Hi everyone, Matt Rann is back with us this week and we are talking about Huntington’s disease. This is a genetic condition that lowers life expectancy and is often a very difficult diagnosis to come to terms with.

We talk about genetic and predictive testing, what does and doesn’t need to be said to insurers, and why Huntington’s is not listed as a claimable condition in most critical illness contracts. Many people that are diagnosed with Huntington’s will unfortunately pass away within 20 years of diagnosis, and as well as this being a significant reality to face, it also means that accessing insurance within the standard market can become quite limited.

The key takeaways:

• Huntington’s is usually diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 50.
• There is a big difference between diagnostic and predictive testing for Huntington’s and this is crucial to know when applying for insurance.
• Two case studies of arranging life insurance for people that have a family history of Huntington’s disease, and one also had the positive gene for Huntington’s too.

Next time I have Keith Richards from The Financial Vulnerability Taskforce. The episode will focus upon the need for advisers to be able to spot vulnerability, from many different angles, to ensure that clients are truly looked after. 

Remember, if you are listening to this as part of your work, you can claim a CPD certificate on our website, thanks to our sponsors Octo Members.

If you want to know more about how to arrange protection insurance, take a look at my Protection Insurance in Practice course here.