From the Daily Mail
Tragedy of the 50 soldiers killed in Afghanistan who couldn't afford life insurance | Mail Online

Can somebody who actually has an understanding of this issue comment. Is this genuinely a problem? Or is is just young troops being invincible and not needing insurance?

70 quid a month seems affordable to someone on tour to me.

Its a load of bollocks and 100K of cover with PAX or forces financial is nowhere near 70 quid a month.

As someone on tour gets the bonus, LSA and do not pay for food or accommodation (singlies) and may be eligible for UWA and ULA, I'd say the Mail is trying to rev up the outrage bus again without researching their story.

Pax is affordable for anyone in the army on tour there is no excuse for not having it. If lads choose to ignore the advice to take it out then it's no fault of the army.

As Stacker says, load of shit from the papers. Why can 50 soldiers not afford it, but the 1000s of others on the same pay or less can.

Either stupid shit admin fuckers just wanted more beer tokens, or they didn't want it because they didn't think it could happen to them.

Well now, my Cat A EOD insurance costs $US6800 per year and is paid by my employer (except for the last mob which was an NGO so I paid it myself).

I don't see why the MOD doesn't pay for it. That or increase soldiers salary to, er, lets see, £26000?

IMHO I dont think it is a problem, I think it is more of people thinking they don't need it.

I'm a young jock & have PAX, kit & life / serious illness insurance (took out the latter as I'm married, it covers certain stuff PAX doesn't & costs less than £30 a month anyway). Our company CoC had all the lads attend a Forces Financial brief & created the opportunity for everyone to square away insurance during working hours.

Most blokes didn't take it as it would be less cash for booze, clothes, junk food & whores.

Most singlies don't buy Life Insurance. Why would they? They have no-one depending on their income who will be left penniless if they die. Personal Accident yes - that's just common sense and most soldiers have that (certainly in my Bn where we have had briefings, Pre-DACs, insurance clinics and so on), but why would they waste cash on Life Insurance?

Originally Posted by Legs

Most singlies don't buy Life Insurance. Why would they? They have no-one depending on their income who will be left penniless if they die. Personal Accident yes - that's just common sense and most soldiers have that (certainly in my Bn where we have had briefings, Pre-DACs, insurance clinics and so on), but why would they waste cash on Life Insurance?

Which is why I didn't when I went on tour last time and which is why I probably won't when I deploy soon. The NAAFI people couldn't understand why I refused to sign up despite me explaining this to them.

As others have said it's a load of bollocks, in the last couple of months my lot have had briefs from PAX, Force Financial and Abacus. It's always hammered home not only by the CoC but also the more senior blokes who've got a couple of tours under their belt. When we have MCCPs there is always a stack of Pax forms on the desk where they check if you have insuarance.

Is there still the form that has to be signed every few month stating if you have insuarnace and if you don't that you understand the implications?