Should we take out critical illness insurance ?

mejaa

Just came on for some advice really.
My normally fit and well husband who is 34 works full time, started complaining of a blurry left eye 3 weeks ago, we went straight to the eye casualty, he was looked at by eye dr and had various tests done to check blood sugars and nlood counts etc, no diagnosis was made other than 'optical neuropathy' which is an umberella term,. He was then reffered for a ct scan which hasn't yet came through.
Now after reading online , his symptoms strongly lead to optical neuritis which is strongly linked to multiple sclerosis.
Hopefully it is not that, however it has got me thinking that if it were Ms there is no way he could carry on in his present job (production operative) and how would we clove on my wage alone.
He does have life insurance without critical illness.
Would He be able t apply for critical illness elsewhere even though this could be classed as a pre exsisting illness?
Just the whole eye thing affected our holiday insurance recently and we were told that if anything was to happen to him on holiday relating to his eye then they wouldn't pay out, so basically any trips /falls etc leading to broken limbs wouldhave been out down to his sudden blurry eye. :mad: fortunately nothing bad happened on holiday.
Can anyone advise me please.

FutureGirl

I would check the coverage on different critical illness covers as they may exclude pre-existing conditions, as your travel insurance did.

ACG

One of the questions is have you had any tests within the last 5 years.
They will want to know the outcome and if there has been no diagnosis made they will know what the potential outcomes are so you may find with no diagnosis you struggle to get cover.

The time to look at insurance is when you are fit and healthy and do not need it. I think you may find you have left it too late as you could find there are exclusions on the policy.

Speak to your GP see what notes you can get.
Then speak to a broker so they can run it by insurers and get you the best possible terms (which may mean higher rates but no exclusions).

Aretnap

Also consider Permanent Health Insurance as an alternative to Critical Illness cover. CI cover has an obvious appeal in that it comes with a big headline figure, but is that headline figure really enough to last a lifetime if the worst comes to the worst? Plus CI cover only pays out for a predefined list of conditions. If you get an illness which stops you working but isn't on the list, tough luck.

PHI on the other hand pays a regular income for as long as you're too ill to work (depending on the policy that can mean too il to do your normal job, or too ill to work at all), if necessary until you reach retirement age. If you're 30+ years away from retirement that's potentially a lot more valuable than the average critical illness policy.

A pre-existing condition with an uncertain diagnosis is likely to be an issue with either, but speak to a broker or independent financial adviser and see what they can find.

dunstonh

My normally fit and well husband who is 34 works full time, started complaining of a blurry left eye 3 weeks ago, we went straight to the eye casualty, he was looked at by eye dr and had various tests done to check blood sugars and nlood counts etc, no diagnosis was made other than 'optical neuropathy' which is an umberella term,. He was then reffered for a ct scan which hasn't yet came through.

until the outcome of the tests are known, he would not be accepted for critical illness cover (and a number of other health related insurances either).

The time to apply is when you are healthy. The minute symptoms start to appear, it is too late. Hopefully, it will be a satisfactory outcome for him and he can then do something about getting insurance.

jamesd

mejaa wrote: »

Would He be able t apply for critical illness elsewhere even though this could be classed as a pre exsisting illness?

No chance as an individual but does his workplace offer any insurance options as part of a benefits package? Medical insurance at least may include cover for pre-existing conditions. Critical illness or PHI probably won't but it's worth checking. The medical cover or CI would cease when no longer an employee, the PHI would pay out for working life, if available for pre-existing conditions.