http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for critical illnesses Copyright 2008 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:19:23 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/critical+illnesses http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-another-scam http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-another-scam#comments Wed, 09 Aug 2006 08:27:28 +0000 critical illness insuranceinsurance policyuk insuranceinsurance providerinsurance premiumsmoreoverillnesses http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-another-scam critical illness insurance may well be one of the wisest and astute financial decisions you make.

What Is Critical Illness Insurance?

In short, a critical illness insurance policy is very much like any other insurance policy you take out. Here, however, your premiums go towards insuring that you do not contract a critical illness. In the event that you do contract a critical illness, your UK insurance provider will pay you out a tax-free lump sum to help you cover the day-to-day costs of having to live with your new medical condition.

Are There Any Limitations With Critical Illness Insurance?

Yes; it is essential that you look at the list of critical illnesses that your insurance policy covers, as these will be the only illness under which the policy will pay-out. In other words, the UK insurance provider will not pay-out on the policy simply because you have a doctor's certificate that you have a critical illness, it needs to be one of the designated critical illness.

Moreover, if you are considered by the UK insurance provider to be a high risk -- for example, if you smoke -- then it is likely that either you will not be able to obtain the critical illness insurance, or your insurance premiums will be significantly higher than if this were not to the case. Importantly, you will need to disclose whether or not you have any existing conditions, in which case these will likely not be included, and whether or not your family has a history of the illnesses set out in the policy, in which case this will likely affect your premium payments.

How Will I Be Paid?

As mentioned, with a critical illness insurance your UK insurance underwriter will pay you out a lump-sum tax free amount once you contract one of the critical illnesses listed in the policy. Having paid out the lump-sum amount, your relationship with the UK insurance provider will come to an end. In other words, you will not have an ongoing relationship with the insurance provider paying you intermediate payments.

Is It Worth Having Critical Illness Insurance?

The question of whether or not there is any value in you having a critical illness insurance will depending largely on your age, expenses, and whether or not you have any other insurance. Essentially, critical illness insurance covers an area for which other types of insurance can be obtained. However, unlike other types of insurance, this is a very specific insurance policy paying out for a very specific purpose. That said, there is a strong argument that you can never really have too much insurance and will numbers seemingly showing that more and more of us contracting critical illnesses as we grow as an aging population, this type of UK insurance is always useful. Joe Kenny writes for the UK personal finance sites http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk and also http://www.cardguide.co.uk ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/do-i-need-critical-illness-insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/do-i-need-critical-illness-insurance#comments Sun, 03 Jun 2007 12:34:56 +0000 critical illness insurancecritical illnessesmost important thinglife insurancelump sumdavid thomsonloss of earnings http://www.artwoo.com/article/do-i-need-critical-illness-insurance Critical illness insurance is taken out to cover you either for life or for a set period of time against certain critical illnesses, diseases and medical conditions. It differs from life insurance in that life insurance pays out should you die. Critical illness insurance pays if you become physically or mentally impaired through illness or disease.

A policy to cover you for critical illness will pay out a tax free lump sum if you should fall victim to one of the illnesses defined within the policy. All that is needed to make a claim is the diagnosis by your Doctor of one of the illnesses or conditions defined in the policy; there is usually no requirement for you to prove loss of earnings or for you to need any special medical treatment.

Points to consider when thinking of taking out this form of insurance is that the sum and terms are decided at the outset when you take out your policy.

In order for the policy to pay out then you must survive for at least 28 days after the condition or illness has been diagnosed.



Once the set time of the policy has passed and you haven't been diagnosed as having a serious illness or condition then there is no payout and the policy simply ceases.

Before deciding on whether or not to take out critical illness insurance you should take several factors into consideration. The most important thing to decide is how much money you would need if you were to become critically ill and then decide how long you would need the cover for.

You will also have to take into account the various illnesses that are covered as these can vary from company to company. Another thing to take into account is that different companies have different exclusions within the policies so it is important that you read all the small print. David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance (http://www.bestdealinsurance.co.uk) an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best deal on their home, motor and life insurance. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/have-you-thought-about-critical-illness-life-insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/have-you-thought-about-critical-illness-life-insurance#comments Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:20:01 +0000 critical illness life insurancecritical illness insurancelife insurance policycritical illnessessum of moneypeace of mindlump sum payout http://www.artwoo.com/article/have-you-thought-about-critical-illness-life-insurance
With the advancements of technology today more and more people who are diagnosed with a critical illness do recover and go on to lead a normal life. However, it is during the recovery time that you could need help and peace of mind that you wouldn't have to struggle financially. A lump sum payout could help to pay medical expenses or day to day living expenses whilst you recovered and this would come in the form critical illness insurance.

Critical life insurance will pay out a lump sum of money if you should be diagnosed with one of the specific critical illnesses outlined in a policy. The sum of money and the term that the policy is taken out is determined at the time of purchasing the policy and if you should suffer from one of the critical illnesses defined on the policy then that sum of money would be paid out providing that you survived for 28 days after you were diagnosed with the illness.

The actual conditions defined as critical illness will vary from policy to policy but they usually all include such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, major organ transplant and multiple sclerosis. There are many others but these are usually the core illnesses so always check with a particular policy under the terms and conditions.

If after the term ends on the policy and you haven't been diagnosed with a critical illness then the policy simply expires there is no cash payout. A critical illness life insurance policy can bring great peace of mind to you and your loved ones and get you through a stressful period of time but you have to be careful when choosing your policy. The easiest way to get the best deal on a critical life insurance policy is to go to a specialist provider and let them secure the cheapest deal for you. David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance (http://www.bestdealinsurance.co.uk) an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best deal on their home, motor and life insurance. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/choosing-critical-illness-cover-online http://www.artwoo.com/article/choosing-critical-illness-cover-online#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:43:19 +0000 critical illnescritical illness coverkidney failureskin cancersprostrate canceradvancement in technologyheart attack http://www.artwoo.com/article/choosing-critical-illness-cover-online critical illness are now living longer. Critical illness cover can be taken out to protect against the possibility of you falling ill and a policy usually contains a long list of illnesses that are classed as being critical. The cover would pay out not only if you were seriously ill because of one of the illnesses, providing you have waited a certain length of time from contracting the illness, but would also pay if you become disabled as a result.

