Innovations and Challenges in Life Insurance Coverage
Tesco forms partnership with Aviva
August 21, 2025
Tesco has teamed up with Aviva to offer life insurance to shoppers and Clubcard members, available both online and in hundreds of UK stores, with premiums starting from £5 a month. Life insurance remains a key UK retail protection product, though overall take-up has been flat due to rising living costs. The Tesco–Aviva plan also provides access to optional health and wellbeing services. The partnership aims to make life insurance more accessible, leveraging Tesco’s brand and Aviva’s expertise to expand coverage and market visibility. Aviva emphasizes that nearly all claims—98.8% in 2024—are paid, highlighting the reliability of their protection products.
How Ozempic Is Disrupting a $1.4 Trillion Industry
August 20, 2025
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are transforming obesity treatment but creating challenges for U.S. life insurers, who wrote $1.4 trillion in premiums last year. Many patients stop taking these medications within a year, causing health improvements assumed in underwriting—like lower blood pressure and weight—to reverse, a phenomenon called “mortality slippage.” Most underwriting forms don’t ask about GLP-1 use, leaving insurers exposed to higher-than-expected payouts. Some insurers are beginning to require proof of long-term use or ask about GLP-1s, while others may raise premiums for high-BMI or diabetic applicants as a precaution. Until underwriting fully adapts, policyholders can expect stricter applications, more denials, and potential premium increases.
