http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for nasty illness Copyright 2008 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:42:51 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/nasty+illness 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-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/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/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/with-critical-illness-life-insurance-your-family-will-not-suffer http://www.artwoo.com/article/with-critical-illness-life-insurance-your-family-will-not-suffer#comments Sat, 18 Nov 2006 06:27:13 +0000 critical illness life insurancecritical illness insurancelife insurance policymortgage life insurancebejesushealth insurance providerhealth insurance policies http://www.artwoo.com/article/with-critical-illness-life-insurance-your-family-will-not-suffer bejesus out of the layperson, but you need to in order to prepare for the unexpected by purchasing critical illness life insurance. Without the protection of critical illness life insurance in place, you and the rest of your family may suffer major financial devastation should you become critically ill, losing the ability to work

Critical illness life insurance pays you a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a severe medical problem in contrast with disability insurance which covers lost monthly income and anticipates the possibility of your eventual return in some capacity to the work force, Rules and stipulations vary, but as a rule of thumb as long as you survive the illness for a pre-determined designated time period, of usually between 14 to 30 days, the policy will pay out a one-time full benefit amount.

There are three forms of critical illness life insurance: a mortgage life insurance policy with a critical illness rider; a combined policy of mortgage and critical illness life insurance; and a stand alone critical illness life insurance policy. Requesting information and critical illness quotes for various insurance providers will provide you with the opportunity to compare insurance rates and choose the policy type and coverage which best suits your individual needs.

Critical illness life insurance is for everyone and is not just limited to home owners or employed individuals. If your spouse falls sick and you have to take time away from work, critical illness coverage would eliminate the added burden of looming bills and pesky creditors.

The expense of health insurance could become astronomical, especially if coverage is denied or cancelled. Critical illness insurance is routinely confused with health insurance, people have become bankrupt trying to pay medical bills that were not covered by their health insurance provider. The majority of health insurance policies feature limited benefits, ceilings and caps on the yearly payouts and/or maximum life amount. Purchasing critical illness life protection will guarantee your ability to meet all of life's "surprise" financial obligations.

So, how much coverage will you need? Well, that all depends on the situation. But when approximating how much critical illness life insurance is necessary:

• How much are your monthly expenses? • How much is your total monthly mortgage? • What other insurance policies do you have?

Also take a look at how the terminally ill by each adult member of the household would affect the overall financial future of the family. Take into consideration the changes that would occur, lost wages, medical bills, out of pocket expenses (gas, parking, co-payments, prescriptions, supplies, long-term care expenses, etc.) and increased child's/adult daycare.

Protect yourself and your family by purchasing critical illness life insurance for every adult household family member. The possibility of becoming terminally ill is very real and so is the potential devastation to your family without adequate critical illness insurance protection. http://www.assure-all.com/insurance/critical-illness-life-insurance.html ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/excellent-customer-service http://www.artwoo.com/article/excellent-customer-service#comments Tue, 13 Feb 2007 04:27:06 +0000 customer service repgreat customer serviceoptimal servicesmileretail employeesnasty customerseven illness http://www.artwoo.com/article/excellent-customer-service retail employees are ruder than ever to their customers. There are unfortunately very few who actually provide excellent customer services skills to all customers, and when they do, they need to be rewarded for their effort.

Providing optimal service to customer isn't always an easy thing to do. Sometimes it's plain difficult and nearly impossible to smile, period. Cashiers are people, too, and sometimes they may be experiencing personal problems or even illness that make it very difficult for them to remain friendly at all times, even if they're normally a friendly person. Yet, there are some store workers who no matter what, are able to pull it off, and provide optimal service to each and every customer, just like the customer deserves. The employee could be suffering from a terrible toothache, just had a death in their family, or broken up with his or her significant other, yet they still manage to smile, acknowledge the customers as well as go out of their way to assist the customers in whatever way necessary. These employees certainly deserve recognition, because this isn't something that is easily achieved.

