WRLife medical insurance - experiences?

[bradiston]

I saw them advertised here on the forum and have had so far fairly positive feedback from them. But I was just wondering if any member(s) have had any dealings with them. My slight worry is, I can't find any reviews online, but that may be just because people tend to register complaints rather than praise. I'm not in any way pushing this company. Just doing a bit of due diligence. TIA.

[scubascuba3]

A few threads on them already maybe search on google. Problem is limited reviews and no one knows who underwrites them and what regs they follow and that includes customers

[internationalism]

there are discussions about them also on insurance sub-forum.

Dubious company, but AA brokers have them on their list.

My broker misterprakan doesn't have a clue who they are.

 

[bradiston]

32 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

A few threads on them already maybe search on google. Problem is limited reviews and no one knows who underwrites them and what regs they follow and that includes customers

Yes, I saw a few comments on the forum, but very little on Google. I have a personal recommendation, but that's all. They have attractive policies and affordable for me. But like you say, not mentioned by any of the big brokers.

[bradiston]

30 minutes ago, internationalism said:

there are discussions about them also on insurance sub-forum.

Dubious company, but AA brokers have them on their list.

My broker misterprakan doesn't have a clue who they are.

 

I'll check out AA. Thanks. Any reason for the "dubious" connotation, apart from what appears to be a very low profile?

[scubascuba3]

7 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Yes, I saw a few comments on the forum, but very little on Google. I have a personal recommendation, but that's all. They have attractive policies and affordable for me. But like you say, not mentioned by any of the big brokers.

Attractive because they are cheaper, that's it, that's all you'll hear. Find out who underwrites them and what regs they follow, then you have something to go on

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

As far as I can determine, WRLife is an insurance broker, not an insurance company. If that's the case, then it is no surprise that a local insurance broker would not know of them or not prefer to work with them.

 

They appear to be registered in the UK and I have not been able to find any reference to them being licensed by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner here.

 

They seem to have a relationship with a company that provides medical evacuation services in Thailand that is part of a large Thai hospital group and they appear to use it as a conduit for some premium payments. 

 

If I were seeking a quote from them, I would ask for a copy of their insurance brokerage license, the name(s) and domicile(s) of the insurer(s) they work with and also a scope of service agreement so that I can determine what services they provide and to what degree I could count on their help if I had a dispute under a policy that they had arranged on my behalf. If they hesitate to provide any of the above, I would go elsewhere.

[bradiston]

22 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

As far as I can determine, WRLife is an insurance broker, not an insurance company. If that's the case, then it is no surprise that a local insurance broker would not know of them or not prefer to work with them.

 

They appear to be registered in the UK and I have not been able to find any reference to them being licensed by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner here.

 

They seem to have a relationship with a company that provides medical evacuation services in Thailand that is part of a large Thai hospital group and they appear to use it as a conduit for some premium payments. 

 

If I were seeking a quote from them, I would ask for a copy of their insurance brokerage license, the name(s) and domicile(s) of the insurer(s) they work with and also a scope of service agreement so that I can determine what services they provide and to what degree I could count on their help if I had a dispute under a policy that they had arranged on my behalf. If they hesitate to provide any of the above, I would go elsewhere.

Thanks a bundle for this obviously well informed advice. I took up your points with my contact at Wrlife. I also found this slightly more informative document which has the registration number and license number down at the end of the file.

 

https://www.wrlife.net/

 

However I'm still in the dark with regards to the insurers. I also discovered a lengthy link to an organisation called AIS, or Assist International Services, here:

 

http://assistinter.com/main/

 

So I'm still in the market, and if I get satisfactory answers to the other points I'll probably take them up on their options. I've been recommended Cigna also as an alternative. Perhaps a better bet.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

3 hours ago, bradiston said:

Thanks a bundle for this obviously well informed advice. I took up your points with my contact at Wrlife. I also found this slightly more informative document which has the registration number and license number down at the end of the file.

 

https://www.wrlife.net/

 

However I'm still in the dark with regards to the insurers. I also discovered a lengthy link to an organisation called AIS, or Assist International Services, here:

 

http://assistinter.com/main/

 

So I'm still in the market, and if I get satisfactory answers to the other points I'll probably take them up on their options. I've been recommended Cigna also as an alternative. Perhaps a better bet.

I don't think the WRLife website does a proper job of addressing the issues I raised in my original post. While it does mention license numbers, it does not state which authorities have granted those licenses. My guess is that those are UK licenses, but that's not clear from the website.

 

AIS's role is also not clear.  WRLife's payment instructions direct policyholders to send Thai baht payments to AIS. If AIS accepts insurance premiums and remits to insurers, this may have the effect of putting them in the role of performing insurance brokerage services for which they may need to be licensed by the OIC. Are they? 

 

Then there's the issue of which insurers they place their clients' business with. No mention that I can find.

 

WRLife may be completely above board and the best solution available, but I would need more information before I would do business with them.

 

[KannikaP]

I have had a policy since Feb 22 with them, £211 per month for Basic Serenity Cover up to £100,000.

Are they any good? Well I have not made a claim yet. They assure me that my 'pre-existing conditions' will be covered. I am dubious of the company, but I still carry on paying my premium.....just in case!

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

3 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I have had a policy since Feb 22 with them, £211 per month for Basic Serenity Cover up to £100,000.

Are they any good? Well I have not made a claim yet. They assure me that my 'pre-existing conditions' will be covered. I am dubious of the company, but I still carry on paying my premium.....just in case!

Which insurance company actually issued the policy?

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Which insurance company actually issued the policy?

As far as I can see, all paperwork is on WRLife sheets. Their email operators are very abrupt in their answers, with no-name signatures.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

14 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

As far as I can see, all paperwork is on WRLife sheets. Their email operators are very abrupt in their answers, with no-name signatures.

