and Dexterity Risks for Dentists and Surgeons

A notable number of claims involved conditions affecting the hands, fingers and wrists, including:

1. Finger and thumb injuries
2. Trigger finger
3. Carpal tunnel syndrome
4. Wrist injuries
5. Hand tremors
6. Hand dermatitis

For dentists and surgeons, the loss of hand function can have financial consequences comparable to major illnesses, resulting in substantial insurance claims.

Mental Health And Long Term Disability

Mental health conditions are a major source of disability claims among professionals. Common causes included:

1. Depression
2. Anxiety
3. Burnout
4. PTSD
5. Chronic stress

Many Income Protection claims continued for years, with some generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in ongoing benefits. These claims demonstrate that mental health conditions are among the most significant long-term disability risks faced by professionals today.

 Neurological and Chronic Conditions

Some of the largest disability claims arose from neurological and chronic medical conditions, including:

1. Parkinson’s disease
2. Multiple sclerosis
3. Stroke
4. Dementia
5. Brain tumours
6. Rheumatoid arthritis

These conditions often resulted in permanent loss of earning capacity and generated some of the largest insurance payouts in the claims dataset.

 The Value of Income Protection

While lump-sum benefits such as Life, Trauma and TPD insurance are important, some of the largest overall claim outcomes resulted from long-running Income Protection claims. In several cases, benefits were paid over many years, providing ongoing financial support when clients were unable to work.

Key Takeaways

The claims data demonstrates that serious illness, injury and disability can affect professionals at any stage of life. The strongest concentration of claims occurs between ages 40 and 60, often during peak earning years when financial commitments and family responsibilities are highest.

More than $200 million in successful claim outcomes highlights the critical role of appropriately structured insurance and experienced claims support. Whether the cause is cancer, a hand injury, mental illness, a neurological disorder or an unexpected death, the right insurance can provide significant financial protection when it is needed most.

This is general information and limited in its scope.  If you are considering buying or replacing and a Life Insurance policy then contact us to arrange a review for you. We can consider your individual circumstances, goals and needs and recommend a suitable insurer, product and structure to use. We work with several insurers and have extensive experience in helping to arrange claims.

At the time of writing, Life insurance and Financial Advice services are provided by Experien Insurance Services Pty Ltd (EIS) ABN 99 128 678 937 and Experien Financial Services Pty Ltd (EFS) ABN 32 631 346 757. EIS and EFS are a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 320626 and No. 1274354) Count Financial Limited ABN 19 001 974 625, AFSL 227232. See our website for our Financial Services Guide and latest AFSL arrangements. Always read the Product Disclosure Statement issued by an Insurer before considering insurance.

11 August 2026