Individuals who provide such great customer service are probably born naturals, and people-persons. It takes a special person to be able to handle the public and deal with all of the abuse that they may receive from certain customers. They encounter people from all walks of life, and these people aren't always rationale or nice. Sure, some of the customers will be nice, pleasant, and easy to deal with. These friendly customers make it easier for the customer service rep to better deal with the nasty people that may enter the store. These nasty customers can be argumentative, demanding, and downright unreasonable. Any normal customer service rep would mistakenly retaliate against such rude customers, yet the special "super employees' are able to effectively deal with this type of customer without losing their cool. They are able to expertly handle the person in such a way that the customer actually begins to feel guilty about their behavior, and may even apologize. This takes real talent, and should definitely be recognized. So, if you witness this type of employee, please bring it to the manager's attention, because they deserve it. Stacey Day writes about Hunting Gear, http://www.huntinggearshop.com/Coupons/GI%20Joe's.html and http://www.huntinggearshop.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/you-think-you-dont-need-critical-illness-insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/you-think-you-dont-need-critical-illness-insurance#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:08:36 +0000 critical illness insuranceoxygen tanksleaps and boundsassurity lifecancer survivorsheart monitoryear one http://www.artwoo.com/article/you-think-you-dont-need-critical-illness-insurance critical illness insurance. With just a few exceptions, all that is required is that you survive for thirty days after the date of the diagnosis and a tax-free lump sum of money will be paid to you.

Critical illness affects many people all around the world. Critical illness insurance plays an important role in the lives of people today. Reports indicate that the amount of people applying for Critical illness insurance continues to increase, as does the rate of critical illness.

Close to 1.5 million people in the United States will contract some form of cancer this year. One out of two Canadians under the age of 65 will have a heart attack. An estimated 850,000 people in the United Kingdom will suffer from some form of Dementia within the next two years.

The upside is that there are 9.8 million cancer survivors in the United States. 95% of victims of heart attacks survive an initial attack. Leaps and bounds are being made in Alzheimer's disease research. Therefore, surviving for thirty days or longer after a diagnosis is definitely a strong possibility.

However, even though more and more people are surviving a critical illness for months after their diagnosis, they may not be able to function to their full capacity for the entirety of their survival. The money that comes from Critical illness insurance would help in times when you cannot perform daily tasks and require care from a nurse, or if you cannot go back to your job. You may be confined to a wheelchair and require ramps to be built at your home. You may need a hospital bed, oxygen tanks, a heart monitor or some other type of medical equipment. If you seek treatment that requires you to leave the country, critical illness insurance can assist with these expenses as well.

Some renowned critical illness insurance companies are Trustmark, Stonebridge and Assurity Life. Remember that not one company will be the best choice for every individual. Some companies offer coverage to particular clients like children, businesses, elderly, family or self-employed individuals. Discount rates are available from most companies for military personnel, multiple policyholders or clients with exceptional health.

Do not make the mistake of just picking the first critical illness insurance company that comes along with a rate that you can afford. Take the extra time to shop around, it will prove to be worth your while. Do adequate research to in the beginning to save money for years to come instead of paying for an overpriced critical illness insurance policy.

Critical illness insurance is not best in all cases. Several individuals would do better to purchase a simple life insurance policy. However, it does not matter if you seek life insurance or critical illness insurance; you should never pay more than you have to for coverage you want. Save money by closely comparing the quotes from several different insurance coverage providers.Only Finance is one of the most recommended privately owned companies and a range of other insurance products like Critical illness insurance that enables you to live your life worry free.]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/prevention-is-better-than-cure http://www.artwoo.com/article/prevention-is-better-than-cure#comments Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:26:49 +0000 drink alcoholdrinking alcoholstomach upsetempty stomachwise ideasugary drinkshangover http://www.artwoo.com/article/prevention-is-better-than-cure hangover is one of life's most depressing and demoralizing experiences. You feel weak in your muscles and bones, you reject the offers of food or drink, and you badly want to phone the boss and tell him to get lost. It's uncomfortable, and it leaves you feeling terrible as you wish it away as quickly as possible. "Why me?", you mumble from your sick bed. "I'm never drinking alcohol again".

Well folks, as your grandma would always say prevention is better than cure. The best and most effective way of handling a hangover is to avoid it altogether, which is pretty easy to do. Having said that, there aren't many of us that see the enjoyment in avoiding alcohol altogether. If you know in advance that you are going out to drink alcohol, there are loads of measures you can take to avoid that dreaded morning after feeling. Firstly, fill up on food before you go out. Drinking with an empty stomach isn't a good idea, and if your stomach is full, it will help to absorb the alcohol at a slower rate, which stops those nasty hangovers. Another good idea is to make sure you drink loads of water as the symptoms you'll feel in the morning will largely be down to dehydration.

