Survey: Insurance Accessibility Measures as of March 2026
Overview
The Financial Services Agency surveyed insurers and small-amount, short-term insurance providers on measures for people with disabilities and others as of the end of March 2026, and published the results. The survey covered 41 life insurers, 34 non-life insurers offering personal insurance, and 117 small-amount, short-term insurance providers. Across the categories, rates of having internal rules for scribing for people unable to write, reading aloud for people with visual disabilities, and supporting people with hearing disabilities were high. The rates for having customer service manuals that address a range of disability characteristics were 79.5% for life insurers, 91.2% for non-life insurers, and 83.8% for small-amount, short-term insurance providers. Changes in the number of surveyed companies and other factors mean the results cannot be directly compared with previously published figures. The Agency calls on providers to continue improving accessibility, taking account of other companies’ practices and the views of people with disabilities and others.
Key points
- The survey covered 41 life insurers, 34 non-life insurers offering personal insurance, and 117 small-amount, short-term insurance providers.
- The rates for having customer service manuals were 79.5%, 91.2%, and 83.8% for life insurers, non-life insurers, and small-amount, short-term insurance providers, respectively.
- The Financial Services Agency called on providers to continue efforts to improve accessibility, taking account of other companies’ practices and the views of people with disabilities and others.
Overview
The Financial Services Agency surveyed insurers and small-amount, short-term insurance providers on measures for people with disabilities and others as of the end of March 2026, and published the results.
Because of changes in the number of surveyed companies and other factors, the results cannot be directly compared with previously published figures.
Impact
The Financial Services Agency called on insurers and other providers to continue efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and others, taking account of other companies’ practices and their views.
Details
For rules governing new contracts, the rate of having scribing rules for people unable to write was 100% for life and non-life insurers and 99.1% for small-amount, short-term providers. The rates for rules allowing an accompanying family member or other person to scribe were 100%, 100%, and 94.0%, respectively. The rates for rules on reading aloud for people with visual disabilities were 100%, 100%, and 97.4%; for protecting personal information when reading aloud, 100%, 100%, and 84.2%; and for supporting people with hearing disabilities, 100%, 100%, and 97.4%. Figures in parentheses indicate the previous year’s status.
For support for people with visual disabilities, the survey examined Braille and alternative measures for insurance policies, notices, and mailing envelopes. For support for people with hearing disabilities, it checked handwritten communication during policy maintenance procedures, communication boards, sign language interpreters and similar assistance, telephone relay services and Yomitel, and nonverbal contact methods for emergencies.
The survey also examined measures during policy maintenance procedures for people with intellectual, mental, or developmental disabilities; consultation desks for people with disabilities and their families; staff training, internal rule briefings, simulated experiences, qualifications, and other ways to improve response capabilities; and whether service counters and other locations displayed that scribing, reading aloud, handwritten communication, sign language, and similar assistance were available.