In the latest episode of “Life Behind the Numbers”, a Discovery Life podcast series, I am joined by Discovery Life Deputy Chief Executive Gareth Friedlander and Chief Medical Officer Dr Maritha van der Walt, to discuss the significant impact that health screenings have on severe illness claims, particularly when it comes to cancer.

There are many risks in life that are beyond our control, but for some risks, there are simple steps that we can take to mitigate them. When it comes to our health, by being proactive – following a healthy diet, exercising, reducing stress, and going for regular health screenings – we can reduce the incidence of severe diseases and even mortality.

When it comes to diseases such as cancer or any form of chronic illness, early detection is fundamental to limiting serious complications and reducing costs in the long term.

For example, Discovery Health’s data shows that on average, a person diagnosed at the age of 40 with an early-stage breast cancer has a three times higher likelihood of surviving for five years post diagnosis.

In this podcast, we discuss this correlation between health screenings and claims, highlighting the dramatic drop in screenings during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent rise in late-stage cancer diagnoses.

We also delve into the broader implications of these findings for life insurance and the substantial increase in payouts under Discovery Life’s living benefits, such as severe illness, disability, and income protection, which in 2023 exceeded death benefit payouts.

As a result, Discovery Life has responded by investing heavily in screening initiatives, leading to a notable increase in early-stage cancer diagnoses in 2023.

Visit the Discovery website for more information on preventative screening and the specific benefits offered by Discovery.

Life Behind the Numbers is a podcast series sponsored by Discovery Life, in which we delve into the trends driving insurance claims and explore how this data can help us improve health outcomes.