When you're out there having a good time, remember to take care when choosing what to drink. Sugary drinks, or drinks like wine are likely to make you feel bad the next day. Another wise idea is to keep with one drink for the night, which will make a stomach upset less likely, and will probably lead you to drink less overall. Again when you're out, make sure you keep drinking water to keep you fully hydrated.

When you stumble in the door, make sure you down a couple of glasses of cold water. Avoid any medications which could affect your stomach badly with the alcohol, although if you're looking to take something, try a multivitamin to curb your illness.

When your eyes open the next morning, you will hopefully have done enough to stave off the worst of the symptoms. If you're suffering from the effects, it's a good idea to stay clear of coffee, and try to drink as much water as you can to help re-hydrate your body. If you're still not feeling great, you should really try to avoid going into work. It is never a good idea to lie to your boss, but if you find have to, try the flu or a stomach upset as an effective excuse, as your body will be full of nasty toxins which can take a while to leave your system. When you feel able to eat go for foods high in vitamins and minerals, and some even think that fattier, less healthy foods will help settle your stomach. Keith is the editor of a top http://www.pronetodisease.com website,and he also runs a site about http://www.petsinsight.com ]]> 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/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/critical-illness-insurance-in-the-uk http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-in-the-uk#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:50:30 +0000 critical illness insurancecoronary artery bypass surgerycritical illness covercancer lymphomacoronary artery bypasskidney failurecritical disease http://www.artwoo.com/article/critical-illness-insurance-in-the-uk critical disease, coronary artery bypass surgery, kidney failure, multiple sclerosis, stroke, major organ transplant and permanent severe injury.

You will have to check with the insurance company what type of conditions they cover because each critical illness insurance policy is different. Certain medical conditions with policies are not covered. Some of the medical conditions that don't apply to the policy include certain types of tumours, angina, non invasive skin cancer, lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, and HIV. A financial boost is necessary during difficult times so it is essential to plan out and prepare for the hardships of your life by looking into critical illness insurance policies that will cover your needs. Critical illness cover can be obtained by individuals between the ages of 17 and 70. There are policies that are for a specific time period or you can also sign policies that are valid for life. A critical illness insurance claim can usually be made only 3 months after the policy has been signed.

A medical examination usually needs to be done before you sign an insurance policy for critical illness. Once the insurers have the assurance that you have a clean bill of health, they will accept you for being covered under a critical illness policy. They also will need to examine your past medical history and family history to determine what medical conditions can be covered. You will have to pay higher premiums if you are a smoker. Drug abuse, suicide, self inflicted injury and criminal behaviour will not be covered under your critical illness insurance policy.

The cheapest policy will probably cover only a few medical conditions. The more expensive policies will cover everything from A to Z, so the insurers get the satisfaction of charging you high premiums. It is best to stick to an insurance policy that covers a medium range of medical conditions and some important serious conditions. Read all the terms and conditions to fully understand what is covered and what is not. There are policies which can cover children if they need to be hospitalized. If you do have children, ensure your family is covered under the policy you choose. Check the premium trends and make sure they are fixed and will not increase after a few years. Try and search for critical illness insurance plans that provide guaranteed premiums. Obtain the key feature document from each of the insurers you are investigating to compare one policy from another and find the one that suits your budget.Only Finance provides a variety of coverage plans including critical illness insurance policies to help you and your family in the event of a serious medical condition.]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/are-you-desperately-seeking-natural-remedies http://www.artwoo.com/article/are-you-desperately-seeking-natural-remedies#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:25:01 +0000 add attention deficit disorderattention deficit disorderadditives and preservativesundesirable side effectsnatural medicinesnatural pain relieffruits vegetables http://www.artwoo.com/article/are-you-desperately-seeking-natural-remedies
However, as with all things, the human race strived to make medicine easier and better, so along came synthetic drugs such as pain killers which were created to duplicate the results of natural pain relief medicines, but are able to be produced in laboratories and eventually replaced the old medicinal techniques and traditions.

In today's society with all the striving to make things better and easier, even the foods we eat aren't as natural as they use to be. With many of our available foods containing additives, colourings and preservatives our lifestyles are becoming much unhealthier than they once were.

Society has reached a point where the number of health issues, such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and Autism, are rising possibly due to all these additives and preservatives that many people are now once again seeking alternative natural remedies to use for their ailments.

