Life insurance red tape reduced via new digital initiative

Yasmine Raso

Senior Journalist, Financial Newswire

4 June 2025

Life insurance applicants are set for a much more streamlined process to provide their medical information with the introduction of “smart” digital questionnaires, borne out of a partnership between Australian life insurer Acenda, formerly MLC Life, and EQ Pathology. 

The digital capability eliminates the need for doctors to provide medical information through PDF forms, delivering a streamlined process and data sharing between applicants, medical practitioners, insurers and advisers.

Gerard Kerr, Chief Executive Individual Business at Acenda, said this digital initiative is the first of its kind in the Australian life insurance industry.

“This industry first initiative is part of Acenda’s commitment to innovation and ensuring we put the customer at the heart of everything we do and make it easier and faster for Australians to obtain their cover,” he said.

“It is part of our focus to transform underwriting and to innovate how our underwriters get precisely the information they need the first time without the back and forth that can delay applications.

“Doctors will no longer have to download or print PDFs so advisers can provide their clients with faster decisions in a streamlined experience that still respects their privacy.”

The automated and digitised process will reduce the delays and remove any bottlenecks caused by filling in additional medical information along the entire insurance chain of communication.

“This partnership demonstrates how technology can solve real problems, making life insurance applications smoother and faster for clients, advisers and medical professionals,” Stephen Clarkson, CEO of EQ Pathology, said.

“It’s exciting to see an insurer embrace our structured data approach to eliminate the traditional bottlenecks in underwriting.”