A policy would usually take into account around 30 illnesses which could include cancer, heart attack, suffering a stroke and kidney failure or transplant. Of course you have to check out the terms and conditions of the policy before taking it on as they do differ. There are also many exclusions which have to be checked and these can apply to the various illnesses. For example while in the majority of cases critical illness cover would payout if you were diagnosed with cancer, not all forms of cancer would be covered. Skin cancers are usually exempt from the cover as is prostrate cancer unless it is advanced. There are also exclusions for such as a heart attack and different policies will have different exclusions in them. Therefore you should never skip over the small print however tempting it might be.

When you are looking into choosing critical illness online you are able to take out a policy for any number of years. As long as you pay the premiums each month then the policy can continue running. There is always a period in which you cannot claim when taking on the cover and this would normally be around three months. While the advancement in technology means that you can live longer when being diagnosed with a critical illness it also means that insurance companies are putting up the cost of the insurance and as more advancements are made, premiums will continue to rise.

There are many factors that you have to take into account when choosing critical illness and when you look around you will find that there are many different policies offered by insurance companies. Never just take the first policy you find without looking into what is covered and is not, while you might get the cover cheap it would probably not cover many illnesses.

One thing to look for when deciding which critical illness cover to go for is whether or not the premiums will be fixed. If they are not fixed then you can expect the insurance company to raise them perhaps every other year. This could mean that what once was affordable cover now becomes a burden. A large number of policies will also provide cover for any children you have as standard. Sometimes the company will include children in the policy as standard while other providers could ask for a small premium. If you allow a broker to search around on your behalf for premiums then you can compare these easily for the best cover. All insurance found this way should come with what are called the key facts and these will tell you important information about what the policy entails.David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best deal on their life insurance, critical illness cover and home and motor insurance.]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/understanding-critical-illness-cover http://www.artwoo.com/article/understanding-critical-illness-cover#comments Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:35:00 +0000 critical illness insurancecritical illness coverassociation of british insurersheart attackprostrate cancerskin cancercoronary heart http://www.artwoo.com/article/understanding-critical-illness-cover
Critical illness insurance will pay out if you are diagnosed as having a pre-determined critical illness, there are a range of around serious illnesses which are now included in a policy such as this, but of course this will vary from company to company and the policy which is on offer, so you should always ensure you understand what your particular policy covers.

However the majority of policies do cover certain conditions which are classed as core or foundation conditions and these include cancer, heart attack, kidney failure, a major organ transplant, coronary heart by pass, multiple sclerosis and a stroke. However not all illnesses are covered and in fact recently, new rulings have been set out by the Association of British Insurers regarding which conditions can be claimed on.

Due to this it is imperative that you understand conditions which are excluded from critical insurance policies. For example, conditions such as non-evasive skin cancer and prostrate cancer which isn't considered to be advanced is excluded from within a policy. Of course these are just a few examples and there are many more.

Even conditions such as heart attack has to be clearly outlined, for example there has to be evidence that there are pains in the area of the chest, along with changes to an E.C.G scan for example. If the heart problem is thought to be caused by angina then in some cases this is also excluded from the policy.

Critical illness insurance benefits everyone, those who are married and have dependant children as well as those who are single. Critical illness cover can be used to pay off the mortgage or for private medical treatment which can be more beneficial than having life cover which will only pay out if you die.

Critical insurance cover can be taken out from between the ages of 17 and 70 and can be taken out for a pre-determined amount of time, such as to go alongside the term of your mortgage. From taking out the cover there will normally be a period of time in which you cannot make a claim, for the majority of policies this is usually a period of 3 months.

Choosing the right type of critical insurance can be a problem as currently there are over 200 different versions of critical insurance cover, so understanding the type of cover you need is essential. Understanding the level of cover is also essential as some policies seem to cover just about anything, when in fact there are a lot of hidden exclusions, while a high price is charged for the product. David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance (http://www.bestdealinsurance.co.uk) an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best deal on their home, motor and life insurance. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover#comments Sun, 31 Dec 2006 08:27:06 +0000 critical illness covermultiple sclerosiscontactdiagnosiskidney failurecash lump sumcoronary artery bypass surgery http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover Critical Illness Cover in the UK pays out a tax free cash lump sum upon diagnosis of a specific critical illness such as heart attack, cancer, stroke, major organ transplant, coronary artery bypass surgery, multiple sclerosis, total permanent disability and kidney failure. You should always take time to read the Critical Illness Cover Key Features document for specific details of all the critical illnesses covered and for any exclusions i.e. HIV/AIDS or self inflicted injury.

Critical Illness Cover in the UK can usually be taken out either in a sole person's name or in joint names.

Critical Illness Cover can usually be taken out for a specific term or for whole of life depending upon the purpose of the cover.

Critical Illness Cover is either taken out within a policy which pays out on either the death of the life assured or on earlier diagnosis of a critical illness or just upon diagnosis of a critical illness.

The premium to cover the cost of critical illness cover in the UK is usually either taken monthly or annually and the premium is either guaranteed to remain unchanged for the term of the policy or reviewable in say five years.

Critical Illness Cover is often taken out to repay in full a liability such as a mortgage or a loan upon diagnosis of a specific critical illness or to provide a lump sum to make life more comfortable for the person with the critical illness and the family.

The cost of providing Critical Illness Cover in the UK is normally based upon factors such as age, sex, health, term, smoking status, amount of cover and family medical history.

Critical Illness Cover in the UK is available from many insurance companies-please contact a financial adviser for advice about taking out such cover. Alan Hope runs a lifestyle management and concierge service business for both UL and Overseas clients. Visit his website at http://www.arrangeitlifestylemanagement.co.uk/id186.html ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-how-critical-can-you-get http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-how-critical-can-you-get#comments Sat, 16 Sep 2006 04:27:07 +0000 illnessesprudential policycritical illnessmedical conditionsregardillness policyfinancial advisers http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-how-critical-can-you-get critical illness policy on the market which attempts to go some way with regard to sorting out the perplexity regarding exactly what is, and is not, covered when it comes to claiming on the policy.