There seem to be more people now than ever that are using natural ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and herbs to improve their health and cure their ailments.

That is not to say that there is no place for modern medicine as modern medicine has proven to be quick to relieve symptoms of pain and illness. There are also many modern medicines that cure diseases and help ease the symptoms of many diseases.

Natural remedies, however, are much more useful when it comes to prevention of illness and chronic disease. Natural remedies are also very useful in the treatment of mental and emotional needs.

Modern medicines have many undesirable side effects which can sometimes make you feel worse than the actual illness does. This is another reason why many people are turning toward natural medicines.

Natural medicines not only treat the disease but also treat the body as a whole and not just a set of symptoms of the disease. Thus keeping your body healthy and assisting in the prevention of more disease.

Natural cures offer gentle treatments that are simple to use, easily available, much safer than synthetic medicine and reasonably inexpensive. The trend toward heading back to nature has quickly made its way around the world. Countries such as Asia have used natural plants and herbs as ingredients for their traditional therapies for many years.

When they are growing naturally around us and can benefit us in many ways, then why not take advantage of their uses. People worldwide are seeking the grains and grasses of the fields, the fruits, seeds and nuts of the trees, the herbs and vegetables of the gardens and who could forget the honey from the bees.

Honey has proven to be extremely useful as an anti-bacterial, particularly the Manuka honey. Studies have shown that burn patients who have been treated with pure, unprocessed honey have had a much faster recovery than burn patients treated with conventional burn treatment. Honey is also a useful remedy for patients with bacterial gastroenteritis and can shorten the duration of the illness.

So when we have natural medicines growing around us, why not use them when we can and keep a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle and prevent any nasty diseases from occurring. Discover The Natural Remedies and Cures The Big Drug Companies Don't Want You To Know About. For Your Free Report Visit: http://viphealthsecrets.com/Natural_Cures/ Or Visit http://VIPHealthSecrets.com ]]> 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/medical-negligence-claims http://www.artwoo.com/article/medical-negligence-claims#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:15:28 +0000 medical negligence claimsmedical negligence claimspecialist solicitornasty virusnegligent actspremature losstype of cancer http://www.artwoo.com/article/medical-negligence-claims nasty virus and end up more sick than you were when you got to the hospital. However, it does happen. Patients get sick with viruses they contract during a hospital stay, and sometimes patients leave the hospital with injuries they sustained during their stay. If you have contracted a virus or sustained injury due to the negligent acts of a nurse, doctor or surgeon, it is your responsibility to make a medical negligence claim. This is your legal and civil right.

Unfortunately, there are times when any doctor could fail to diagnose certain conditions such as cancer, for example. If cancer is left untreated, serious complications can arise. The most effective treatment for any type of cancer is to catch the disease in its early stages as soon as possible. With certain forms of cancer, not finding it until it has already reached the later stages and treatment is no longer an option can result in serious illness or premature loss of life. This negligence is serious and should not be left unreported.

On the other hand, there are cases where someone has been diagnosed with cancer or some other disorder when none actually existed. A misdiagnosis can result in a high level of anxiety and stress, not to mention drug therapy and surgeries that are not necessary. It is possible for a person to contract an illness from the drugs they are given that they never should have been instructed to take in the first place. In such a case, the actual illness can be left untreated with the possibility of becoming worse.

Since medical negligence claims have a tendency to get complicated and can take months before anything is accomplished, it is vital that you locate a specialist solicitor who has medical negligence claim experience.

If you have been victimised by medical negligence and plan to make a compensation claim, your case will greatly depend on medical evidence. Either you or your insurance company will have to foot the bill for such documentation, which can be quite expensive. You will need evidence to prove that the surgeon, nurse, doctor or other medical personnel that you are making the claim against owes you a "duty of care". This is the general legal duty on all organisations and individuals to avoid careless harm to anyone. The medical professional must prove that everything within reason is being done to ensure the safety and health of everyone at the place of business.

