Programme
COVER Magazine is delighted to welcome you to its second regional event, COVER Summit North.
Arrive early and start the day right by enjoying our welcome breakfast!
We start off the day with a welcome from our editor, Cameron Roberts.
The theme for this year’s COVER Summit North is "Navigating historic change".
An in-depth look at the FCA’s ongoing market study. Experts will discuss current insights, regulatory concerns, and anticipated future changes. The session will explore how these findings could affect both protection advisers and insurance providers in the North.
Key focus points will include:
- Loaded premiums.
- Over 50s life cover.
- Competition in the insurer market.
With the Labour government’s pledge to build an NHS fit for the future, the role of private medical insurance (PMI) comes into question. As pressures on the NHS grow, we've seen a rise in PMI usage and as a result, PMI premiums. This session explores whether the private and public healthcare sectors can thrive together and help tackle the public health crisis.
Key focus points will include:
- How to tackle rising premiums for group and individual healthcare.
- How PMI’s positioning has changed from a “nice to have” to a critical healthcare touchpoint.
Putting a spotlight on business protection, this session will simplify Relevant Life and Executive Income Protection (IP) and provide insight on how to seamlessly apply these products to sole traders and limited company directors. Often seen as complicated, we’ll break down how they work just like standard life insurance and IP policies. By removing the stigma around these products and demonstrating how to advise and apply, this session will provide the tools to support advisers in confidently integrating them into their protection offerings.
Time to grab a coffee and meet our exhibitors.
With the exit of key providers, the options for Critical Illness cover are becoming more limited, creating significant challenges for advisers and clients alike. This session will explore the difficulties in getting clients accepted for CI cover, particularly those with neurological conditions and how the shrinking pool of insurers is a cause for concern for underwriting diversity.
When an adviser comes across a client who has serious mental health conditions, it is important they understand how to support them and ask the right questions, showing empathy whilst also maintaining trust and professionalism. Even when the conversation is centred around breaking bad news to a client, such as claim denial, postponements or exclusions, it is crucial an adviser factors in their clients’ needs and treats the conversation with care.
This session will:
- Explore how to approach sensitive conversations with care.
- Discuss how to ask the right questions to clients with mental health.
- Identify techniques to deliver difficult messages.
Three startups, five minutes each! Join us for a rapid-fire showcase of cutting-edge startups.
Time for lunch - grab a bite to eat in the exhibition hall and grow your network!
While early intervention is commonly offered by group IP providers and deemed essential for managing absence and supporting return-to-work outcomes, its availability in individual IP products can vary widely. Individual IP is often accompanied by optional wellbeing 'add-ons' like access to employee assistance programs or virtual GP services, but these don’t always include early intervention support. So, how do we ensure that these key services are seen as integral to protection across both individual and group IP?
There is an industry debate on whether a lack of qualifications undermines the credibility of protection advice and the need for higher professional standards in the industry.
This session will examine the potential impact of mandatory qualifications, exploring the benefits for advisers and clients, as well as the financial and logistical challenges smaller firms may encounter in implementing them.
With the FCA’s market study into Pure Protection highlighting loaded premiums as an example of a commission arrangement that could be contrary to providing customer value, this session delves into the ethical considerations and transparency issues surrounding these practices. As the industry landscape evolves, loaded premiums continue to spark discussions on how fair the practice is and the impact it has on the relationship between advisers and providers.
This session will:
- Examine the implications of loaded premiums on adviser-consumer relationships.
- Gain insights of the key issues raised by the FCA’s market study.
- Explore strategies for promoting greater transparency and fairness.
Thank you for joining COVER Summit North.
Please note that this programme is subject to change