This is my first post. I’ve recently been given my clinical diagnosis for MS, it’s been about 3 years from my intial symptoms of Optic Neuritis until i got to this point. I’ve had a couple of major relapses and have quite a few symptoms, the worst ones being fatigue, blurred vision and having a terrible memory. It is nice to have a probable explanation of why i keep mixing up words in the middle of sentences though! My neurologist first mentioned MS about a year ago so I’m pretty cool with it, i’ve had plenty of time to get used to the idea, it’s just finally nice to know what I’m dealing with.
I have a question around insurance. I was lucky enough that a financial advisor persuaded me to get Critical Illness cover and i’ve been sent a claim form and it asks if i’ve had any illnesses that would increase the risk of having MS. I had a really bad case of tonsilitis which i was hospitalised with when i was 20 (32 now) and I was told at the time that i had glandular fever too. Although i’ve since read that this could’ve been early MS symptoms. I also realised that i’ve had frequent bouts of unexplained fatigue usually about once a year ever since, until things became worse 3 years ago. I never bothered to report these to a doctor as thought i was just worn out.
I’m wondering has anyone else been through the process of doing a Critical Illness claim and could that history have any negative affect on the company paying out? There are no exceptions on the schedule but i can’t remember anything about the initial questionnaire as it was about 6 years ago.
Yes claimed on 2 separate policy last year, got paid out on both. Filled the forms, they wrote to GP and neuro for the reports, no problems at all. I assume that when they write to you GP they will get your records of any sickness then, but wasn’t a problem for me. Good luck.
I’ve recenlty made a claim on my CI insurance, they asked some questions about when the smptoms first started and wrote to both my GP and neuro - the whole process took about 6 weeks. I think that is faster than average but untill a year ago I’d probably only seen my GP two or three times in the last ten years so there wasn’t much histor for them to go through.
You’ll be pleased to know I think the answer is “No”. My CI insurance stated payment on MS for either “sensory” or “motor” impairment - no mention of what type of MS. At the time of my payment, I was RR with only sensory issues and no motor problems.
Hi Al
Why are they asking you this question now, when you’re claiming? I could understand on the initial application form, but not after you’ve been paying premiums for 6 years! At this stage, I wouldn’t volunteer any information you haven’t already provided.
My insurance company also contacted my GP and neuro. I assume my GP records showed that I had had glandular fever when I was 18 and a couple random sensory issues over the years, but they paid out without any argument.
Good luck with your claim. This insurance really was the saving of me - my husband had passed away, I was on the point of having my house repossessed, THEN we had this huge financial crisis and my employer cut my pay and hours in half! Things were absolutely desperate! Payment has taken away all my stress and financial worries - in a strange and ironic way, I can say “I’m lucky I’ve got MS” … but I have to keep reminding myself of that fact on a regular basis!
on my policy I had to have ongoing symptoms that had been resent for 6 months so I suppose if you were RR but between rlapses had no ongoing symtoms they might hold out on paying out
thanks very much for your replies, it’s reassuring to know that there shouldn’t be much problem with my claim. I’ve got a pretty stressful job at the moment with a long commute so i’m pretty much knackered all of the time, paying off a big chunk of the mortgage would certainly be a big weight off my mind.
When I got my payout, my financial adviser told me that although I took it out through my mortgage company, I didn’t have to use it to pay direct to them.
As it worked out, I’m so pleased I didn’t. I used it to pay back other more expensive debts, buy the new car which I desperately needed and other things that made life more bearable.
Obviously paying off the mortgage is a major weight removed, but please be aware that you can maybe use it in other ways. I’m not sure how many people know this.