Q: What illnesses are covered by Serious Illness Insurance?

It varies depending on the provider. Zurich Life , for example, considers 81 illnesses as critical illnesses.Three big illnesses account for approximately 81 per cent of all claims:Cancer.Heart attack.Stroke.The next 8 serious illnesses together account for around 17 per cent of claims:Angioplasty for heart disease.Bacterial meningitis.Benign brain tumour.CardiomyopathyCoronary artery bypass.Heart valve replacement or repair.Multiple Sclerosis.Parkinson’s DiseaseThe remaining serious illnesses account for approximately 2 per cent of claims paid, for example:BlindnessComaDeafnessHeart Structural RepairIntensive CareKidney FailureLiver FailureMajor Organ TransplantPermanent Total Disability.We have compiled a comparison of the illnesses covered by each insurer. Go here to find out which serious illness cover provider in best in 2021. While lots of illnesses are covered, many more aren’t – and some of those not covered would also keep you out of work for quite a while, e.g. mental health issues or back pain.Likewise, not all policies cover the same illnesses, such as back injury or various cancers. Generally though (I stress the ‘generally’), the insurers will cover strokes, heart attacks, some types of cancer, heart disease, MS, major organ transplants, and brain tumours.Most policies also include partial Serious Illness Cover for your children.

Q: Who offers the best Serious Illness Cover plan?

It’s between New Ireland and Zurich Life. New Ireland covers a larger amount of serious illnesses.Zurich Life has a better definition of stroke, making it easier to claim. They also offer Booster Payments and Child Specific Illness Cover:In the end, it may come down to the premium they each charge.In this blog, I show you how to compare serious illness cover in 4 easy steps.

Q: What's the difference between income protection and life insurance?

Using a car insurance analogy (h/t to Matthew Chapman ), serious illness cover is your third party fire and theft in that it covers you for specific claimable events – covers any damage to a third party or their property resulting from an incident as well as any damage to your own vehicle caused by fire or theft.On the other hand, income protection is like comprehensive car insurance, which covers your car for any damage caused to it.Serious illness cover – think specific, defined illnesses only (third party, fire and theft).Income protection – think of any illness or accident that stops your working (comprehensive insurance).

Question 1

What illnesses are covered by Serious Illness Insurance?

Accepted Answer

It varies depending on the provider. Zurich Life, for example, considers 81 illnesses as critical illnesses.Three big illnesses account for approximately 81 per cent of all claims:Cancer.Heart attack.Stroke.The next 8 serious illnesses together account for around 17 per cent of claims:Angioplasty for heart disease.Bacterial meningitis.Benign brain tumour.CardiomyopathyCoronary artery bypass.Heart valve replacement or repair.Multiple Sclerosis.Parkinson’s DiseaseThe remaining serious illnesses account for approximately 2 per cent of claims paid, for example:BlindnessComaDeafnessHeart Structural RepairIntensive CareKidney FailureLiver FailureMajor Organ TransplantPermanent Total Disability.We have compiled a comparison of the illnesses covered by each insurer.Go here to find out which serious illness cover provider in best in 2021.While lots of illnesses are covered, many more aren’t – and some of those not covered would also keep you out of work for quite a while, e.g. mental health issues or back pain.Likewise, not all policies cover the same illnesses, such as back injury or various cancers. Generally though (I stress the ‘generally’), the insurers will cover strokes, heart attacks, some types of cancer, heart disease, MS, major organ transplants, and brain tumours.Most policies also include partial Serious Illness Cover for your children.

Question 2

Who offers the best Serious Illness Cover plan?

Accepted Answer

It’s between New Ireland and Zurich Life.New Ireland covers a larger amount of serious illnesses.Zurich Life has a better definition of stroke, making it easier to claim. They also offer Booster Payments and Child Specific Illness Cover:In the end, it may come down to the premium they each charge.In this blog, I show you how to compare serious illness cover in 4 easy steps.

Question 3

Do you actually need Serious Illness Cover?

Accepted Answer

It depends. I could give you a pitch here and talk you into it, but instead, I’m going to lay it out so you can decide for yourself.You should consider getting Serious Illness Protection if you have no other cover for ill health, e.g. sick pay entitlements through work or income protection. It’s also useful if you’re between jobs or unemployed as you could struggle to pay for the best treatment should illness strike.Lastly, if you have dependents who rely on your income, Serious Illness Cover makes sense.Is it worth getting critical illness cover? Yes, but only if you can’t get income protection.

Question 4

What's the difference between income protection and life insurance?

