TERMINALLY CRUEL
MY FRIEND’S wife was given 18 to 24 months to live with treatment and nine months without it. The insurer refused to pay out on her life cover, so she told them she would be having the treatment and going to the Press. The firm paid out.
N. L., by email. MY HUSBAND had motor neurone disease and died within six months of diagnosis. We tried to get a major insurer to pay out on our life cover, but it rejected the claim. It told us it would reconsider if we sent a letter from his consultant.
K. K., Bury. LIFE INSURANCE should be just that. It is unfair to mislead the policyholder into thinking they have security, only to pull the rug from under their feet at a difficult time. Laws are needed to protect policyholders in these circumstances.R.
P., Bristol. I WORK in the industry and know it’s very rare for the Financial Ombudsman to rule in a policyholder’s favour with these kind of cases. Always read your documents and make sure you have a full understanding of what you’re covered for.
J. D., Southampton. SOME INSURERS exploit how successful doctors have become at treating cancer. It means you can be diagnosed as terminally ill, but still be alive five years later. If you need to renew your policy, no firm will cover you.
E. S., by email. ABOUT 21 years ago my uncle was told he had terminal bowel cancer. He had a life policy and received his payout a week before he died. The simple option is to not bother with life insurance and save instead. Insurers will always try to wriggle out of paying.
N. M., Manchester.