It may be that WRLife is a licensed insurance company, but I can't find any information online other than their own website and FB page.  Their website refers to a "general insurance license" in addition to insurance and reinsurance brokerage licenses, so perhaps they are indeed an insurer in addition to being a broker.

 

If they are actually an insurance company, I would want to know more about their financial status, preferably a rating from Standard and Poor or AM Best. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 8/7/2022 at 10:58 AM, scubascuba3 said:

A few threads on them already maybe search on google. Problem is limited reviews and no one knows who underwrites them and what regs they follow and that includes customers

WRLife are brokers according to their website, the companies whose policies they sell are the underwriters of the policies.

 

https://www.wrlife.net/pdf_files/INSURANCE POLICY ENGLISH.pdf

Edited August 8, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[KannikaP]

Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

WRLife are brokers according to their website, the companies whose policies they sell are the underwriters of the policies.

And those companies are??????

[scubascuba3]

2 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

It may be that WRLife is a licensed insurance company, but I can't find any information online other than their own website and FB page.  Their website refers to a "general insurance license" in addition to insurance and reinsurance brokerage licenses, so perhaps they are indeed an insurer in addition to being a broker.

 

If they are actually an insurance company, I would want to know more about their financial status, preferably a rating from Standard and Poor or AM Best. 

If they were an Insurance Company wouldn't they still have an Insurance underwriter?

[bradiston]

33 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I have had a policy since Feb 22 with them, £211 per month for Basic Serenity Cover up to £100,000.

Are they any good? Well I have not made a claim yet. They assure me that my 'pre-existing conditions' will be covered. I am dubious of the company, but I still carry on paying my premium.....just in case!

Can't see how they can cover preexisting but if they are contracted to, so be it. They put my Afib on at first a 12 month moratorium, but in the cover note ( I haven't paid yet) it went to 24 months. I can't see how they can cover cardiovascular knowing I have Afib.

 

Oh, and the registration is with Orias, which seems to be a French authority.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://orias.fr/home/documents/ORIAS-STATIC-ANNUAL-REPORTS-EN-2011&ved=2ahUKEwiA6rK70rb5AhXY-TgGHSOIASkQFnoECAYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw28L24FouydBKtfi831cz_C

[Dart12]

dunno.  But I'm looking at Pacific cross health, Aetna (bupa), April, and maybe Allianz right now.

Very unhelpful agents I'm finding.  Typical response is "read our unreadable brochure with hidden fine print" as their answer to any question.

Beyond aggravating.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

29 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

If they were an Insurance Company wouldn't they still have an Insurance underwriter?

Within the insurance industry, an insurance company is often referred to as an underwriter.

 

Within an insurance company, an underwriter is the person who actually evaluates risks and determines policy terms, conditions and premiums. 

 

When someone in the insurance industry refers to an underwriter, they can mean either an insurance company or an individual in an insurance company. It depends upon the context.

 

A broker or other intermediary is not referred to as an underwriter.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Etaoin Shrdlu

[Liverpool Lou]

23 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

24 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

WRLife are brokers according to their website, the companies whose policies they sell are the underwriters of the policies.

And those companies are??????

Ask WRLife.   You'd know when you complete the application form presumably, or when your application is accepted. 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

21 minutes ago, bradiston said:

 

 

Oh, and the registration is with Orias, which seems to be a French authority.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://orias.fr/home/documents/ORIAS-STATIC-ANNUAL-REPORTS-EN-2011&ved=2ahUKEwiA6rK70rb5AhXY-TgGHSOIASkQFnoECAYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw28L24FouydBKtfi831cz_C

The Orias document would seem to confirm that WRLife is a broker and not an insurance company. This seems consistent with what I get from Dun & Bradstreet:

 

 

[Al BB]

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Which insurance company actually issued the policy?

Yes, It would be good to know who the Underwriters are. 

[Liverpool Lou]

2 minutes ago, Al BB said:

Yes, It would be good to know who the Underwriters are. 

Would be one of the many the company is an agent for but you'll find out, either when you complete an application, or, when they issue an acceptance of your application.

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Ask WRLife.   You'd know when you complete the application form presumably, or when your application is accepted. 

Presumably wrong. No indication whatsoever who the Insurance Company may be. 

[prakhonchai nick]

If in doubt, stay clear. Same rules apply in Pattaya when one is not sure if a girl is indeed a girl!

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Would be one of the many the company is an agent for but you'll find out, either when you complete an application, or, when they issue an acceptance of your application.

Nothing to indicate any Company.

[scubascuba3]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

Nothing to indicate any Company.

Why don't you ask them? if they are based in UK you should get a decent response vs a Thai office

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why don't you ask them? if they are based in UK you should get a decent response vs a Thai office

I have just this moment asked WR Life who is underwriting my policy. If I get an unsatsfactory reply, I shall quit the policy, which luckily I pay monthly on a Credit Card.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

17 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Nothing to indicate any Company.

An insurance broker is taking a big risk if they issue coverage-bearing documents (policy, cover note or similar) and don't disclose the name of the insurer that actually bears the risk. They could be deemed the insurer in a court of law if there is a dispute.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Etaoin Shrdlu

[scubascuba3]

34 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Within the insurance industry, an insurance company is often referred to as an underwriter.

 

Within an insurance company, an underwriter is the person who actually evaluates risks and determines policy terms, conditions and premiums. 

 

When someone in the insurance industry refers to an underwriter, they can mean either an insurance company or an individual in an insurance company. It depends upon the context.

 

A broker or other intermediary is not referred to as an underwriter.

 

 

I recall going to Lloyds of London a couple of times and on the Underwriting floor i think they had many desks each with a couple+ people representing different companies