I understand that life assurance policies were sold by a number of companies that included a review clause. The advantage of these policies from the point of view of the consumer was that they permitted renewal of life cover after a stated period without a medical test. However, the rates to be charged would reflect the fact that the policyholder was now older than when the policy was first taken out. The policies were also designed to provide cover at a very economical rate in the early years, when policyholders generally have higher expenses, with the cost of cover increasing when policyholders were older and better able to afford higher cover.