Hi Guys
Been looking into getting, health insurance/critical illness cover. What have other people’s experience’s of this been? I’m currently in limboland like many of you and have no formal diagnosis (neurologist has said I’ve had an episode of spinal inflammation).
What should I declare my general health or illness as and what have other people’s experiences been like?
Thank you
Reemz
X
Hi - I’ve been wondering the same so will keep an eye on any answers you get. Just buying a house for the first time so wondering if being under investigation but undiagnosed will affect it. x
Hi You need to disclose any investigations, medical history etc. IN FULL even if you’re undiagnosed and the chances are they will go for full medical reports etc. before they will even consider providing cover. They will more than likely exclude any cover relating to the problems you’ve had and anything even remotely similar! Insurance companies can be harsh! On the plus side, if you can get cover, my experience of claims has been fab. I was formally diagnosed on 14th April, notified my insurer on 16th and had my critical illness claim in my bank by early May. It’s been a huge relief. Luckily I took my policy out 9 years ago before I had any sign of MS. You can sometimes ask to speak to an underwriter at the insurance company before starting the application, which may be helpful in the circumstances. If you’re not 100% clear and honest with the application, any future claims could be invalidated and the policy cancelled. Good luck!
I was refused critical illness cover when I tried to set it up last year, very early on in the diagnostic process. I’d been referred to an opthalmologist then by my optician, but not at that point to a neurologist. You MUST disclose everything, even an urelated visit to the GP, or your policy could be invalid if you manage to get one, then need to claim. The insurers I tried wrote to my GP, and I was turned down on the strength of his reply. Good luck!
I guess I’m not feeling too optomistic about the process to get insurance but I’ll give it a try. At least now I know what I’m up against I can be prepared. I guess I’ve got nothing to lose by trying.
Thank you so much for the advice. At least my other half already has medical insurance so that’s one of us sorted at least.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Reemz
X
Insurance is one of the areas where life likes to kick us when we’re down.
As others have said, you have to give insurers the whole story, even though any ghost of a hint of a neurological problem will make things difficult, that’s for sure.
Some people are ‘lucky’ enough to have a degree of live cover and critical illness cover already through their pension scheme in the form of death-in-service lump sums and ill-health-retirement provisions. This may be the best route of securing such things if you are an individual with neuro problems. That’s great if you are in a good job with a good pension scheme already. If not, the barriers to getting into this fortunate position when one is already ill are too obvious to need mentioning.
One route that married MS-ers take, in the absence of better ideas, is to regard themselves as basically uninsurable, and to look at the cover thing as a partnership rather than as an individual, concentrating on making sure that the healthy partner is well-insured.
If you do manage to get quotes for the cover you want, without the exclusions being so extensive that the thing isn’t worth the paper it is printed on, please do think carefully before commiting yourself to paying very high premiums if these would have a real impact on your standard of living. Whether this kind of cover is worth it is always going to be a matter of weighing up costs and benefits. There comes a point beyond which the costs become too high to represent acceptable value for money for you. Remember that the insurers are not doing this as a hobby - and if you are already in the ‘avoid’ category - which I’m afraid you are! - it is very much a seller’s market.
Good luck.
Alison
x
One thing to consider is whether your or your partner’s employer has any options - my husband’s company will provide me with life and critical illness cover with a ‘free cover’ limit of £120k - so no medical underwriting required. They will just exclude pre-existing conditions so MS will be a no-no, but cancer etc. is ok. I can’t join until the next scheme year (April) but that’s our new plan!
Emma that’s a good idea. My partners work do offer medical insurance so it mighe be worth me looking at it.
Alison - you’re completely right. I don’t want to be paying extortionate amounts. I’d prefer to put that money somewhere aside and save it as an emergency fund instead in that case.
Thank you again for all the advice.
Reemz
X
As a limbo lander ,I can’t get critical illness cover or life insurance at all 