We are receiving a growing number of enquiries from people with ME/CFS who are having difficulties when trying to take out a new life insurance policy.
In some cases, the insurance company is no longer willing to cover people with ME/CFS. In other cases, the insurer is only willing to do so if the payments are loaded.
We would therefore like to heart from anyone who has tried to take out a life insurance policy in the past year with the intention of producing a list of companies that are still willing to cover people with ME/CFS and whether this acceptance then requires a loaded premium.
We also want to know of any insurance companies that are no longer willing to accept applications for life insurance cover from people with ME/CFS.
Please send your feedback to our ME Connect service at meconnect@meassociation.org.uk
We are also considering arranging a meeting with the Association of British Insurers to discuss this important issue.
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There was a time when Life Assurance (Insurance) companies didn’t have a clue about CFS/ME, let alone the ramifications of the disease in terms of likely pay-outs – not that CFS/ME has been proven to result in a shorter life span or sudden death…
…though as research continues maybe that will change?
Insurance is all about risk and reward – for them. Now it seems they are discriminating against something for which there is no current evidence of greater risk – but for which they are happy to either make an extra buck or deny cover out of fear.
A perverse example of raised awareness it may be, but this is another nasty example of one of those hurdles over which we increasingly have to jump.
It ain’t right and it sure ain’t fair. So I urge y’all to reply if you have had experience in this area:
been turned down? been subjected to higher premiums? concerned about what being diagnosed with this illness will mean to existing cover? even fighting for a pay-out or have had experience of doing so in respect of a loved-one?
Of course Critical Illness Insurance and Insurance in general is a whole new kettle of fish – and one I hope the MEA when they have a moment 😉 can and will help us out with.
Nice job MEA! 🙂
My girlfriend (CFS sufferrer) was eventually quoted 3x the originally quoted price for Bupa (life insurance only) when we actually went through the application process.
We have had indications that PruProtect will not increase their initial quoted premium for either Life or Critical Illness with Life cover and seem much more reasonable. They just have an exclusion as follows if CFS is diagnosed:
any functional somatic symptoms (also known as medically unexplained symptoms) including (but not exhaustively) chronic fatigue, chronic pain, or irritable bowel syndromes or myalgic encephalo-myelitis/-pathy (ME), or any mental or behavioural disorder (as defined by the World Health Organisation using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD10 or subsequent revision(s) thereof) including (but not exhaustively) anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or stress.’
which doesn’t sound too bad. I think we will progress with them and see if they hike the price up at the 11th hour like Bupa did.