On its
Flexible Health range of private medical insurance products for individuals,
WPA now also offers moratorium underwriting.
Full
medical underwriting
This is
based on you completing a health questionnaire when you first apply for cover.
If you choose this option, you will be asked a number of questions about your
health. WPA will review your details and decide the basis on which it can
accept you for cover.
If you
have a pre-existing condition that may need treatment in the future, the
insurer will usually exclude it from cover, along with any conditions related
to it.
Although
this option involves more of your time when completing your application, it
does mean that, when you receive your policy documentation, you will have
certainty as to what is covered at the point of joining rather than when you
need to make a claim.
Moratorium
underwriting
With this
option you do not need to fill in a medical history declaration on joining, but
need to satisfy the following joining criteria:
You (and
any applicant) must satisfy the following criteria to join on a moratorium
basis:
- Have
not been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer or undergoing
regular screening for cancer owing to your family history, nor had a surgical
procedure/arthroscopy for a joint or back condition.
- Applicants over 18 must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 19 and 32.
If you
satisfy the above criteria, the insurer will apply an automatic exclusion
advising that any pre-existing conditions will not be covered for which you
(and any family member included in your application): have received treatment
and/or medication for, asked advice about, or had symptoms of (whether or not
diagnosed) during the five years immediately before your PMI cover started.
However,
these conditions will be covered if you do not have any symptoms, treatment,
medication, or advice for those pre-existing conditions, and any directly
related conditions, for two continuous years after your policy starts.
Your
policy will probably never cover any pre-existing long-term medical conditions
such as high blood pressure, which (even if symptoms were under control) are
likely to require regular or periodic treatment, medication or advice. This is
because the moratorium period starts each time you receive such treatment, so
it is unlikely you will ever have two consecutive years free of treatment.
If you choose this option you will only be asked to provide basic
information about you and any members of your family you wish to insure when
you first join the plan. You will not be asked to disclose details of your
medical history, but if you have had any symptoms, treatment, medication or
advice for any medical conditions or undiagnosed symptoms these will be
excluded from cover. The two year criteria for pre-existing conditions means
that treatment for pre-existing conditions will automatically be covered if
they later reoccur.
Private medical insurance news: 14 February 2012
