A gentle nudge from us was all it needed for Julie to realise her critical illness insurance might cover her cancer. Here’s how we helped.
By Nick Green
Judie, 56 years old from Sheffield, claimed on her critical illness policy for breast cancer.
It was only when Judie got a letter reminding her that her insurance policy was due to reach the end of its 18-year term that she gave it any thought. Her mortgage still had a few more years to run, so Judie called to see if she could extend her cover to match.
A revealing conversation
During the call, a member of our customer service team explained which conditions were covered by Judie’s current critical illness policy. On the list was cancer – something Judie had experienced herself.
“It suddenly struck me”, Judie recalls, “I’ve got a critical illness. I said, ‘Do you think that it would be covered?’ I still didn’t really think I’d be able to claim for it.”
Judie was diagnosed with breast cancer the year before, but she’d forgotten about her critical illness policy, taken out 17 years previously. She was passed over to Harriet, one of our claims handlers, who could answer her questions.
“It was so quick that I was shocked. I rang up in the morning and spoke to Harriet,” Judie continues, “She obviously did whatever you have to do at your end, and then came back to me and said it’s been accepted. The next day the money was in my bank account.”
Judie has been supported by a “brilliant” cancer nurse from the moment of cancer diagnosis. Cancer support nurses provide information, advice and support for cancer patients. Our claims team was able to speak directly to the cancer nurse and get all the information we needed over the phone.
Judie received her money in less than 24 hours. The retrospective payout was a very welcome surprise after a difficult year. Now, Judie plans to put the money towards her outstanding mortgage balance, and perhaps treat her family to a well-deserved holiday.
Judi reminisces, “The day before, we hadn’t even realised it was a claim. And then the next day I had the money! I was just completely floored.”
See how critical illness cover can help protect you and your family here.
Names have been changed.
