THE FACTS
GAY Khaile from Morningside, Joburg, said he took a disability policy with Discovery Life in 2009 and has been paying his monthly premiums without fail.
At the end of 2017, he was medically boarded by his employer due to his disability. He claimed for benefits, but the claim was rejected.
He felt the rejection of his claim was unfair as he declared to the insurance company when he took out the policy that he had polio as a child.
He feels the insurance company is discriminating against him on the basis of his disability.
Gay took the matter to the ombudsman for long-term insurance, but the ombudsman does not see any unfair treatment.
WHAT I DID
The SunDefender studied documents sent by both Discovery Life and the ombudsman.
SOLUTION
According to the Discovery Life document, when Gay took out the policy an exclusion was added to his policy.
This was after he informed Discovery Life that he had polio as a child and that he was partially disabled.
This meant the policy would cover all disabilities except those caused by polio.
Now that his disability is linked to polio, the policy won’t cover it and the insurance company has no responsibility.The insurance will only cover the car for damage in future accidents. Therefore, Gay’s policy does not cover the disability.
This is the same as taking out car insurance on a used car that has already been involved in an accident.