Traditional critical illness policies tend to cover up to 35 listed medical conditions. Policyholders could become seriously ill with a condition that doesn't fall into the scope of the policy and find that their illness is not covered, whilst others may be diagnosed with a listed illness with a lower "grading" which is relatively easily treated, for which they get a full payout.

Because of this inequality, the Financial Services Authority is uneasy with regard to insurers failing to fully understand that cover is restricted to certain specific illnesses.

This new product is marketed by the Prudential, under the name of the Flexible Protection Plan, and is unusual in that it claims to cover an amazing 140 medical conditions. However, cover is based on the severity of the condition which could possibly cause some uncertainty regarding the grading of these illnesses.

This is how the plan works:

Listed in the policy are practically all serious illnesses and the payout when one these is diagnosed will be graded according to the severity of the condition. The Prudential says that by tying payments to the degree of seriousness of the illness means that more payments can be offered to people with debilitating illnesses, who may otherwise get nothing at all. An example of this is that should you lose the sight of one eye; the Prudential policy will pay 25% of the sum assured. Normally, critical illness policies would only pay out when total blindness occurs. In all, 140 severe conditions are covered.

A spokesman for one of the specialist financial advisers welcomed the range of the policy, but voiced some concern regarding the implementation of these severity-based payments, saying that it would be open to argument as to what level of severity some illnesses would be graded as. It was felt that it would not be advisable to enter into this type of policy unless you had a very clear understanding of exactly how it would work. We quote "It will be up to the consumer to decide whether a guarantee of getting a smaller payment is better than possibly getting nothing."

The cost of this new policy is approximately twice as much as conventional critical illness cover.

If your main concern regarding insurance cover should you become critically ill would be the financial outcome, it might be better to consider life insurance. Particularly, if you have a family to support, you may need something that is going to guarantee their lifestyle in the worst case scenario and with the addition of some income protection cover, which would meet outgoings in the event of you becoming unable to work due to illness. This type of cover, unlike the critical illness policy, protects you against common conditions, which result in you being unable to carry out your work.

The best course of action would be to contact a broker and check out the alternatives. The internet's a good place to start and there are some good internet discount's available, along with plenty of advice. A good broker will be able to compare the products available and come up with the right insurance product for you. Get great articles on life assurance from Life Assurance Agent http://www.life-assurance-agent.co.uk . ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/tips-for-choosing-the-best-critical-illness-insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/tips-for-choosing-the-best-critical-illness-insurance#comments Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:25:00 +0000 critical illness insurancefeatures documentsfirst glanceunnecessary expenseinsurance costsinsurance providerspolicy options http://www.artwoo.com/article/tips-for-choosing-the-best-critical-illness-insurance critical illness insurance is more important than it might seem at first glance. Many people believe that critical illness insurance is an unnecessary expense, but in fact, statistics like these show that it's more likely that the average person will suffer a critical illness before the age of 65 than they are to die.

Comparing and Understanding Critical Illness Policies

With more than 60 insurance providers offering two hundred different policies, choosing the one that's right for you can be difficult. More than anything else, getting good critical illness insurance requires very close inspection of your policy. All insurers issue what are called Key Features Documents, which allow you to compare policies fairly easily. Examine these documents closely to determine which provide the best definitions of illnesses covered and value for the money.

Perhaps the most important aspect of this is making sure you're aware of exactly what your policy does and does not cover. This type of error is the number one reason that critical illness claims get rejected, so understanding the insurance policy options you have is vital when it comes to choosing the one that will suit your needs the best.

Another related factor that's important to consider is simply the range of illnesses that the policy covers. Choosing the cheapest plan may look good on paper, but the least expensive plan is likely to offer limited cover that simply doesn't protect you against the illnesses you're most likely to face. However, choosing one that's too broad, one that covers exotic diseases you're unlikely to encounter is pointless for most people, and selecting a policy of this kind will simply mean you're paying premiums that are unnecessarily high.

Guaranteed and Reviewable Premiums

Buying a policy with a guaranteed rather than a reviewable premium can help keep your insurance costs down. A guaranteed policy means your insurance company promises that they'll never increase the size of your premium. A reviewable policy is just that-the insurance company can periodically review your policy, and increase your premiums. If your policy is a short term one, choosing a reviewable policy can save you some money. However, while the reviewable policy is cheaper in the short term, the premium cost will be increased over that of an equivalent guaranteed policy within seven to ten years and within another ten years, could be more than twice that of the guaranteed policy.

Other Factors to Consider

Choosing a good policy also means looking out for extra advantages such as automatic coverage for your children. Not all policies offer this, but with child-related critical illness the sixth most common claim, this is a very useful way of protecting your children as well as yourself.

Finally, consider taking out life insurance and critical illness cover together, rather than simply getting one or the other. Purchasing the two together is always more cost-effective than buying separate policies, and it's also much better value to buy these types of insurance when you're young and healthy, and are eligible for less expensive premium rates. Chris Johns is a writer for http://www.life-saver.co.uk which provides discounted life insurance products to UK individuals. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/why-it-pays-to-check-the-small-print-before-buying-critical-illness-cover http://www.artwoo.com/article/why-it-pays-to-check-the-small-print-before-buying-critical-illness-cover#comments Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:25:00 +0000 critical illness insurancecritical illnessesgetting insurancenegative publicityillness policyfull disclosureattractive option http://www.artwoo.com/article/why-it-pays-to-check-the-small-print-before-buying-critical-illness-cover critical illness insurance, reading the small print in your policy is absolutely crucial. Depending on the company, up to 25% of critical illness claims are rejected and most of these situations come down to the policy holder not understanding the finer points of their policy.

The increasing amounts of negative publicity surrounding cases in which people with critical illnesses are unable to get their insurance company to pay out dissuade many people from getting insurance they might potentially benefit from. However, when you consider that 20% of men and 17% of women will suffer from a critical illness before they reach 65, insurance begins to sound like an attractive option.

