INSURING ON CHANCE OF HAVING TWINS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 67, 10 July 1950, Page 7

INSURING ON CHANCE OF HAVING TWINS

There are old wives’ 1 tales, and young ones’, too, on the chances of twins being born, but actuarially, Lloyd’s, the insurance brokers, will take the “risk” at 100 to 3. Although prospective parents are often worried by the thought of dealing with two or more babies at the same time, les than a dozen a year bother to insure against this contingency. More make inquiries from the insurance brokers, but apparently go home satisfied that there isn’t a chance of that sort of thing happening to them. The agents in New Zealand who write the insurance for Lloyd’s are quick to explain that it isn’t a bet on whether your wife will have twins. The insurance is written only for a sufficient sum to meet the additional expenses of “multiple births.” The company stipulates that the insurance must be taken out six months before the date of the birth, each baby must have a separate existence for 24 hours, and there is no claim if the births take place six weeks before the expected date. The New Zealand Official Year Book, in the latest figures available, shows that in 1947 one mother in 83 gave birth to twins, or triplets. Out of 44,816 births there were 529 cases of twins. There were also four cases of triplets. One New Zealand insurance salesman had for years advocated the twin insurance policy. In due course he matried and his wife was to make him a father. Did he take out one of his policies? He did not. And his wife gave birth to twins. There is one thing about a twins insurance policy—the company never has to send out a ren ?wal notice.