Breast cancer and life / critical illness cover

kingstreet

We don't use the "pre-existing" line in the long-term sector (life, critical illness, income protection). This is usually a term used in the short-term sector for such things as travel insurance or accident & sickness cover which is mostly underwritten at claim.

In the life sector, underwriting is done at application. The insurer receives the application data. It seeks any further information required from GP, medical examination etc.

Once all is to hand, a decision is made to offer standard terms, non-standard terms, defer or decline.

If the insurer offers terms aware of a condition which has been fully disclosed, it cannot go back and disallow a claim for that condition later on.

dunstonh

If I now do God forbid develop breast cancer in the future surely there is no way this can be perceived as a pre -existing illness?

No. As kingstreet says, life assurance companies look at your medical information, both what you disclose and what the GP etc say, and then make a decision on whether to offer cover or not or offer rated terms or put in place exclusions.

From what you say, the insurer obtained medical information and you disclosed the facts and from those things they decided to offer cover. This is different to the op's partner who didnt disclose the information and the insurer did not then get information from the GP or request tests as they were not aware of medical issues.