Critical illness cover

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1

Hi
Am wondering if anyone can offer some advice. Was diagnosed last year and went through the hell of treatment. Nowion zolodex and tamoxifen. Anyways at the time didn’t think I had critical illness cover… Turns out I do!
Rang today and they’re sending me out a claim form. Anyone else had similar experience and was itsuccessful?
Know they won’t pay up for in situ cancer but what does that actually mean? Mine was IDC grade 2 no node involvement
Cheers xx

2

Hi Butterfly

I have posted a link to some threads where critical illness cover has been discussed in the last few months, I am sure your fellow users will be along soon with their experiences too:

http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/search/node/critical%20illness%20cover

Best wishes

Lucy

3

Hi

Your cover will probably state invasive cancer in which case you should be eligible. Your consultant will be asked for a report & my insurance company wanted copies of my pathology reports. When you receive your form to complete ask your bcn or consultants secretary for help, they are used to completing them & it saves multiple questions coming back from the insurers. My consultants secretary was fantastic helping to get mine sorted.

If you want any help feel free to PM me.

4

It all depends what your policy actually states and from my experience this is usually dependant upon how long you have had your policy. I had 3 policies taken out atvarious times, the older 2 I had for over 20 years since I was 18. They just stated any invasive cancer anywhere in the body, so they paid out without any question, just needed a letter from the onc submitting report. The 3rd policy I had only had for a few years and that stated any stage 4 cancer, so basically not covered for any cancer that could in theory be cured.
I think this is because that cancer treatment is so good these days you have a pretty good chance of being cured and not having your life cut short.
Getting the payment meant that I could give up work for my treatment and have 12 months off with no stress and then return to work when I was fit and ready to go. And a bit of a nest egg left.

5

Hi
I didn’t have critical illness cover but I took out a policy with my bank Barclays, they offered me a policy for BC 12 months before I was DX. it took up the offer as I was then 47 and so many people I knew were being diagnosed with BC. I had MX and node removal.
Forms were easy to fill in and surgeon and BCN also had to sign and complete parts of the form. I was paid out within 1 month of applying.
I took this policy out as CI cover was quite expensive and this only cost me £13 per month.
Jude

6

Hi,
I had a stage 1, grade 1, node negative IDC and had critical illness with Halifax and they wiped off my entire mortgage! Easy process to go through, you need a letter from the surgeon etc.
Emma

7

I am just claiming mine. My claim is complicated by the fact that my insurance company didn’t have my current address or current surname. I have also lost the original policy document. I had to fill in a lengthy form, with contact details for the surgeon, Oncologost and GP. They were then going to write for confirmation of my diagnosis. i also had to send proof of address and ID.
Even with all of the challenges, I have had a letter today that they accept my claim and I just need to sign 1 piece of paper to confirm that I have lost the policy document and I should then get the money pretty quickly.

8

Hi Butterfly83

I had two policies for Life and Critical Illness with two different insurers, and I have successfully claimed on both of them. All I had to do was meet two definitions, my cancer had to be invasive and malignant. I had to fill out a form and then they wrote to my doctor and my consultant. I had a problem with one of them, as my consultant seemed to be slow at responding, so they ended up writing to the other insurance company for information and based on that, settled my claim.

Hope this helps.

9

Hi
I was diagnosed in 2008 with Invasive lobular Grade 2 , node involvement. I only had to add my signature to add to the claim form, my consultant did the rest. It was a very tidy sum and made alot of difference at the time.
Best of luck.

10

HI there, mine didn’t pay out despite invasive and lymph involvement cos I was working in the third week of each chemo cycle and during rads - I would have had to do no work at all for a year to get paid out so it wasn’t worth it for me - bit annoyed tho after all that investment over the years, but thats insurance for you!

11

Hi
I had a MX and lymph node clearance earlier this year and am now having chemo. I had forgotten about my critical illness insurance until a friend asked the question as to whether I had any. My critical illness cover did pay out and were extremely helpful and quick at doing so. They have even paid me additional interest because it took 3 months to get the payment to me (which I thought was quick and the delay was due to my consultant being off sick).
I hope you have a similar experience.
Claire

12

Mine decided not to pay as for whatever reason I didn’t meet the criteria (it was IDC but grade 1, stage 1) somehow not “critical” enough it seems, but wasn’t too upset as I guess it was good news in a way that this is the case

13

I’ve had a critical illness policy for 8 years and had with so much going on I had almost forgotten I’d taken it out . I got diagnosed with grade 3, stage 3 in May, put the claim in the following month and received a substantial payout early August. All they required was a report from my GP and oncologist confirming the diagnoses. Not ideal as I’d rather not have the cancer but “every cloud has a silver lining”. It is nice to have this nest egg, if I feel I have to give up work it will tide me over until I can claim early retirement pension in 5 years , aged 55.

Jax

14

Hi Mary Grace - Do you mind if I ask who your policy was with? I have been diagnosed stage 1. Have WLE and SNB on 04.09.12. I have critical illness cover with the Haliax and have just put in a claim. Hope you doing ok x

15

Hi all
I have been diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Grade 2 and am still waiting to hear if my critical illness will pay out. I have had op and recovering just waiting for radiotherapy. Anyone know if they are likely to pay out on this?

16

I think with some insurance policies as well as the difference between invasive and non-invasive some now also require the tumour to be a certain grade and stage depending on how long the policy has been in force.
I had one policy which I had had for over 20 years which just stated under the heading of cancer, that they would cover any type of invasive cancer anywhere in the body.
But I had another policy that I had only had for around 5 years and this stated that the cancer had to be stage IV (ie terminal) and certain cancers weren’t included at all. This is probably due to survival of all cancers being so much better now.
So in my case one policy paid out and one didn’t.

17

Hi Sue, I was also diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Grade 2 and they paid out. My policy had only 4 days left to run and I had decided not to renew because of the increased cost. It was fortunate I went to the clinic when I did, although I would much rather have not had to claim on the policy.

18

Hiya Has anyone else had problems getting their surgeon to complete their critical illness form mine has taken ages and although im told its at the top of the pile now its been weeks! I also have an income replacement policy which is with my doctors and the girl dealing with that snapped at me saying they have hundreds oflittle jobs to do and it wasnt priority! Good job my circumstances have changed since taking that policy out and i am now salaried and being paid! However i feel sorry for anyone that takes out income replacement and actually needs it, they have had the form 6 weeks now!

19

I was diagnosded almost two years ago and had critical illness cover. My claim was payed out in full, more than enough to pay off our mortgage so ended up with something left over

20

Hi sue,
i noticed no one had answered you, and just wanted to say yes! It very or normal for doctors and specialists to take ages fill in and return the forms. I don’t think most of them understand how important it is. On average it takes 4 to 8 weeks for what is a simple form.

your insurance company should chase the specialist up, but the most effective thing can be for you talk to them directly, or explain to your BCN how important it is, and how bad the delay is making you feel, and see she they will chase it for you. I asked my surgeon when I went for a review appointment and she got the registrar to do it straight away.
plynda