Life cover is a long-term financial security plan. (Peter Dazeley/ Getty Images)
Liberty, the Standard Bank-owned insurer, paid out R9.14 billion for mortality, lifestyle protection and income protection claims in 2023.
The payouts comprised R6.72 billion in valid claims to individual clients, their families, and beneficiaries as well as well as R2.4 billion in corporate claims, according to Liberty’s latest claims statistics. Cancer was again the leading cause of claims, accounting for 32.3%, followed by cardiac and cardiovascular diseases and disorders (23.4%), respiratory disorders (7.3%), strokes (5.6%) and traumatic injuries (4.5%).
Dr Reinhardt Erasmus, Liberty’s medical officer, said the dominance of cancer claims could be attributed a variety of reasons including lifestyle choices, diet, lack of physical activity and genetic markers.
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