What happens if you get sick or hurt in your 20s and can't work? - IOL

Most young people don't think about life insurance until they're older, married, buying a house, or maybe with kids on the way. It feels like a ‘someday’ purchase, mostly because we tend to picture it as something that only pays out when you die.

But that's only half the story.  Claims data from Discovery Life suggests the other half matters a lot more, a lot sooner, than most 20-somethings assume.

The real question isn't “what happens when I die,” but “what happens if I get sick or injured and can't earn an income right now?” A serious illness, an accident, or a disability can hit at any age, and if it derails your ability to work, it can just as easily derail your rent, your student loan repayments, your car finance and your medical bills.

Over the past five years (2021–2025), Discovery Life paid out R378 million in claims to clients aged 18 to 30. Of that, R235 million was for so-called “living benefits”– payouts made while the person is very much alive, but suddenly unable to work or cover their own costs.

Some of the claims data makes the point sharply: in 2025, the youngest person to claim on life cover was just 23, and clients as young as 24 received payouts for severe illness and loss of income. Across the under-30 group, 62% of all claims paid over the five-year period were living benefit claims, not death claims.

Take the case of the 26-year-old doctor who was left permanently unable to use one arm and hand after an accident, ending his medical career. He's since received more than R6 million across three benefits: income replacement, disability and severe illness cover. In another case, a client diagnosed with a chronic illness at 30 has received R2,7 million to date in income and disability payouts to manage ongoing medical costs and lost earnings. This has a major impact on a person’s ongoing quality of life. 

There's a financial logic to acting early, too: life insurance premiums are largely priced on age and health, so the younger and healthier you are when you take out cover, the cheaper it is likely to stay. Waiting until after a diagnosis or injury can mean higher premiums, or being excluded from certain cover altogether.

It's also not just about you. If you help support a sibling's studies, or contribute to your parents' or grandparents' household costs, losing your income affects more than one person's budget.

You can see how Discovery Life's severe illness cover and income protection benefit work, or get a fuller picture of the full range of life insurance cover available.