Raising the game for protection

In a world in which customers can arrange almost anything on their phone in a few taps, Irish Life has reshaped how protection is written and underwritten. Our Underwriting Submission Platform (USP), broader protection proposition and new electronic PMAs create a fully digital, broker‑centred journey that saves you time, reduces hassle and improves your client outcomes.

USP – Underwriting Submission Platform

USP is Irish Life’s direct‑to‑client online medical underwriting journey, designed to take the friction out of protection business. You only need to capture the client’s personal details and plan information in minutes and then send a secure link, allowing your clients to complete their medical questions at a time and place that suits them, in the privacy of their own home.

The intelligent, reflexive questionnaire only asks follow‑up questions where needed, ensuring applications are accurate and complete before submission. Clients e‑sign and submit online; the case flows straight into Irish Life Underwriting, with real‑time tracking through MyBiz on b-line so brokers always retain visibility and control.

You no longer need to:

• Key in pages of medical questions
• Chase or scan paper forms
• Manage separate fast‑track questionnaires
• Spend time re‑keying or clarifying incomplete answers  

Brokers report that USP typically removes at least 15 minutes of inputting from every case, before even counting the reduction in follow‑up administration.

The impact is clear in the latest USP performance figures:

• Almost 500 brokers now use USP - 82% of our protection business is now submitted via the platform.
• The average time to sign off a case is six days, yet about 40% are signed off within 24 hours.
• 65% of cases are accepted at standard rates at point of sale, meaning most clients receive an immediate decision with no further underwriting.
• Nearly 50,000 lives have been covered through USP‑submitted business from brokers.

For busy firms, this translates into a smoother, more modern customer experience and a significant uplift in underwriting efficiency.  

A broader digital protection proposition

USP sits within Irish Life’s wider digital ecosystem built to help brokers grow their protection business. This includes:

• MyQuotes - mobile and tablet enabled, offering quick quotes and almost all market rates to facilitate price‑matching, with seamless flow from quote to pre‑filled application.
• MyEstatePlanner - providing personalised, unbranded inheritance tax reports to support estate planning conversations.
• MyBusinessProtectionPlanner - helping advisers quickly identify and structure appropriate business protection solutions in one place.

These tools, together with USP, create an end‑to‑end digital pathway from first quotation through to fully underwritten cover, sharply reducing the administrative burden on broker teams whilst keeping advice at the centre of the process.  

On the product side, Irish Life offers:

• Mortgage protection with dual‑life cover priced at the cheapest joint‑life rate in the market, backed by a streamlined digital application process and pro‑client claims ethos.
• Family protection that includes additional no‑cost cover for women under 45 on term policies above €25,000, and comprehensive children’s benefits, covering life and specified illness up to age 25.
• A distinctly flexible term plan with options to convert to further term or guaranteed whole‑of‑life cover, adjust benefits without new medical evidence within the first five years, and increase cover after key life events using guaranteed insurability options.
• LifeCare value‑added services such as NurseCare for 24/7 clinical support, and ClaimsCare with post‑claim counselling sessions at no extra cost.
• Extensive specified illness cover with 48 full‑payment and 41 partial‑payment conditions, designed with a focus on conditions that will lead to real claims for clients.

Combined with Irish Life’s long heritage, strong brand recognition and transparent, pro‑payment claims philosophy, this creates a compelling, modern protection proposition for advisers and their clients.

Electronic PMAs – SureMed and digital medical evidence

To further reduce friction in underwriting, Irish Life has partnered with Clanwilliam Health on SureMed, a fully electronic medical information request solution (often referred to as electronic PMAs). Designed with KonnectNet and customised for the Irish underwriting market, SureMed enables secure, end‑to‑end digital exchange of medical reports between insurers and GPs.

Irish Life was the first life office in Ireland to go live on SureMed. The platform is integrated directly into leading GP practice management systems – Socrates, HPM and HealthOne - with workflow management, reminders and built‑in payments. Requests can only be delivered to GPs who have activated SureMed, enhancing data security and GDPR compliance for all parties.

Key advantages include:

• Standardised digital forms, giving a consistent workflow regardless of insurer or request type.
• Pre‑populated fields, so most data is auto‑filled, significantly cutting completion time.
• The option for any team member to prepare the form for the GP to review and submit.
• Integrated invoicing and prompt payment to practices, with up to two payment runs per month.
• A better client experience, enabling faster completion of their life insurance application and onboarding.
• High‑quality, structured data that supports faster underwriting decisions and removes the need for paper forms.

Practices using SureMed have seen the time required to complete some reports fall by up to 70%, with 3000+ having activated SureMed in Ireland as at April 1st, and a trend of continuing growth.* Doctors save an estimated 20–30 minutes per transaction thanks to standardised, digitised workflows.

A joined‑up, 21st century experience

Taken together, USP, the wider protection proposition and electronic PMAs such as SureMed form a joined‑up digital environment in which:

• Brokers spend less time on data entry and chasing paperwork.
• Clients enjoy a simple, secure, largely self‑service application experience with rapid decisions.
• GPs can respond to medical evidence requests more quickly and with less administrative burden.

This is protection for the 21st century - a blend of robust underwriting, strong product features and smart technology, all designed to support advisers in building sustainable, client‑centred businesses.

Log on to b-line today to try the digital supports for protection advice that can save you time, enhance your clients’ experience, and elevate your business brand.

*Source: SureMed 01.04.26