Heavily publicised cases of insurance companies refusing to pay for critical illness claims have led to a significant amount of consumer mistrust in this type of insurance. However, it's important to note that in most cases, one of three issues is in play; the policy holder did not disclose important medical information when they applied for the insurance, they did not follow company protocol when getting medical advice, or they simply thought they were covered for a certain illness when they weren't. By becoming intimately familiar with the terms and conditions of your policy, you can reduce the likelihood of any of these issues arising if you need to make a claim.

Full Disclosure is Required

Non-disclosure is the most common reason that insurance companies reject critical illness claims. This can mean failing to disclose information, or providing inaccurate information either deliberately or unknowingly. This may even include information that is not relevant to a critical illness you suffer from in the future, as well as information relating to your family's medical history.

Read the small print and understand what your policy covers before you even commit to a critical illness policy, it's vital that you understand exactly what you are and are not covered for. Regardless of any extenuating circumstances, an insurance company simply will not pay out if you suffer from a critical illness that your policy does not cover. Most standard policies provide cover for a number of conditions, including kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, major organ transplant and coronary bypass surgery. However, if you want cover for additional critical illnesses you'll need to shop around and find a policy that has what you're looking for, and be particularly careful in reading the terms and conditions to make sure it has the cover you need.

Note that critical illnesses as defined by insurance companies are very precise. If your illness does not match your insurance company's definition, they can still reject your claim even if you have met all other criteria of the policy.

Follow Protocol When Seeking Medical Advice

Following your insurance company's protocol when seeking medical advice will reduce the likelihood of them rejecting your claim. For example, if your doctor tells you that you have high cholesterol and gives you advice on dietary and lifestyle changes you must make an effort to reduce it, you must follow your doctor's instructions or risk invalidating any future claim you make. Your company's protocol is crucial information that you should find out before committing to a policy, you need to know how to proceed when seeking medical advice right from the beginning. To learn more about buying critical illness cover in the UK visit Life Saver at http://www.life-saver.co.uk/discounted-critical-illness-insurance-quote.htm= l. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/consumers-confused-when-it-comes-to-buying-critical-illness-insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/consumers-confused-when-it-comes-to-buying-critical-illness-insurance#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:15:01 +0000 critical illness insurancecritical illnessesadded stressbeing diagnosed with cancerorgan transplantadequate protectionpeace of mind http://www.artwoo.com/article/consumers-confused-when-it-comes-to-buying-critical-illness-insurance Critical illness insurance is taken out to insure against the possibility of an individual being diagnosed with a critical illness sometime in the future. With advancements in medicine more people who are diagnosed with a critical illness are recovering from the illness but their finances could be stretched to the limit and life could be harder than it has to be.

The cover will pay out if you are diagnosed with any of the critical illnesses which are outlined in the policy, the actual illnesses will vary on the policy but common ones include being diagnosed with cancer, suffering a stroke, a heart attack or having to have an organ transplant. However consumers are sometimes getting confused when it comes to taking out critical illness insurance, and end up buying cover that does not give them adequate protection.

Some providers of the cover are selling a policy for huge premiums that gives very little protection and can have many exclusions in it that offers very poor value to the consumer. It is the small print in the policy which is causing the majority of problems with a policy; very little information is often given regarding them which mean that the consumer is buying cover that they do not understand.

While critical illness insurance when taken out with the small print in mind will payout a tax free lump sum on diagnosis of a critical illness, it was recently reported that around 25% of all claims made against a policy are rejected due to the exclusions. At a time when the individual needs financially security and peace of mind that they will be able to continue repaying their mortgage and essential outgoings many are being left with the added stress of finding they cannot claim.

It seems that many providers of the cover will do anything possible to squirm their way out of paying out on a claim, excuses such as drinking more alcohol than stated on the form and not reporting minor problems before being diagnosed have all been made. It is essential when taking out the cover that you know exactly what you are buying before you purchase and take care when filling in the forms associated with the cover so that you disclosed everything necessary relating to your health.

Just as with payment protection cover which is being investigated by the Financial Services Authority, critical illness cover has seen a rise in the amount of claims against firms selling inadequate critical illness insurance. Many of these claims were based on the fact that the provider failed to make the consumer aware of the exclusions and small print in a policy at the time of being sold the cover.

Critical illness cover can help you at as key time in your life you have read the key facts and small print of the policy and the best way to get the essential advice needed is to go with a specialist broker. The cover can be pushed alongside the loan or mortgage but this is the riskiest and most expensive way of buying the cover. A specialist broker can get you a good quality critical illness insurance policy while at the same time gathering the key facts so that you can determine if a policy would be suitable for your circumstances. David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance (http://www.bestdealinsurance.co.uk) an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best deal on their home, motor and life insurance. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/do-i-need-critical-insurance-cover http://www.artwoo.com/article/do-i-need-critical-insurance-cover#comments Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:14:51 +0000 critical illness insuranceheart attackcritical illness covercoronary heartheart problemslump sum paymentprivate medical treatment http://www.artwoo.com/article/do-i-need-critical-insurance-cover Critical illness insurance can be a Godsend for anyone who would suffer financially if they were to be diagnosed with a critical illness such as cancer, a heart attack or stroke. If something such as this should happen, then the bills would soon mount up, bills including your mortgage, your medical bills if any, taking care of your family and the future - these all come into play.

Critical illness cover gives you a tax-free lump sum payment that can be used as you wish. Some people pay off their mortgage, others use it to pay for private medical treatment or put it in the bank to allow them to carry on paying their every day bills along with making any changes that might have to be made to their home to accommodate their illness.

The illnesses covered by this policy varies from company to company as well as how much you pay for your policy. There are many types of policy available and the level of cover will determine how much you pay for the insurance and also what is included in the cover. However the policy can be tailored to some extent, with some companies offering benefits for what you can afford to pay.

It is imperative that you fully understand critical insurance policies, as with any type of insurance there are many exclusions within them. Policies will only pay out for the conditions which are listed within them and these usually include heart attack, stroke, any major transplant of an organ, cancer, coronary heart by pass and multiple sclerosis.

