Summary

Tell the whole truth on your application form. Currently one in four of claims are rejected.

Critical Illness Insurance. Critically important - time to take cover . Page 2

Author: Michael Challiner

Unfortunately, at a time when most people are suffering from

As soon as a claim is made, the insurance company will request a huge amount of information from your doctor. It's quite likely that much of this information is not relevant to the illness for which the claim relates. The insurer is using this information to ascertain whether or not the insured has been completely truthful on the original insurance application form.

The reason for this is what the insurers call non-disclosure and if any medical information has been omitted, they can use this as grounds for refusing the claim.

It appears that the non-disclosure may not be related to the critical illness. Claims have been turned down for various reasons, including the case of a woman with breast cancer whose case was rejected because she hadn't listed treatment for depression on the original proposal form.

The rejection rates are shown as follows:

Despite the insurers claim that these rejections are perfectly legal, the Law Commission appears to think differently. There has been a consultation document published recently and the Commission makes the statement "It is possible for an applicant to act reasonably and honestly and yet still fail to meet the duty of disclosure." The conclusions of these consultations will be reported on as soon as they are available.

It is therefore extremely important that when applying for this very valuable form of insurance, you disclose all previous illnesses. It's probable that if you have to claim, then your medical records will be thoroughly examined and if the insurers consider you omitted medical information, they may "throw out" the request.

Compare companies for the best rates. Read the small print. Spend some considerable time in listing medical conditions. Relax - it may never happen.

Did you know?
A survey of borrowers conducted by the Daily Mail found that 54% of applicants for loans were refused whilst 43% were offered a loan but at a higher rate than that advertised.

Did you Know?
The European Health Insurance Card (available through UK Post Offices) allows UK citizens to receive medical treatment in other EEC member state for free or at a reduced cost, if medical treatment becomes necessary during their visit or if they have a pre-existing condition which necessitates medical care (such as kidney dialysis).

The scheme's intention is to enable people to continue their stay in an EEC country without having to return home for medical care. As such, it does not apply to people who have visited a country for the purpose of obtaining medical care. Nor does it cover medical care that can be delayed until the visitor returns to the UK.

Furthermore, the European Health Insurance Card only covers healthcare which is normally covered by a statutory health care system in the country visited, so conventional travel insurance is still necessary.

Did you Know?
Personal secured loans are widely advertised on the Internet but research has found that of those applicants who are accepted, 43% are offered a rate that is higher than the advertised rate (source: Experian, the UK's largest credit reference agency). Therefore, if you're looking for a cheap secured loan, it's probably best to apply through a loan Broker. The Broker will know exactly which lenders will accept your credit history and find you the cheapest possible loan.

Did you Know?
Over recent years, the cost of moving house has risen at more than twice the rate of house price inflation. The main offender has been stamp duty.

Today, a move from the average semi worth £174,750 to an average detached house costing £293,250, will cost some £12,500. Five years ago the same move would have cost just £4,500. These costs include Land Registry costs, local authority searches, estate agents, solicitor's fees, and of course, stamp duty. This means that house moving costs have increased by 176% whilst house prices have themselves risen by 70%.

This increase in home move costs has been greatly influenced by the fact that the average price for a detached house has now burst through the £250,000 level above which stamp duty jumps from 1% to 3%.

For some homeowners, these costs have influenced a decision to stay put and remortgage. That's one of the reasons why remortgages have become so popular.

Did you know?
Unsecured loans tend to attract higher interest rates. That's because the lender is taking a bigger risk by lending without taking a legal charge against your property. Then, if you default, the lender must resort to the Courts to recover the money you owe.