29th June 2012
Bright Grey: Celebrities influence more than the front cover of magazines
When Jade Goody was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2009, medical authorities in the UK reported a surge in requests from women, particularly younger women, for screening for cervical cancer. Will the news of Jack Osbourne being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a similar impact?
The story already appears to have increased awareness of the condition, with the MS Society reporting an increase in web traffic. There are around 100,000 MS suffers in the UK1. It's Bright Grey's 4th highest illness claimed for. And it makes up nearly 10% of our overall critical illness claims2.
MS is difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms can be different for everyone and will affect their lives in different ways. That’s why many providers use the standard definition from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to make decisions on a claim. But at Bright Grey our definition is better than the ABI's and means your clients don’t have to wait as long for their diagnosis to be confirmed. They have to be diagnosed with symptoms persisting for just 3 months, instead of 6, making this an ABI+ definition3.
Jack recently became a father. What impact is his condition going to have on his family? Jack's story may make your clients think about how a critical illness affects the whole family. And make them think about their own protection needs.
If you have clients who are looking for protection after hearing Jack's story, why not recommend a provider that acts sooner rather than later to help MS sufferers?
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