HEALTH iQ (USA)

Health IQ offers special rates to health-conscious term assurance customers.


Health iQ is a US-based broker that helps to get special rates for healthy people on term life assurance policies. Instead of asking traditional  questions such as “how much do you smoke or drink?” it calculates customer risk by testing health knowledge such as being able to identify vegan brands.


Special rates are negotiated using data from Health iQ's proprietary quiz, based on scientific research on the correlation between health and health knowledge.

Is it original?
Health iQ is original in that it personalizes insurance for individuals based on their health and fitness knowledge – such as being able to identify vegan brands or knowing how much an Olympic barbell weighs – instead of being asked standard health questions, or using data from wearable devices. It thus takes a different approach to measuring customer risk.

Is it long-lasting?
Giving lower-risk customers access to cheaper insurance will be more attractive to the healthconscious compared to traditional policies. It is targeting specific customer groups such as runners or vegetarians, improving customer engagement and uptake of policies, which will make it long-lasting. It is also licensed in all 50 US states, giving it a wide customer reach.

Is it operationally game-changing for the provider?
Health iQ is challenging the traditional model of calculating health risk, and it works with its carriers to do the same. For instance, it recognizes BMI cannot tell the difference in weight between muscle and fat, and that a low heart rate is a sign of health and fitness instead of risk. This is operationally game-changing for providers.

Will it significantly improve the user experience?
While Health iQ’s health knowledge quiz is more fun and engaging than traditional insurance questionnaires, customers cannot make an instant purchase. They need to finish the Health iQ quiz and complete a medical examination, with the average length of time for underwriters to review a case being three to four weeks.

Is it market-changing?
Health iQ could motivate more providers to redefine how they calculate risk and to move away from being product-focused, instead moving towards targeting specific customer groups. This is potentially market-changing.

Total score: 4/5

BROLLY (UK)

Brolly provides an insurance concierge service.


Brolly is a smart insurance aggregator app that connects to a user’s email, scans existing policies, and searches for better alternatives. It launched gadget and motor products on its site for the first time in April 2018. Markerstudy, AXA, and Ageas are on the panel of underwriters behind these policies.

Is it original?

Yes. Brolly combines an online aggregator and an advisory service. Its AI-driven app scans through a user’s emails to locate any active policies and manages them on a dashboard, which is why it describes itself as a personal insurance concierge service. It tells consumers if they are underinsured, or if it can find them a better policy elsewhere.

Is it long-lasting?

Yes. It is very convenient for consumers, who only have to grant permission for Brolly to scan their emails in order to collate all insurance policies in one place. It is already a wellestablished start-up, having been around since 2016 and formed partnerships with leading insurers and investment companies. 

Is it operationally game-changing for the provider?

Yes. It is a different proposition from just offering insurance or an aggregating service, and is a step towards insurers interacting with consumers on a more regular basis. It offers a much higher level of service than traditional insurers, and if it can gain users’ trust – to the extent they believe they are being offered the best policy without having to check around – then it will be a very effective all-round insurance service. It will negate a consumer’s need to go to an insurer, comparison site, or broker.

Will it significantly improve the user experience?

Yes. The app is very easy to use, finding all of a customer’s existing policies takes very little effort from the user, and it offers advice if better policies are available. To purchase its mobile phone insurance, for example, the app automatically detects what phone is being used, asks the user to confirm, and then provides a list of prices for purchase in one click.

Is it market-changing?

Yes. It is a serious threat to price comparison sites as it effectively offers a more tailored version of that service. It could also be an early sign of the future of digital brokers, due to its partnerships with leading insurers and its ability to manage existing policies and offer advice.

Total score: 5/5

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