Mr Cadger adds: "As an industry, to help customers fully understand the access to insurance, we should give as much profile to underwriting acceptance rates as we do claims paid statistics.
"We should also share case studies of people with health issues actually being able to get cover."
Mr Knowles says this is why financial advisers can really add value to the client relationship: "A specialist adviser will know when a direct online journey will be most beneficial to a client, with, say, more common disclosures such as stress, anxiety and depression.
"They will also know when to approach the more empathetic underwriters who can look at cases on an individual basis. It is rare there are no options available, and the key is showing empathy and understanding to the customer."
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