However even with these being outlined within the policy it still doesn't mean that it is cut and dry, for example with some insurers you have to have proof that your heart problems are not such as angina, as this is excluded from some policies. So always make sure that you read the small print and what is and is not covered by the policy.

Usually there will be a waiting period before you can make a claim on a policy and a critical insurance policy can usually be taken out between the ages of 17 and 70. David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance (http://www.bestdealinsurance.co.uk) an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best deal on their home, motor and life insurance. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover-a-wider-scope http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover-a-wider-scope#comments Tue, 29 Aug 2006 02:27:18 +0000 black and whitecritical illness insuranceillnessescancerprudentialkidney failuresuccess rates http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover-a-wider-scope Critical illness insurance offers cover for certain specified conditions such as cancer, heart problems, kidney failure, loss of limbs, etc., The cover is quite simple and straightforward, in that if you are diagnosed with one of the severe illnesses listed in your policy a payment is made. On average 35 conditions would be considered as falling into this category with most companies. There is just one company, Virgin, who vary the cover by offering severity-based payments when cancer is diagnosed. Obviously with an illness such as cancer, there are various degrees of severity and with increasing success rates in the treatment of this disease; this seems a fair way of dealing with the situation.

The Financial Services Authority are not certain that people realize the limitations on the number of severe medical conditions covered by their policies and that they could be in for a nasty awakening if they assume that every serious illness will be covered.

With this in mind, the Prudential have brought out a policy which lists 140 severe conditions, which will be covered by their plan. Rather than the "black and white" decision made on diagnosis, this promises a grading of the payout according to the severity of the condition. A spokesman for the Prudential says the policy, named the Prudential's Flexible Protection Plan, will mean that more payments will be made to insurers with debilitating illnesses, whose illnesses would otherwise be outside the scope of the insurance and who would then get nothing at all.

An improvement then on "black and white", but could this leave a "grey" area instead? Apart from knowing that they are, in fact, likely to be paid out, the decision could be left open to argument regarding the grading of the level of severity of the condition: therefore consumers could be worried and confused about the final amount agreed. What insurers would grade as relatively minor may appear very different to someone newly diagnosed with a condition. It could be a case of accepting the fact that a smaller payment is better than nothing at all, but it could also be that the payment doesn't match expectations. It would be advisable to make sure that you thoroughly understand the full implications and terms of the policy before considering taking cover.

Conventional critical illness cover, for a typical 30 year old family man, who doesn't smoke would be around £24 per month, whereas it could more than double with this new plan.

It may be that critical illness cover is not the product for you. For financial security for your family, in the event of your death, life insurance would be the most important planning tool. To cover outgoings if you are incapable to working, income protection insurance could be useful. This offers cover for common ailments too, and not just the critical ones.

For advice and help on the type of insurances available, the easiest course of action is to find an internet broker, who'll be able to answer your questions and come up with a range of quotes with a minimum of trouble to you and ensure that you arrange the insurance cover which is right for you and your family. Get great articles on life insurance from the life insurance office http://www.life-insurance-office.co.uk. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-of-critical-importance http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-of-critical-importance#comments Mon, 04 Sep 2006 00:27:11 +0000 financial ombudsman servicecritical illness insuranceunfortunatelyillnessesdisclosevaguelyreason http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-of-critical-importance
The whole reason behind taking out critical illness cover is that, in the event of you becoming critically ill (that is being diagnosed with one of the listed illnesses described in your policy documents) a payment will be made. The reasoning behind your decision to take out what some consider being an important part of your financial planning is sound. Critical illness can affect the whole family. You may have to pay out for child care, change your home or job or even train for a completely new career. Having taken out cover, should the unexpected happen, all eventualities are covered and you have gone as far as you can to minimise financial problems and get down to the important personal matters.

Unfortunately, in a number of cases, this is not so. Failure to disclose what may seem to you to be minor, unimportant illnesses in the past may give the insurers a reason to reject your claim. Fair or not, it's completely legal! As far as the law stands, if you have failed to disclose information which the insurer was seeking, then the insurer is perfectly within their rights to terminate the cover.

If this happens to you, not only do you have to cope with the implications of the illness, but you have to either accept that your critical illness insurance plans have totally failed you. At this stage depending on the severity of the illness, you may feel overwhelmed by the situation and unable to face challenging the decision. If you do appeal against the decision and the Financial Ombudsman Service gets involved, they will make every attempt to establish whether you deliberately misled the insurers in order to gain cover or whether the questions on the original proposal form were vaguely or poorly written.

As soon as you make a claim on your critical illness policy, your insurer will instigate an extremely thorough check on your medical records. It appears that they can go back without a time limit and if they find anything, related to your illness or not, which you've failed to disclose to them, they may choose to refuse your claim. There is no such search or investigation carried out when you take out the policy and some people feel that this should be addressed.

It is virtually impossible to remember every minor illness. Can you really be expected to remember and record every visit to the doctor regarding things like headaches, eye pain, stiff neck, ear infections and depression? There were recent cases where claims were rejected for these reasons -- a man had his claim for prostate cancer refused because of failure to disclose an earlier ear infection and a woman whose claim failed because she'd not disclosed an earlier problem with depression.

However, for four out of five people, the insurance works. It is important to disclose your full health history and not to attempt to cover anything up. Read the terms of the insurance thoroughly and miss nothing out. Used as intended, critical care cover is a valuable financial tool.

Plenty of help is available when choosing your critical illness cover. Log on to the internet and you'll find on-line brokers who'll be able to offer advice, a choice of quotes and the best possible terms. Get great articles about life insurance from Life Insurance Policies http://www.life-insurance-policies.co.uk ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/malpractice-in-medicine-costs-careers http://www.artwoo.com/article/malpractice-in-medicine-costs-careers#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:22:15 +0000 critical illnessescocky attitudesaving a lifemedical unitsnecessary precautionsmedical breakthroughsmedical practitioners http://www.artwoo.com/article/malpractice-in-medicine-costs-careers critical illnesses have become entirely alarming these days and most come from various origins. And mind you, these illnesses are not simple issues that you can ignore. They are life threatening and normally people would be jolted by their origins and obvious impact towards healthy living.

