AIA Australia has responded to the growing incidence of severe diabetes by adding it as a crisis event to its Priority Protection product.

Although diabetes is now Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease with Diabetes Australia saying 275 Australians develop the condition every day, few are concerned about the impact on their lifestyle.

AIA’s recent Healthy Living Index Monitor found just 10% of Australian adults are worried about getting diabetes compared to other disease-related concerns such as cancer (26%).

AIA Chief Distribution Officer Damien Mu says adding diabetes as a crisis event is due to this growing incidence.

“Many Australian families struggle both emotionally and financially when someone in their family is diagnosed with a life-threatening or debilitating health condition such as diabetes, and the last thing they want to worry about is paying the bills,” he said. 

“By adding severe diabetes as a crisis event we hope to ease this financial burden.” 

The insurer has also improved the definition of cancer by removing the exclusion for tumours treated by endoscopic procedures.

AIA has also introduced an optional rider benefit to its income protection product that includes specified injury benefit and multi definitions for total disablement and partial disablement.