How Under The Weather Do You Have To Be To Make A CIC Claim?
Critical Illness Cover (CIC) provides you the total amount insured, which is free from tax, if you are identified with a life-threatening disease which renders you incapable of working.
Insurers are discovering that while life assurance claims are falling, they are having to finance more and more claims on CIC plans. The consequence of this is that the cost of CIC is becoming a higher cost than life insurance. If the number of CIC claims decrease then inevitably the cost of payments will reduce too.
The cost of Direct Line and Swiss Life’s CIC has increased by about 20 and 25 per cent respectively. But the likes of Norwich Union and Scottish Equitable far outstrip them in the price rise race with increases of up to 50%. Other life insurance underwriters are endeavouring to charge more for CIC as well as the industry believes over the definition of ‘life-threatening disease’ and medical science makes big steps in the management and control of highlighted conditions.
The ABI has identified plans for prostate cancer and heart problems, for example. If these ailments are uncovered early on they are not then considered to be ‘life-threatening’, at least for some people. Another example is diabetes. At the moment BUPA is the only insurance organisation which still allows this condition on its register of critical medical issues covered.
A CIC scheme usually is for an agreed term, for example co-terminus with the length of time on a home borrowing requirement, and there is no difference in the premiums. The fees are costly for this cover. Insurers are now seeking to provide reviewable schemes where both the health conditions covered and the charges paid are reviewed every 5 years, which should be cheaper.
Ray Mottershead, senior director of the independent financial adviser division of Tesco, states that more individuals will highlight the reviewable policies as they become better value than the guaranteed cover.
Bradford & Bingley continues to provide a guaranteed CIC but has put its charges up for that. It has announced a reviewable cover option as an alternative. Aviva and Lloyds have ceased to provide guaranteed CICs.
Ray Morton, Protection director at Aviva, says, “The reviewable regular payment will be typically [around] fifteen % lower than the guaranteed scheme.”
An existing guaranteed CIC plan cannot be altered to redefine any ailments which are now defined as ‘life-threatening’ but which may not be in that category in the future. So if you have this type of policy already and are ok to pay the financial amounts you don’t have to be concerned.
If you are thinking to take out critical illness cover get ready to pay less for a reviewable scheme. But if you want the extra lack of worry a guaranteed plan provides, take it while there are still some available, and do not forget you’ll have to pay more.
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