There are events to support them. Some people have died because of them and these illnesses do not choose their prey. Young and old have not been spared by them and apparently this is why medical bulletins are being set out to inform people to take the necessary precautions. Don't ignore them. They are a reality.

If you think about health services as a whole, it is more than just making money. It is saving a life and making sure you can remedy their pain and suffering. We can see this everyday as people are frequently going to medical units to seek attention.

We can see the rapid development of medical technology and apparently this also means the discovery of new illnesses and diseases. The good thing about it all is that we are defining and discovering new diseases and also finding new ways to cure them. But the thing there is medical professionals are able to aid and help people who often have something wrong with them these days.

If you think technology is the only thing that is expanding these days, guess again. Medical breakthroughs are likewise providing new and faster ways of treating various illnesses and diseases and this stems from the fact that the growing list of illnesses have been plaguing various parts of the world.

Normally, it would baffle medical practitioners and normally it would take time for them to understand. Today, with the help of advanced studies and equipment, checking out the level of complications of most illnesses has become entirely better. It allows them to dissect and make the problem easier to evaluate and of course treat.

Doctors and physicians are human too. But that is no excuse for not being courteous or employing a cocky attitude as far as patients are concerned. Not all doctors would be understanding and crankiness may be experience at some time when you visit their office.

For most, this is something that can be understood. But as far as medication and diagnoses are concerned, false evaluations are unforgivable. They are the supposed masters of medicine and should they make the situation worst, they are in for a lot of trouble. This trouble is not only with the patient but with the law as well as malpractice will not be tolerated anywhere.

Medical practices are still the top need and demand in the world today and apparently this is why more people are inclined to take up this field. Medical and nursing degrees are the apparent hot career jobs to consider and this was made so because of the growing demand all over the world.

We can see the standards for this job growing by the day and apparently it seems that the demand is still high at this point. With most countries from the US and Europe recruiting like crazy, it should not be surprising why a lot of nurses and doctors have declared themselves eligible.Jon Caldwell is a professional content manager. Much of his articles can be found at http://guidetomedicallaborlaws.com]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-health-insurance-how-quotes-are-calculated http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-health-insurance-how-quotes-are-calculated#comments Tue, 31 Oct 2006 18:27:03 +0000 health insurance policyhealth insurance policiesprivate medical insurancemedical insurance policyterm illnessesstate healthinsurance quotes http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-health-insurance-how-quotes-are-calculated state health services but if you want additional private cover then this is where taking out a private medical insurance comes in. This article explains about health insurance in general and how quotes are worked out in general.

Private medical insurance will cover the cost of your treatment when you are unwell, but the kind of cover and amount of the cover you get varies considerably from policy to policy.

Make sure that when you are considering which health insurance policy to take out that you carefully read the policy so that you can find out which illnesses you are covered for and which illnesses are not included in the policy cover. It can also be the case that your medical insurance policy may require you to use particular hospitals for your treatment.

So what are health insurance quotes calculated on? Well providers calculate your policy quote on several factors, the most important being your age, your health, your medical history, your occupation and they also look at whether you smoke or not. If you do smoke, then you are likely to get a more expensive medical insurance quote.

Some health insurance policies let you choose to have an excess which if you decide to have this option it will lower your insurance quote. Another important thing to take into account when taking out a private medical insurance policy is that no matter how much you decide to spend on your cover you will not get cover for certain illnesses. These illnesses include long term illnesses, alcohol abuse, AIDS, suicide attempts and illnesses that are related to old age.

It is very important that when you take out your cover that you advise your healthcare insurance company of everything that is relevant to your health insurance application. This means you must tell them about any pre-existing medical condition or illness that you may have and it is highly likely that they will not cover you for these pre-existing medical conditions or illnesses.

And finally it is worth mentioning that it is always a good idea that you shop around to find the most suitable and affordable private medical insurance solution for you. Miguel Poza runs a website about money and personal finance where you can find out where to get good deals on credit cards, loans, mortgages, insurance, savings and pensions. You can also read free money saving tips, so why not check it out at http://www.moneyhelper.co.uk ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover-tell-all http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover-tell-all#comments Sun, 09 Nov 2008 04:57:23 +0000 uncle tom cobleycritical illness insurancelump sum paymentcritical illness covercritical illnesseskidney failurefinancial worries http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-cover-tell-all critical illness cover, level term, pension term and Uncle Tom Cobley and all!

Confusing, isn't it? Despite all the different names, insurance policies are all there to protect you. Some insurance products are designed to help when things go wrong, like payment protection which will cover your credit payment commitments when your earnings fall or stop. You make payments in the form of premiums and in return you have the assurance that, whatever else, your financial worries will be addressed. Other products are designed to put your house in order when the inevitable happens.

Car Insurance, house insurance and critical illness insurance are in the first category. Hopefully, with the latter, having taken this invaluable cover out, you'll never have any need to make a claim on it.

The life-threatening diseases and conditions covered by critical illness policies are the familiar ones of cancer, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, major organ transplant, multiple sclerosis and coronary artery by-pass surgery. These are what are known as the "core" conditions. Increasingly there are policies that will cover other conditions too. All conditions should be clearly listed in the policy document. If you are diagnosed with any of these conditions you will receive a lump sum payment.

There may be some sort of exclusion within the range of conditions. Some cancers, caught and treated at an early stage, usually by screening techniques, are not in the life-threatening category and may not be covered. If initial treatment was unsuccessful and the condition developed severely, then the cover would apply.

As far as the amount insured is concerned, at a minimum you should aim to be able to fully repay any loans as well as your mortgage. More cover on top of this could be used to cover day to day expenses. Up to date treatments mean that you have much more chance of surviving these critical illnesses but treatment and recovery can be prolonged. Sometimes a critical illness can mean a different lifestyle, with possibly a change of career, home and car being needed, in addition to help within the home or with the family. Make sure you take out sufficient cover to keep everything up and running until your recovery is complete. A diagnosis of leukaemia could involve up to two years of treatment and even then a return to full time employment may well be a gradual process.

