Previously seriously ill S'porean praises insurance agents for being 'true pillars of support'

His post has been widely shared by insurance agents.

Fasiha Nazren | April 19, 2018, 01:37 AM

If you have lived in Singapore long enough, you would have been approached by an insurance agent looking to sell you a policy on the street.

At least once a week.

And chances are, their intrusive sales techniques don't work too well -- something which has been chronicled before:

Former non-believer

But not everyone is as allergic to agents on the prowl looking to sign new clients up as everyone else.

One Singaporean, Benjamin Loh, has written a Facebook post sharing his life-changing experience with a "critical liver condition" and how insurance pretty much ensured his life was not ruined:

Loh, a public speaker, then goes on to claim that he used to share the same sentiments as most Singaporeans regarding insurance agents in Singapore.

"I've been also annoyed at some of their "persistence" and "stubbornness" for not taking "no" as an answer."

But that all changed when he was diagnosed with a liver abscess -- a condition where the liver is filled with pus.

Pus-filled liver

In 2014, Loh contracted a high fever.

Then 27, he went to the A&E twice. Both times he was treated for viral fever.

He sought out a specialist at the advice of a nurse friend. That was when Loh found out that he had contracted a case of a liver abscess.

In order to recover, he spent 12 days in a hospital and underwent pinhole surgery.

His medical fees came up to more than S$12,000.

However, according to him, his insurance coverage meant he didn't have to pay a single cent.

As he puts it:

"The greatest assurance was when my agent, Aaron, told me all the medical expenses will be covered for."

Insurance agents protect lives

Loh then explained that he is siding with insurance because "there are good eggs and bad ones" in every industry.

He also shared that these agents do put in much effort to convince others to take up insurance, just to be rejected for "helping to protect the lives of people".

These are his exact words:

"They spent hours convincing their prospects (and loved ones) of the need to get basic coverage at roadshows, restaurants and offices during weekdays and weekends… countless at-home hours away from their family members putting together comprehensive product summaries and financial plans just for their clients and yet, get stigmatized and rejected for helping to protect the lives of people!!(??)"

He also wrote that rejecting an insurance agent may just mean that you're turning away "your true pillar of support".

"So the next time you brush away an insurance agent for being pesky, persistent and being a pressurizing salesmen... you may just have also turned away an advisor who will be your true pillar of support in some of the toughest "downtimes" of your life."

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Post shared by financial consultants

Of course, a story as heartwarming as this will be shared widely on social media.

And what's interesting is that most of the Facebook shares were by --- you've guessed it -- insurance agents.

Some even took the chance to add their own comments and advertise their services.

"If I've ever shared w you about the importance of basic healthcare insurance, please know that I sincerely care and want the best for you.

P.S if you're still not covered and would like to find out more, feel free to contact me"

"Your Protection Gap = Your Responsibilities. I've been admitted to hospital for immediate surgery when I was just 19 Years Old, and I know exactly how it feels to be in that place, from pre-treatments to surgery to post-treatments. Don't regard your parents as your insurance. Health insurance is just a commodity product to assist the front." - insert sales pitch -

"It's okay to ignore us but never ignore on your body. Benjamin Loh was diagnosed with liver abscess at the age of 27 and this type of abscess will usually happened on guys age 40-50. Was he expecting it? NO. That's why insurance is important, it gives you a reassurance for unexpected things. Share with your loved ones today! Contact me for more!"

It appears that we weren't the only one who noticed this.

While other comments thanked Loh for his post and congratulated him on his recovery, one Luqman Hakim found it funny that insurance agents are sharing the post with their own captions.

"Finding it funny that agents are sharing this story with their own captions about how their plans are comprehensive and clients would have been able to get peace of mind when asking for treatments.

This is however just a few weeks removed from the Companies themselves complaining that people have buffet syndrome (exactly because they got excellent coverage) . Someone reconcile this for me please"

But this ended with one insurance agent who took the opportunity to book an appointment with Luqman in the guise of answering Luqman's questions:

Haha, nice move bro.