Malignant Melanoma and life insurance

Hi Nigel,

I too was advised to claim under my employee scheme critical illness policy and after calling was sent, have completed and returned the forms. As yet I have no further update as I believe they have some time to do their checks but at no time did they tell me I wasn't eligble. Like I say I have heard nothing so far but I will repost my outcome.

@ jaymac25 Many thanks for the reply and good luck with the claim, sounds promising ;) Just out of interest how did you find it completing the forms, are they complex or relatively self explanatory?

Thanks

Nigel

I'm glad your nurse was on the ball, Nigel, so many people aren't told about critical illness claims. Your insurer should pay out, and if for some reason they don't... fight them!  Oh, and sorry to hear of your diagnosis.

Marsha x

Hi Nigel 

My experience of claiming on my critical illness policy was relatively  simple and the forms straight forward.  I am with Legal and General and they worked really hard at being helpful, polite and informative.  Guess I was lucky  :).

I don't see how they can use their 'time limit' as an excuse for avoidance of settling because as you say it was only confirmed to you quite recently that it was malignant.  Besides - they'd only generate really bad press and they can certainly do without that lol.

My insurance company were very good about keeping me informed concerning the progress of my claim, although I did make it clear in my covering letter that I expected them to  :D.

I provided copies of all of the documents I had relating to my condition but of course they still had to confirm it with my GP as I could have been a master forger lol.  They didn't need to bother any of my Specialists as my GP is kept in the loop and fully up to date all of the time.  
I'm also very lucky in that they (the GP) always respond to requests for information such as this immediately or at the most within twenty four hours.  I also warned the surgery of all the info requests that were being sent as there were a few other things I was pursuing.  

You must try to remember that you are only asking for something that you are entitled to.  You had the foresight to arrange the policy and to keep it up to date.  Well done.  While we'd all like to believe 'It'll never happen to me'  this group proves that umm actually It can.

I hope all goes well for you.

Keep on keeping on.  :) 

Hello Nigel

I am one of the Financial Guides here at Macmillan and have seen your post (we saw your earlier email too so this is a response to both).

We often speak to people about their critical illness claims and encounter many of the questions you raise.  Insurance companies are improving how they deal with claims and the numbers of claims going through are increasing each year, largely because of improvements in customer service and also because customers are better at ensuring that they fully disclose information about their medical history at application stage. Our experience is that if you have made a full disclosure to the insurance company AND your particular cancer is covered  under the terms and conditions of the policy, there should be no reason why your claim is not settled. Each insurance company has a list of the conditions they will cover and very often they do not include cancers which are non invasive or non malignant but if you check your original policy wording to see if your cancer is covered and on the assumption your medical professional supports your claim, the insurance company should pay out.

We would be happy to hear from you on the phone to talk your claim through in more detail and to see if there is anything we can do to support you. Our number is 0808 808 0000.

Kind regards.

Julia

@ Marsha - Many thanks for your reply. I'd been to the hospital several times and seen several consultants before meeting a nurse specialist who was both well informed but also compassionate and considerate. It was the nurse who explained everything fully without leaving any question unanswered. I was originally diagnosed in Jan but have only just been told (last Wed.) about the possibility of a claim and the full extent of my condition.

Any monetary compensation from insurance would be a bonus but I'm just thankful for an early diagnosis and hopefully a full recovery :D

Thanks again x

@ Lyn - Many thanks for your response Lyn. I've received the forms today and they do look straight forward. I'm just going to ensure I've got all my dates to the GP/hospital all in order, wouldn't want the claim to be denied over a silly mistake! 

Thank you for sharing your experience with me, it's a comfort to know that paying into an insurance policy might one day pay dividends. Like you said, I've paid into this policy for many years with the hope I never need to claim but now that I do and I satisfy their stated criteria, I see no reason for them not to honor it.

I'll keep the post updated on progress. Hopefully the info will serve to help others that are unfortunate enough to have to go through the process in the future :) 

Thanks again :)

@ Julia - Thanks for the reply - I've had this policy since 2005 with Scottish Provident and as far as I am aware there is no problem with full disclosure. I've read the policy small print for Cancer and the bit pertaining to my cancer reads as follows:

The following are excluded - any skin cancer 'other than Invasive Malignant Melanoma' 

Mine has been diagnosed as 'Nodular Invasive Malignant Melanoma'. I was told on the phone that there are no exclusions other than it has to be Invasive and Malignant which mine is.

I'll fill out the forms, cross-reference them with my medical records since diagnosis and fingers crossed. I will of course keep everybody updated.

I really appreciate everybody taking time out to reply and offer advice. I hope I can do the same for others in the future.

Many thanks and kind regards :)

Forms were straightforward enough Nigel, took about 15 mins to complete.

Thanks Jmac

Got the forms through today, they look pretty straight forward :) Just got to get the names of my consultants and the hospital dates correct...fingers crossed.

Brgds

Nigel

I just wondered what luck you had with your insurers ? Did they sort your claim to your satisfaction. I am just starting the process of claiming - we have had our policy for about 15 years - was Abbey National and then BNP Paribas - i hope its not too complicated !! All the best.

Hi, 

I may be a little late in posting this as your claim (nigelallen) may have even been sorted by now but I hope this information may perhaps also be useful for anyone who (like I did when I claimed on my life cover) is scouring the internet and this site for advice on such claims. 

I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in April last year. A friend mentioned to me that I should look at my critical illness cover terms but I didn't initially think that there was any way I was covered! I did take my paperwork out soon after just to check and noticed that my terms said they will not pay out for skin cancer EXCEPT for cases of malignant melanoma which is "invasive". 

I had 2 policies, my original and a top-up with another insurer. I spoke to both to obtain claim forms and for general advice and one told me that "invasive" is defined by way of the presence of a "breslow thickness" of some kind. Mine was 0.6mm. I was still quite cynical even then. 

I made my claims and, after the insurers wrote to both hospital consultants (my treatment started at my local hospital and I was then referred on to Christies in Manchester and now have shared care) and my GP, my claims were both paid. I was totally shocked; I had only been paying one of them for 3 years (needless to say that insurer asked the most questions).

We have been able to clear our mortgage and it's a lot of pressure off our shoulders. We now use the money we would have paid to our mortgage to enjoy every moment with our kids as best we can because, for me in particular, I feel that this was a warning and a chance for me to learn from the experience and help others by warning them of the effects of sun exposure and to raise money for cancer charities. In September 2012 my friends and I did a half marathon (something I NEVER thought I could do) to raise money for cancer research. 

I wish everyone well xxx