It is critically important that you are completely honest and open when filling in your application form for critical illness cover. Leave nothing out. If you do, you could inadvertently put your claim at risk. The first thing that will happen if you need to make a claim is that your insurance company will go through your medical records. If it is found that you have not disclosed information regarding past illnesses, diagnostic tests or operations then your claim may be at risk. The illness that you are making the claim for doesn't have be connected with the illness or test that you have omitted from your information, nor does it have to be what you would class as serious.

Companies vary in their claim rejection rates, with one leading insurer rejecting as many as 30% of claims simply because of non-disclosure of information on the original application form. With payment protection policies there are likely to be a number limitations which need to be carefully considered before signing up.

Critical illness insurance costs will vary according to your individual circumstances. Previous medical history will obviously come into the calculation as well as your age and amount insured.

Contact an on-line broker for a range of quotes -- you'll get all the help you need and they'll offer you a range of options at the best possible price.Check out Michael Challiners great articles about insurance and financial matters. Cheap Insurance articles - Loans articles - Mortgage articles]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/watchdog-wary-over-critical-illness-insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/watchdog-wary-over-critical-illness-insurance#comments Fri, 25 Aug 2006 08:27:17 +0000 critical illness insuranceassociation of british insurerslife threatening illnessinsurance policyinsurance industryinsurance policies http://www.artwoo.com/article/watchdog-wary-over-critical-illness-insurance critical illness insurance policy so that if you ever are in the unfortunate situation of developing a life threatening condition, you will be compensated.

But what if you wind up with a critical illness that is not guarded against on the insurance policy? What many people do not realise, and what can be of real concern, is that you may find that after you have purchased critical illness insurance you are only covered for up to 35 listed medical conditions. And this is the deal with most insurance policies. So if you develop a life threatening illness not named in your policy you could be faced with the disastrous situation where you get no pay out from your insurance company at all.

On the other hand, it could be that you have an easily treatable sickness and because it is ranked with what the insurance industry calls a "lower grading", you end up getting a full payout.

The Financial Services Authority and the Association of British Insurers are wary about whether insurance companies actually make these differences clear.

Jonathan French, a spokesman at the Association of British Insurers, says it is important that customers have an insurance policy fully explained to them before it gets purchased. "The situation we would not want to see occurring is for them to be buying a product thinking that it does something it doesn't do."

And for this reason, the ABI recently updated its codes of best practice for critical illness insurance. French says until recently, 35 conditions was the maximum number any company covered for critical illness insurance.

"What we set out are essentially the minimum standards companies have to apply to their policy. The guidance we have published improves the way the critical illnesses are defined. It makes it clear to consumers what levels of illness are covered and what aren't."

The cost of critical insurance varies. For someone in their late 30s for a 35-year term with a payout of £500,000, premiums cost anything up to £600. Scottish Equitable charges premiums of £290 and Scottish Provident charges £409 premiums for policies based on these conditions. Both these policies are reviewable. A guaranteed policy with Scottish Provident is £560.

So these figures give you an idea that the amount of money you pay out for this type of insurance can be expensive. You can imagine how infuriating it could be to find that you have paid out on the policy only to learn that when you do become critically ill your insurer will not pay you out.

There is now, however, a new critical illness product on the market. Prudential is marketing a new 'Flexible Protection Plan', which covers up to 140 medical conditions.

In the 'Flexible Protection Plan' there are partial payouts depending on the severity of the condition. If the condition worsens, there is more paid out to the maximum sum which has been insured. Most other policies do not offer partial payouts.

Take loss of eye-sight for an example. It would normally be the case with a critical illness policy that you would only receive a pay out if you became completely blind. But the Prudential policy will pay out 25% if you loose sight in just one eye.

But here is the catch. The cost of the policy is almost twice that of conventional illness cover and spectators worry that there will be some confusion about how the severity of an illness would be defined. Get great articles on life assurance from life insurance specialists http://www.life-insurance-specialists.co.uk ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-concerns-for-cautious-customers http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-concerns-for-cautious-customers#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:27:15 +0000 critical illnessmystery shoppersheart conditionsmortgage advisersfsalife style changeshelp http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-concerns-for-cautious-customers Critical Illness Cover.

Critical Illness Cover is often taken out by people taking out a mortgage, usually as part of a term assurance policy. It may also be purchased as a stand-alone product. The policy will pay out a lump sum if the borrower becomes seriously ill with one of a list of specified illnesses, commonly cancer, heart conditions, stroke etc.; this will help with loss of earnings due to the illness and general life-style changes which may be the result of the illness.

Firms selling critical illness cover are required to comply with certain standards and although these are being met reasonably well, the survey showed that there could be some improvement in the way in which they could help the customer to gain a better understanding of the product.

The FSA have visited firms and employed mystery shoppers to look specifically at how compliancy is working out with regards to sales processes when selling critical illness cover.

Supervision visits were paid to 42 firms. Whilst in the main these were financial and mortgage advisers, they also included banks, building societies and insurers. The market research company, Research International, carried out 80 mystery shops to 51 firms in total, to report on what actually occurs.

Director of Retail Firms, Sarah Wilson, has said that whilst many of the findings were positive, a few problems had been identified. Initiatives have been launched in order to deal with them. The fair treatment of customers is of prime importance, especially with regard to making policy application forms and documents more easily understood. So far these changes seem to be helpful.

Critical illness cover is, however, complex and some of the problems cropped up in the context of the financial promotion of the schemes and general insurance documentation. Customers sometimes have difficulty in comprehending exactly what they are being sold. Therefore it is difficult for them to assess whether this is the correct cover for them, or whether a payment of income protection product would be more suitable.

The needs of the customer have to be taken into account and there should be a careful assessment of the type of protection which they need. However, where there were two or more types of policy, the cost was sometimes the only aspect taken into account when recommending the most suitable one. Other factors may have been left out of the equation, such as conditions covered or whether there were other products more suited to a particular client's requirements.

