Stephan Hillert, Head of Distribution and Customer Relationship Management Europe for Zurich International Corporate Solutions, looks at the income protection gap in the German market and how a new approach to group life and disability cover could help to close it – with benefits all round.

As the old saying goes, the only things certain in life are death and taxes. While death is inevitable, the quality of life you experience until death is often within an individual’s control. This is what our team at the Goldenson Center for Actuarial Research chose to focus on by developing a rigorous measure of quality of life. How many healthy years of life do you have ahead before you become unhealthy?

Global Benefits Vision: Could you start by giving us an overview of your career? Paige Schaffer: I have been with the Europ Assistance group since 2007. I was brought in as Vice President of Operations and Chief Service Officer, responsible for the operation of our identity protection group and our emergent travel assistance group, two separate call centers.

Australia’s health system is unique – much like its fauna. It has been shaped by the nation’s colonial history – the first hospitals were provided by the colonial administrations – and, of course, politics. It’s a curious blend of public and private funding and delivery of health care, with the Commonwealth (national) and the state governments both having significant roles in what has been described as an example of “marble cake federalism”.