Author: Catriona Singfield

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as ME and stigmatised as ‘Yuppie flu’ in the 80s, has now been recognised as a proper, and serious, life-damaging illness. Unfortunately for sufferers, some major insurance companies are behind the times, as Miss A found out.

Diagnosed eight years ago, Miss A suffers from a virulent form of ME that has left her wracked with pain and totally unable to complete a normal day’s work, let alone hold down a job. With just £180 a week in benefits – which has to cover all her expenses, including assistance with the illness – she depends on the support and care of her boyfriend and family. Yet with a good, permanent health insurance policy in place, Miss A believed that she would be protected from this tragic situation

Miss A’s former employers believed that they were providing the best health insurance for their workers, with a policy from Swiss Life providing a permanent income in the event of a claim of 75% of final salary. But, after initially agreeing to pay out, insurance firm Swiss Life decided to drop Miss A’s claim. For the last five years, they have refused to pay her the money she is owed, and she has lost £40,000 so far.

Surely, you might think, we should hear Swiss Life’s side of the story? It’s certainly worth reading …

Disregarding personal privacy, as well as the debilitating disease and its effect on Miss A’s life, the insurance company set up a spying programme to capture evidence of her activities on video. They then used this to claim that she was leading a fit and active lifestyle, well able to work for a living and support herself. For example, footage of Miss A making a visit to her Mother’s house after attending a doctor’s appointment was used to suggest that she was perfectly healthy.

As both laymen and medical experts know, ME sufferers may be flat out in bed one day, and able to rise and perform light tasks the next, while being forced to rest yet again a few days later. Thus video evidence of Miss A simply out and about would not suggest to any medical professional that she had recovered.

Swiss Life have also criticised Miss A for providing them with evidence of long-term illness that they find insufficient. In 2002, she started a course of restorative treatment designed to get her back on her feet, but sadly she was unable to finish the course before a relapse hit her. Swiss Life claim that this is evidence not of Miss A taking steps to get well and being knocked back, but avoiding treatment.

You might think that the findings of a respected Harley Street ME specialist might be enough to pacify the insurers. But even with this assessment, Swiss Life are denying Miss A her rightful payments.

Swiss Life are a subsidiary of a company called Resolution, who have said that if Miss A wishes to take her claim to the Financial Ombudsman, then they will not try to prevent her case from being heard. But as Ombudsman compensation is limited to £100,000, Miss A is understandably reluctant to take this route. She does not know how long the condition will persist, and has little reason to trust Swiss life after her treatment so far!

Miss A, and others like her, are being hit by the same prejudice – the idea that such conditions as ME are merely ‘designer diseases’, excuses for the sufferer to get sympathy and avoid a day’s work. This could not be farther from the truth, as any doctor will agree. Real people are suffering real illnesses, and being denied payments that are rightfully theirs.

Until unscrupulous insurers are brought to heel, what can you do to prevent this from happening to you? Your first port of call should be a good online insurance broker. They will search policies for you, to your specific requirements, comparing companies and quotes. Make sure that they are aware of your concerns, and they will be able to help you find an insurance company that has a sympathetic, up-to-date attitude to conditions like ME. Not only that, but they may be able to hunt down an online bargain too!

More Life Insurance Articles
Request a Life Insurance Quote

Technocrati Tags[life-insurance]