Insurance World

In the good old days (?) before the industrial revolution the economy of this country was largely based on agriculture, and so most of the working class employees spent long hours outside in the fields. Inevitably their skin would have been well bronzed, and in time it became a distinguishing mark of the lower classes.

To ensure that no one could possibly mistake them for working class, the fashion of the time for the upper classes, especially amongst the ladies, was for alabaster skin. This effect was accentuated by the application of white powder, which was very often lead based. The result was deadly.

This fashion would continue to a greater or lesser degree into the 19th Century. Then in the 20th century, the advent of at least 2 major wars and the inevitable loss of manpower had a large number of women taking to manual labour. This was honourable work, and it is likely that this was the time when a tan became more acceptable.

The connection between a tan and the outdoor life resulted in the former being regarded as a sign of good health, and this delusion continues (especially amongst the young) to this day. This is very unfortunate, because it is now understood that excessive exposure to tanning rays, whether sunshine or artificial, can be the first step on the road to skin cancer.

The problem has been exacerbated by the increase in the number of people taking holidays in hotter climates than they are used to. Whilst it should never be assumed that exposure to the sun is too limited in this country to have a serious effect, the problem increases vastly in areas where the sun is much nearer to overhead. Combine this with longer hours of sunshine and the danger becomes obvious.

The emphasis now is, as it should be, on prevention. Clothing cover and sun creams are recommended, especially for children, with reduced mid-day exposure a must. In case these precautions prove to be inadequate, good critical illness cover could prove to be a blessing.

However, it pays to read the small print. It is fairly certain that any policy will have some very clear definitions, and treatable conditions are not now regarded as critical illness. This would appear to be reasonable. Skin cancer can be deadly; 1800 deaths a year and rising are proof of this, with experts predicting that this figure will double within 10 years.

No one would expect fire insurance to cover them for just a piece of paper going up in flames, so why should they expect that critical illness cover should provide treatment for non-critical i.e. curable illness. A skin cancer melanoma found early enough can be dealt with and there is a good chance of success

So in the early stages it is up to you to protect yourself with high factor sunscreen, restricted exposure and clothing cover. Early checks of any moles of doubtful origin are important and can be obtained fairly easily. For a start ‘Superdrug’ who have a pharmacy on most high streets are opening ‘mole clinics’ for just such a purpose, and it is likely that other appropriate retail outlets will follow suit.

If you are one of the careless or unlucky ones and you have skin cancer which has advanced beyond the early stages without being discovered, then if you have Critical Illness Insurance you will at least have shed some worries. You will have enough to think about without also having to concern yourself with, for example, financial problems.

So you need to check the small print and make sure that you are absolutely clear as to what you are covered for – skin cancer (even if critical) could be on the ‘not covered’ list. You also need to be certain that you have provided the insurance company with a note detailing any conditions existing before the policy commences; this needs to cover every item which could have even the remotest connection with any insured condition. They are providing your cover and you cannot expect them to do this without the fullest possible information.

Finally, make sure you keep up the payments. Failure to pay must be the surest way to terminate the agreement, and could provide a nasty shock at the worst possible time.

People spend a lot of money on complicated financial products and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of what products perform what tasks. Many people are not aware of all the financial products that are available or they only know of them vaguely. They may not know how much they cost or the potential benefits they offer. How can consumers make informed decisions on what products they would be willing to buy if they do not have this basic information? This problem can often lead to consumers buying unsuitable of overpriced products simply because they feel they should have some financial protections available but don’t have the details to make an informed choice.

One of the common questions many consumers have is regarding the difference between insurance policies and assurance policies. Put simply, insurance policies cover the costs of an event that might happen while assurance policies will pay out on the occurrence of an event that is certain to happen. Insurance policies only last for a specific period of time. If the event occurs within that time, they pay out, otherwise they are finished. Therefore, if no claim can be made within the term of the policy, they have no remaining value.

Guaranteed Payout

An assurance policy is different. Assurance policies always pay out. For example, a life assurance policy will generally pay out upon death or upon reaching the age of 65. How does this policy work? Well, they combine two elements; an insurance element, which will pay out if, the person dies early. This will then be used to pay for the funeral or support his family. But then there is another payment made every year and this is the investment portion. The insurance company invests this part of the premium on behalf of the policyholder and when they reach the age of 65, they pay this out. Life assurance policies are therefore often used both as a method of life insurance and as a method of saving for retirement.

Do You Need Money Now?

If you wish to cash in the investment portion of a life assurance policy early this is generally possible. However, there will usually be hefty penalties added to this so it is unadvisable to cash in early if you don’t have to. The distinction between insurance and assurance is also becoming more blurred as more companies offer both types of policy or add features of one type of policy to their other type to make them more attractive. The distinction is still important so that you know what to ask for and know what kinds of facilities are available for insuring your life and providing for your future.