Can I increase my trauma insurance coverage later?

You can usually increase your Trauma cover sum insured later, either through automatic Indexation, a Future Insurability or Guaranteed Insurability Option triggered by a life event, or fresh underwriting at your current age and health. Each path has different costs and limitations, especially if your health has changed since the original underwriting.

General advice only. The structures and PDS references below are factual product information, not a personal recommendation.

Three paths to a higher sum insured

1. Automatic Indexation (no underwriting)

Every panel Trauma PDS applies an automatic Indexation Benefit each plan anniversary unless you opt out. The mechanism varies by insurer:

| Insurer | Indexation default | PDS reference | |---------|---------------------|---------------| | AIA | Higher of CPI or 5% on Crisis Recovery Stand Alone | Priority Protection PDS v32 (9 November 2025), Section 7.2 | | Zurich | CPI-only | Wealth Protection PDS (1 November 2025) | | TAL | Greater of Indexation Factor or 5% | Accelerated Protection PDS (12 December 2024) | | OnePath | CPI-linked Indexation Benefit | OneCare PDS (1 October 2025) | | ClearView | CPI Indexation Benefit | ClearChoice PDS (13 May 2024 with 5 June 2025 update) | | NEOS | Higher of 5% or CPI | NEOS Protection PDS (6 December 2024) | | Encompass | Greater of CPI or 3% | Encompass Protection PDS (26 September 2025) | | Acenda | Greater of CPI or 5% (taxed-source) or CPI or 3% (other) | Acenda Insurance PDS (27 September 2025) | | Futura | Higher of 5% or CPI, stops at age 70 for Critical Illness Cover | Futura Protection PDS (1 October 2025) |

Indexation requires no medical evidence. The premium adjusts in proportion to the indexed sum insured. You can opt out on any anniversary to keep the sum insured flat that year.

2. Future Insurability / Guaranteed Insurability Option (life-event based)

Most panel Trauma products offer a Future Insurability or Guaranteed Insurability Option that lets you increase cover without medical evidence on the occurrence of a defined personal or business event. Standard triggers include:

• Marriage or entering a de facto relationship.
• Birth or adoption of a child.
• Taking out a new mortgage or refinancing an existing one.
• A salary increase above a stated threshold.
• Death of a spouse or business partner.
• Receiving an inheritance.

The option is typically exercisable within 30 to 60 days of the triggering event, with the increase capped at a percentage of the original sum insured (commonly 25 per cent per event, with an aggregate lifetime cap). New medical underwriting is not required, but financial underwriting (proof of the event and the sum-insured requirement) is. Refer to the specific PDS section for each panel product, since the eligible events, percentage caps, and aggregate caps vary materially.

3. Fresh underwriting (new application)

If you need an increase larger than Indexation or the Future Insurability cap allows, you must apply for the higher sum insured through standard underwriting. This involves:

• A new health questionnaire reflecting your current age and health.
• Possible medical examinations and pathology, depending on the increase amount and your age.
• Reassessment of occupation, pastimes, and lifestyle.
• A new premium quote based on your current age and health.

If your health has deteriorated since the original underwriting, the increase may be priced with a loading, restricted by an exclusion, or declined entirely.

Restrictions after a claim

If you have already claimed on the Trauma policy, increasing cover is usually limited or impossible. The Reinstatement Option (where available) restores cover after a claim but excludes the same condition family from the reinstated cover:

• AIA Crisis Reinstatement is a Section 8.7 Optional Benefit with a minimum sum insured of $10,000 (Priority Protection PDS v32, 9 November 2025, Section 8.7).
• TAL Critical Illness Reinstatement Option must be exercised within 30 days of the 12-month anniversary of the original claim notification, and the reinstated cover excludes the same Cancer, Stroke, or Heart Condition family (TAL Accelerated Protection PDS, 12 December 2024, Section 2.3).
• NEOS Critical Illness Cover Reinstatement Benefit is available without medical or pastimes evidence, but the reinstated cover excludes the original event and related conditions such as early stage prostate cancer or melanoma in situ where these were the claim trigger (NEOS Protection PDS, 6 December 2024).
• Encompass Critical Illness Reinstatement Option is available only when Critical Illness Cover is structured a particular way (Encompass Protection PDS, 26 September 2025).
• Futura Critical Illness Cover Reinstatement Option (Futura Protection PDS, 1 October 2025).

Reinstatement is not the same as an increase. It restores cover up to (or close to) the original sum insured for unrelated future events. To go above that, fresh underwriting is required.

Maximum sum insured caps

Panel Trauma caps limit how much cover any one insurer will write:

• AIA: $2 million Crisis Recovery cap; $50,000 minimum (Priority Protection PDS v32, 9 November 2025).
• Zurich: $2 million Trauma cover.
• TAL: $2 million Critical Illness Insurance Benefit Amount.
• OnePath: $2 million Trauma Cover.
• ClearView: $2 million Trauma Standard; $3 million Trauma Severe Events; $3 million aggregate across all Trauma cover with any insurer (ClearChoice PDS, 13 May 2024 with 5 June 2025 update).
• NEOS: $1 million at cover commencement; $2 million over the life of the plan via Indexation.
• Acenda: $2 million Critical Illness Plus; $500,000 outside super on Critical Illness Standard.
• Futura: $2 million Critical Illness Cover.

Increases up to the cap are possible. Above the cap, the additional cover must be placed with a second insurer (subject to that insurer's underwriting and aggregate-cap rules).

What this means in practice

• Take adequate cover at the original underwriting because increases later are not guaranteed.
• Use Indexation as the default unless you have a clear reason to opt out.
• Use a Future Insurability Option for life-event-triggered top-ups without re-underwriting.
• Plan reviews around major life events to use the option windows before they expire.
• If your health changes, you may not be able to add more cover at any price.

General advice only. A licensed adviser can walk you through whether your current cover and the available increase paths fit your circumstances.