Accepted Answer

Using a car insurance analogy (h/t to Matthew Chapman), serious illness cover is your third party fire and theft in that it covers you for specific claimable events – covers any damage to a third party or their property resulting from an incident as well as any damage to your own vehicle caused by fire or theft.On the other hand, income protection is like comprehensive car insurance, which covers your car for any damage caused to it.Serious illness cover – think specific, defined illnesses only (third party, fire and theft).Income protection – think of any illness or accident that stops your working (comprehensive insurance).

Question 5

What’s the difference between Health Insurance and Serious Illness Cover?

Accepted Answer

Health Insurance basicsHealth Insurance is a comprehensive plan that may cover things like hospitalisation expenses, maternity benefits, surgery, or treatments. The extent of coverage usually relates to your plan’s cost: Generally, the more expensive your plan, the more that’s covered.Serious Illness Cover basicsSerious Illness pays out a tax-free lump sum () if you’re diagnosed with one of the specific illnesses or disabilities that your policy covers ().

Question 6

What’s the difference in cost between Health Insurance and Serious Illness Cover?

Accepted Answer

Health Insurance is one of the most expensive types of insurance you can get – because there are loads of claims. There’s a pretty high chance that you’ll get sick at some point during your cover. It is what it is.With Irish Life Health, the cheapest basic cover starts at around €40 a month, while the enhanced cover costs over €300 a month. With VHI, the current cheapest cover starts at €37 a month and rises to €85 for basic cover.

Question 7

How much does Serious Illness Cover cost?

Accepted Answer

The cost of Serious Illness Cover will depend on the amount of cover, your age, health, whether you smoke, and how long you want to insure yourself for.My guideline is that €30,000 cover is enough for most people, provided they also have income protection. You can read more on the maths of that here, but it boils down to giving you the financial security to be able to quit working for a year to focus on getting better…without money worries.Get a quote; you’d be surprised how little Serious Illness actually costs. It’s often much less than you’d expect – maybe the cost of a couple of pints, or whatever you’re having yourself, across the month.When you think of it like that, you’d be bananas not to consider it.

Question 8

Are there any extra benefits with Serious Illness policies?

Accepted Answer

Some insurance companies offer benefits on top of the policy, though generally, you’ll pay more for them.Extra benefits include:Broken bones payments.A conversion/convertible option lets you convert your cover into a new policy down the line or extend your policy without needing to provide medical information.Personal accident benefit – where you receive a weekly payment for a limited period of time or if you’re out of work due to an accident.Hospital cash – essentially, it’s a daily payment that’s ‘spending money’ while you have to stay in hospital. It usually includes a waiting period before the cover kicks in.One‑to‑one personal support from your own Nurse Adviser – supports you and your family through a serious illness.

Question 9

Should you get Specified Illness Cover on its own or as a bundle?

Accepted Answer

NEVER add Serious Illness Cover to your Mortgage Protection policy because the banks get any pay-out on Serious Illness if it’s on your Mortgage Protection policy. I’ll bet the bank never told you that, the swine.Instead, buy Serious Illness Cover on an accelerated basis (see below) as part of your Life Insurance policy (provided you’re not using your life insurance as security for a mortgage… if you do so, the bank, not you, will get the serious illness pay-out).

Question 10

What’s the difference between Accelerated or Additional Serious Illness Cover?

Accepted Answer

There are three ways to buy specified serious illness cover:1. Standalone/Independent: Here, you simply buy a separate Serious Illness policy. Should you get one of the illnesses, your policy pays out.The one big danger in buying on a standalone/independent basis is the “Survival Period.”A life insurance survival period is the length of time you must live after being diagnosed with a critical illness. Only if you pass the survival period will the insurance benefit payout. It is usually for 14 days.I know it sounds gruesome; why would the insurers add such a sick clause?They designed critical illness payouts to help you financially if you get sick and have to quit working for a while and suffer a drop in income.Serious illness cover is not a death benefit. That’s what life insurance is for.2. Accelerated: Or you can add Accelerated Illness cover to your life insurance policy. Your policy will pay-out should you get a serious illness, but the insurer will reduce your remaining life cover by the amount of the claim paid.3. Additional: Finally, you can buy Additional Cover. The difference being your life cover amount is unaffected by a Serious Illness claim.Here’s a blog post that explains the difference between Accelerated and Additional Illness cover in detail and recommends which one is best.In case you couldn’t be arsed to read that piece…Accelerated is the way to go.To help this make total sense, let’s look at a scenario. Peter Parker is a 25-year-old man with a penchant for red suits and spider webs.He’s got a Life Insurance policy for €100,000 and €50,000 Serious Illness Cover.If Peter claims accelerated serious illness cover policy, he will get €50,000, and if he dies, Mary Jane, his other half, would receive the remaining sum, i.e. the €50,000.With additional serious illness cover, he’d receive the €50,000, and if he dies, Mary Jane will receive the full LI policy, i.e. the €100,000, additionally.

