Emily, 29, had just started a new job when, three weeks later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. With no sick leave or annual leave built up, things could have gotten really tough – and fast.
Several months earlier, Emily had considered cancelling her policy after paying off her home loan. But after speaking with an ALI Group team member who educated her on the policy, she decided to keep it. “It ended up being a good thing,” Emily says, “because I got diagnosed with breast cancer and I was able to put the claim in.”
A young mum with two kids on a single income, the diagnosis was understandably stressful and overwhelming. Thankfully, making a claim on her Living Benefit was “a really easy process.”
Once submitted, her claim was approved in 8 days, and she received a lump sum payment of $82,098. About the ALI Group claims team, Emily says: “They were really good and really easy to deal with. And didn’t make it hard at all, which is good because I don’t need hard.”
The payment gave Emily the breathing room to focus on her treatment and recovery.
“It’s allowed me to take the time off that I need during chemo and surgery. I just started a new job. It’s just allowed me to take that time off during treatment and recovery from treatments, and then also chemo knocks it out of you.”
“So, if I don’t feel up to working a full day — which sometimes I don’t — I just get really tired and make mistakes and stuff, so it’s better off me not working sometimes. It’s just allowed me to be at home when I need to be at home and not push myself, because I shouldn’t be pushing myself at the moment, you know.”
When asked what she would’ve done without the cover her Aussie broker offered, Emily says: “I would have to be dipping into savings which I’m not meant to touch. Or asking family members for money and I don’t want to do that either. Because, the treatments are not cheap and my private health cover doesn’t actually cover very much.”
And when asked if she thinks homeowners should be offered protection, she’s clear: “Oh definitely. If I didn’t have protection and I couldn’t work, I’d be stuffed. I’d have to sell the house if I was in that situation.”
The current My Protection Plan has been available since 5 April 2021. The above is an example of a customer claim paid on a similar product distributed by Australian Life Insurance Distribution Pty Ltd ABN 31 103 157 811 AFSL 226403 (ALI). ALI provides advice that is general in nature and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider these and the information in the Product Disclosure Statement (available along with the target market determination, from www.aligroup.com.au), or speak to a financial adviser, before making a decision about the suitability of the product. © ALI Group 2025