Skandia adds greater clarity to its critical illness plan

This encompasses the following conditions;

• Multiple System Atrophy,

• Progressive Supranuclear Palsy,

• Parkinsonism-dementia-amyotrophic-lateral sclerosis complex,

• Corticobasal ganglionic degeneration, and;

• Diffuse Lewy body disease.

The claim requirement is for permanent clinical impairment of either motor function, eye movement disorder, postural instability or dementia.

New Partial Payment Conditions providing the lower of £25,000 or 25% of sum insured.

• Low Grade Testicular Cancer

Diagnosis of intratubular germ cell neoplasia with histological confirmation by biopsy, together with the undergoing of surgery to remove a testicle.

Amended Full Payment Conditions

• Blindness

The definition has been widened to include limiting the central visual field to no more than 20°, previously they stipulated 10°.

• Liver Failure

Skandia has removed the specific requirement for cirrhosis

Skandia Protect, which re-entered the critical illness arena in April 2013, has fired a shot over the bows of its rivals with a clear demonstration that it is not playing the numbers game and instead is looking to add greater clarity to its plan and the claim wordings within.

Skandia has removed two conditions – Multiple System Atrophy and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy – and replaced them with a new all-encompassing wording titled Parkinson Plus Syndromes which also encapsulates other conditions that permanently impair motor function, eye movement and postural instability. This is one of those rare instances where less really is more.

This alteration increases the likelihood of a claim being met for a number of rare neurological conditions that have similar outcomes to Parkinson’s, MSA or PSP but are not diagnosed as such.

It now offers 43 full conditions and 13 partial payment conditions.

Additionally, Skandia has upgraded its definitions for Blindness and Liver Failure and introduced a new

partial payment in ‘low grade testicular cancer’. These upgrades are being backdated to April 2013, when Skandia re-entered the critical illness market.

Skandia has also increased its maximum age for applicants to 67 from 65 and extended the expiry age from 75 to 80.