Miss-selling is a risk, but most firms had taken reasonable measures to manage this. There were found to be good training programmes and risk based monitoring.

As is the case with prime mortgage payment products, customers have time to consider their options before they make the decision to purchase the cover.

The results of the survey offer some reassurance that the needs of the customer are being protected and any changes to be implemented can only offer change for the better. Critical Illness Safeguard are a specialist critical illness website http://www.critical-illness-safeguard.co.uk ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-are-your-children http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-are-your-children#comments Thu, 22 Jun 2006 09:32:07 +0000 critical illness insurancenorwich unionalbeitinvaluableinsureillness policymaximum payout http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-are-your-children critical illness insurance. But as most policies automatically provide the cover as a free extra, we suspect that some policyholders don't even know they've got it!

Most policies automatically insure your children albeit at a lower level of benefits than the main policyholders cover. But this cover is invaluable, especially if your child becomes critically ill and you need to take time off work to provide care.

Critical Illness insurance pays out a tax free capital sum if the policyholder, or one of their children, suffers one of the very serious illnesses scheduled on their policy. The only rider is that the claimant must survive at least 28 days after the diagnosis.

Scottish Provident, one of the UK's largest critical illness insurers has announced that claims for children is now its fourth-largest cause for a claim. Says Nick Kirwan, their Protection Marketing Director, "Work takes a back seat when your child becomes ill. You may need to cut your working hours or even stop working altogether".

If your critical illness policy does insure your children, then a payout from the policy gives you the financial flexibility to do just that. So how much will they pay out?

Most insurers will pay a proportion of total insured value if a child becomes critically ill. For example, Norwich Union will pay out 50% of the insured sum or £10,000 whichever is the lower -- and this cover includes adopted children and step children. Standard Life and Legal and General also pay up to 50% with Standard setting the maximum payout at £25,000 and in LandG's case it's £15,000.

Cover never starts as soon as the child is born. With some policies cover starts up at 3 months but others wait as long as three years. Ideally, you want cover to start as early as possible.

Another other point to understand is that if the main policyholder has a claim, then the policy pays out and terminates -- they can't claim more than once. But if there is a claim for a child, the policy does not terminate -- the cover for the policyholders continues unaffected. And if you start or add to your family after you've started the policy there's no need to inform the insurer as the cover automatically covers all your children.

But not all insurers will insure your children. Neither the Halifax, National Westminster nor Nationwide Life include any cover for children. So if you have or intend to have a family, it's vital that you tell your adviser and then he or she will ensure your policy includes the necessary cover.

And that brings us to the topic of professional advice. You can buy Critical Illness insurance online all by yourself but honestly it isn't worth the risk. In our experience over 50 % of DIY buyers don't get it exactly right. There is little standardisation within critical illness insurance so you're unlikely to get your ideal policy if you buy on price alone. It's one of those situations where a low price can turn out to be a costly mistake!

In order to get the ideal policy your adviser need to understand how much you can afford and what aspects of cover are most important to you. It's then a matter of using experience and product knowledge to find the best options. If this sounds like a receipt of throwing your discounts down the drain, it isn't.

Very few high street brokers will give you any discount but shop online with one of the specialist critical illness brokers and you'll get full service and a discount.

How do you find them? Well actually, it's really easy. Just type in "Critical illness insurance" into your favourite search engine - but ignore the web sites run by the insurers themselves -- they just offer you their own policies and you really need a broker who can consider the whole market. Express Life Insurance ( http://www.express-life-insurance.co.uk/ ) are a website specialising in life insurance and critical illness insurance ( http://www.express-life-insurance.co.uk/what-is-critical-illness-insurance.htm ) online. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-buying-online http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-buying-online#comments Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:27:13 +0000 critical illness insuranceassociation of british insurersabistranslateinsurance applicationmedical policiesapplication process http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-buying-online
Another thing is that as a growing number of people begin to start buying products online, there are new problems that occur -- teething problems shall we say that keep cropping up as more companies start offering services over the Internet for the first time.

With complex insurance policies like Critical Illness Insurance, a type of insurance where sometimes people do not fully understand exactly what they are buying, it is an area that could become a problem.

The Association of British Insurers thinks so anyway, which is why the organisation is improving the standards of the insurance application process via the telephone or the Internet for different types of health and protection policies, including those for critical illnesses.

A spokesman for the ABI, says: "Because the mechanics are slightly different when you are applying for a policy on the internet, you need to look at that process slightly separately and that is what we are doing at the moment. It is a piece of work that is on-going and it will improve the application process for telephone and Internet applications."

The ABI's spokesperson explain that it is not exactly that there have been problems with people buying medical policies like Critical Illness Insurance over the internet before, but the new standards will simply just recognise that buying a financial product over the internet means that financial companies have to change the way they collection personal information.

"It is more a recognition that we need to translate the new good practise that we have put in place on paper to the online and telephone application process. The methods of collecting the information are subtley different," the ABI said.

The move to improve standards for buying health insurance policies for things like critical illness on line comes after the ABI this year launched various measures to make the steps to buying health policies simpler for both consumers and financial advisers. The organisation also updated guidance specifically for Critical Illness Insurance, offering guidelines on how to bring more clarity to application forms. The entire overhaul of personal medical insurance guidelines meant improvements to the leaflets offering advice on Critical Illness Insurance, the removal of 'memory test' questions like 'have you been to a doctor in the last five years?'and clear warnings on application forms about the consequences if you do not reveal pre-existing medical conditions. The changes came after speaking with cancer charities and other organisations. It was hoped that the guidance would reduce the likelihood that a claim would be declined for non-disclosure of a pre-existing medical condition.

The ABI's spokesperson said, "Having put in place what we believe to be higher standards of clarity on the application form, we clearly want to apply those higher standards to all forms of underwriting application."

The work being carried out by the Association for online applications is still work in progress. And it is still unclear when the new standards will be released. But regardless of the time frame, it is certain that they will definitely be released soon. Get great articles on life insurance from Life Insurance Professor http://www.life-insurance-professor.co.uk . ]]>