Taiwan's FSC Says on 29 October 2026 Insurers Must Not Treat Disabled Clients Unfairly in Sales or Underwriting

The requirements from Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) cover three stages: insurance sales, frontline service and underwriting.

On 29 October 2026 the FSC issued a press release titled "FSC Promotes Implementation of Measures to Protect Insurance Rights of Persons with Disabilities". It requires insurers not to treat an insured person unfairly because of a disability when selling insurance products or handling underwriting. The contact unit named in the release is the Life Insurance Supervision Division of the FSC's Insurance Bureau.

Three checkpoints: sales, frontline, underwriting

• Sales and underwriting: insurers must not treat people unfairly in sales or underwriting because they have a disability.
• Frontline agents: they must understand the needs of customers with different types of disability, provide accessible and friendly service, and help customers take out suitable products.
• Insurance companies: they must set up underwriting assessment procedures that take account of the protection needs of people with disabilities.

Websites to gain accessibility marks, and an easy-read application handbook

The FSC is directing insurers with individual customers to have their websites obtain an accessibility certification mark, so that people with disabilities can access financial information in a friendly format.

The FSC is also directing the Non-Life and Life Insurance Associations to produce an easy-read edition of the insurance application handbook, explaining the different types of insurance and points to note during the application process.

Three hotlines for complaints about applications

People with disabilities who run into problems when applying for insurance can use the FSC's 1998 hotline, the Non-Life Insurance Association hotline (0800-221-783), the Life Insurance Association hotline (0800-221-348), or the customer service channels of the agent's insurer. The FSC said it has instructed the associations and their member companies to set up contact points.

The FSC urged insurers to carry out underwriting assessments for applicants with disabilities properly and, together with agents and partner channels, to safeguard their insurance rights and their right to equal access to cover. It said it will continue to supervise the measures.

Analysis: what it means for recruiting teams

The following is editorial analysis and is not part of the FSC press release.

The first point is training for new recruits. The FSC requires frontline agents to understand the needs of customers with different types of disability. When designing induction courses, teams could consider a separate module on communication and insurance needs for each type, and the associations' easy-read application handbook could serve as reference material in class.

The second point is sales scripts. Because customers must not be treated unfairly in sales on account of a disability, teams could review their scripts line by line for wording that talks a customer out of applying because of a disability before any underwriting assessment. The release requires insurers to set up the underwriting assessment procedures, so agents should not reach a conclusion on their own during meetings.

The third point is what managers cover when coaching new agents. Beyond product knowledge, they can explain the complaint routes open to customers: the FSC hotline, the two associations' hotlines and the company's customer service.

For recruiting teams, accessible insurance service is worth building into training early, ideally from the very first session.

Compiled by the F50 Editorial Team from public sources, for general reference only and not professional advice. Details are correct as of the publication date and may change.