Question 11

What about Serious Illness Cover for children?

Accepted Answer

As with Life Insurance, you can’t buy Serious Illness Cover for a child, but they are covered automatically on their parent’s policy……IF THE PARENT has Serious Illness Cover.Again, the amount of free cover depends on the insurer you choose:Aviva, Zurich and Irish Life: The lower of €25,000 or 50 per cent of the parent’s illness cover amount. A child covered to 25 if in full-time education.Royal London and New Ireland: The lower of €25,000 or 50 per cent of the parent’s illness cover amount. A child covered to 21 if in full-time education.

Question 12

What happens if I’m refused Illness Cover? What are my options?

Accepted Answer

Don’t worry; you still have some options available, like Cancer Only Cover and Multi Claim Protection Cover.

Question 13

What is Cancer Only Cover?

Accepted Answer

Cancer Only Cover is available to anyone aged 18 to 60. It will pay you a cash lump sum if you’re diagnosed with cancer, as defined by your policy, during the term of the plan.Types of cancers that would ordinarily be covered include:BreastProstateBowelLungGynaeTesticularMalignant melanoma skin cancer.Cancer Only Cover is an insurance policy that will pay out should you contract a certain type of cancer. The cancer definition is the same one as can be found on a Serious Illness policy. This gives you the peace of mind that a cancer claim payable under a Critical Illness policy will also be met on a Cancer Only policy.Okay, so why not buy Serious Illness Cover instead?Cancer Only Cover is available even if you have been refused Serious Illness, or you think you would be refused Serious Illness protection due to a pre-existing health condition. This includes people with a medical history of:• Heart attacks.• Angioplasty.• Angina.• Valvular disease.• Stroke.• Obesity.• Diabetes.• Kidney problems.• Multiple Sclerosis.

Question 14

What were the main claims made for Cancer Only Cover?

Accepted Answer

For women, the main causes of claims over the past 12 months were as follows:• Breast: 53 per cent.• Bowel: 8 per cent.• Skin: 8 per cent.• Ovarian: 6 per cent.• Endometrial: 6 per cent.• Cervical: 3 per cent.For men, they were:• Prostate: 23 per cent.• Brain: 11 per cent.• Bowel: 11 per cent.• Testicular: 7 per cent.• Lung: 7 per cent.• Melanoma: 4 per cent.• Kidney: 2 per cent.

Question 15

Is it difficult to get Cancer Only Cover?

Accepted Answer

No, the underwriting is much simpler for Cancer Only Cover than Serious Illness Cover, so it’s an easier process.

Question 16

How much is Cancer Only Cover compared to Serious Illness Cover?

Accepted Answer

I’ll quote for a 40-year-old, non-smoker, €250,000 life cover over 25 years.With €50,000 Serious Illness Cover, the monthly premium is €60 per month. With €50,000 cancer cover, the premium is €45 per month.So you get a decent discount because all illnesses are not covered, but the Big C is…and that accounts for more claims than any other. Seems reasonable enough to me.But really, if you have been refused Serious Illness, price isn’t the most important thing, is it?

Question 17

What is Multi Claim Protection Cover?

Accepted Answer

Multi Claim Protection Cover (MCPC) is a new type of policy that pays out based on the severity of an illness and the impact it has on your life.For example, a severe illness like a major organ transplant will payout 100% of your cover. MS will payout 50%, heart attack 20%, angioplasty 5%.The motive here is that because medicine has improved, people are getting earlier diagnoses, faster treatment, and recovering quicker, so illnesses have less of an impact on people’s lives.Following treatment, many people return to life and work as normal in a short space of time. Therefore there isn’t such a need for a product that pays out 100% of the claim in one go.Here’s an in-depth analysis of Multi Claim Protection Cover – it’s the ‘Batbelt of protection products’.

Question 18

Why should you buy Serious Illness Cover asap?

Accepted Answer

Here are six superb reasons why you should buy serious illness cover when you’re young and before your health goes down the toilet.Here is a list of the illnesses future you are most likely to get.Autoimmune illnessesPiling on the poundsFamily history eventsMRIs and/or angiogramsType 2 diabetesClaimable illnessesLet’s go through them in more detail.

Nick McGowan - QFA RPA APA Qualified Life Insurance Advisor

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