Making a medical negligence claim is quite simple nowadays, and you will not have to pay a thing. There is a "no win, no fee" agreement in place that lets anyone file a claim with out having to come up with the funds to pay for legal fees. The cost to obtain the medical records you will need for the claim can cost anywhere from £28 to £113. However, your insurance company may be willing to cover this fee. Your personal injury lawyer should be able to inform you every step of the way as to what should be expected. Lawyers usually do not take medical negligence claims on a whim, so they will tell you right away what your chances of winning the case are. Any cost that is incurred will be recovered from the insurance company of the losing party.Accidents Direct can help you seek financial compensation if you need to file medical negligence claims against the malpractice of a doctor or hospital.]]> 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/diagnosing-mental-health http://www.artwoo.com/article/diagnosing-mental-health#comments Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:27:03 +0000 positive mental healthmental health illnessmental health promotionmental health statusworld health organizationhealthy relationshipshealthy lifestyle http://www.artwoo.com/article/diagnosing-mental-health World Health Organization. Most experts believe that mental health is measured by an individual's ability to remain capable and competent, handling normal levels of stress, maintaining happy and healthy relationships and his/her ability to lead an independent life. Another sign of mental health is being able to quickly recover from difficult situations, which may include both physical and emotional.

While individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness often require a greater need for mental health promotion, even those who have not been diagnosed still need a certain amount of the same. The truth is that everyone has mental health needs, including those who have no illness. Mental health promotion may be given in the way of encouragement, love, support, understanding, etc.

If an individual believes that he/she is suffering from a mental health illness, a psychiatrist should be consulted for a professional evaluation. In some cases, a regular discussion with a professional may be enough for individuals to overcome their issues and return to a positive mental health status. For others, medication may be required or even hospitalization in extreme cases. With the proper treatment, many individuals who suffer from some type of mental health illness can often live a happy and healthy lifestyle. The first part of overcoming any type of illness is to recognize the problem early, whether that recognition comes directly from the sufferer or from those closest to him/her.

It is important to realize the difference between a positive mental health status and one that may be indicative of an illness. Every life has stressful situations, tears that must be shed and boundaries that must be overcome. However, the best way to measure mental health is by assessing an individual's ability to handle these situations appropriately. There is no one universal symptom or sign of a mental health illness, but is best described as an individual's inability to operate or deal with everyday situations in a healthy and productive manner.

The information in this article is to be used for informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice. Anyone with questions regarding mental health must consult their physician for further information, a diagnosis and/or treatment regimen if one is deemed necessary. For more information about mental health, click the link to visit our website at http://www.mentalhealthreport.info . We have some great free articles and resources about mental health. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/kids-with-the-stomach-flu http://www.artwoo.com/article/kids-with-the-stomach-flu#comments Sat, 18 Nov 2006 16:27:13 +0000 stomach flurotavirusgastrointestinal virusdiarrhearunning a fevernasty bacteriadoctors http://www.artwoo.com/article/kids-with-the-stomach-flu stomach flu really the stomach flu? Or was it some other virus that found its way into your intestines? Kid get sick and throw up all the time -- is it always the stomach flu? Actually, it is probably not. It turns out that what most of us think of as the stomach flu is really something else, a gastrointestinal virus. The flu is actually a respiratory illness, everyone just thinks that the stomach flu is that horrible sickly diarrhea. Even some doctors have started calling it the flu, just so people know what they are talking about.

If you have children, then you probably know how much the stomach flu can affect them. In most cases the name of the virus that they actually have is the Rotavirus. This is especially common in small children. This is not the only thing that can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Your child could be sick due to some nasty bacteria that found its way in, or even parasites. If your child is ill for more than a couple of days or is running a fever, it is always better to be safe than sorry, and take your child to the doctor.

A lot of times parents don't want to call the doctor about the stomach flu, but it is okay to if you are worried. That is what doctors are for, to support you and let you know what is going on, so that you don't have to worry about it any more.

The notion that the stomach flu is only supposed to last a day or so is completely off the mark. Most people stay sick with the stomach flu for days -- even a week. It all depends on which kind of stomach flu you or your child gets, because some are just stronger and nastier than others.

Whatever you do when your child has the stomach flu, you need to keep him or her well-hydrated. Lots and lots of water is going to make the stomach flu go away that much sooner, and it is going to keep your child feeling better than they would without the fluids. This is even more important if your child has diarrhea. In this case, it can be downright dangerous if your son or daughter is not getting enough water. You may want to look into getting some Pediasure, as it has the electrolytes your child's body needs when it is dehydrated. Dorothy Brown writes articles for several web sites, including http://foraw.com and http://mowek.com ]]>