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Home / Critical illness cover / - Loss of Speech
Definition
Total permanent and irreversible loss of the ability to speak as a result of physical injury or disease.
What does this mean?
Loss of speech may be caused if the vocal chords are damaged in an accident or by a disease such as cancer of the larynx. The loss must be total, permanent and irreversible. Therefore a claim would not be paid if the loss was only partial or was a temporary condition. It is possible for the power of speech to be lost without physical damage to the vocal chords, possibly because of a severe mental trauma or shock. However, in such cases it is nearly impossible to determine whether the loss is permanent and therefore a claim would not be paid.
NEWS
Critical illness enhancements from LV=
16 July 2007 11:39:30
Leading life insurance provider LV= has improved many of its premium rates for critical illness cover, reports Mortgage Solutions.
Critical illness insurance rates have been reduced by as much as 30 per cent in some cases, with 96 per cent premiums reduced across guaranteed and reviewable combined life and combined critical illness contracts.
Justin Harper, head of intermediary marketing strategy at LV=, said that the changes were part of a constant effort to keep consumer confidence in mind.
"This latest enhancement to our critical illness rates comes just a week after we announced improved term assurance premiums," he said.
The insurer reduced premium rates across 90 per cent of its term assurance packages.
He continued: "However, over and above rate reviews we understand that it is the extra benefits that we provide to advisers and their clients that really can make a difference.
"For advisers, our tele-underwriting and straight through processing services for our mini-protection plan saves time, allowing them to focus on more important things."
Mr Harper added: "We know that our Extra Care service, which is shortly coming up to its first anniversary, is highly regarded in helping policyholders handle living with a serious health condition or long-term disability following a claim under a critical illness policy."
Stem cell research could help heart disease patients
03 July 2008 17:48:03
A government fertility watchdog has given the go-ahead for stem cell research that will be used to study fatal heart diseases.
Warwick Medical School researchers will use part-human and part-animal embryos for the first time to carry out their study which could eventually have an effect on the cost of life insurance policies for patients with heart disease.
The team plans to create embryos that are 99.9 per cent human DNA and 0.1 per cent pig DNA and stem cells extracted from the embryos will be grown into human heart cells.
Chemicals will be used to destroy the pig DNA before the researchers grow the human heart cells.
Justin St John, heading up the research team, explained what they hope to achieve from the process: "Ultimately they will help us understand where some of the problems associated with these diseases arise, and they could also provide models for the pharmaceutical industry to test new drugs."
Licenses have been granted to two other British teams that are hoping to create hybrid embryos but neither planned to extract animal DNA from the stem cells first.
Conditions such as heart disease can often have an impact on the cost of UK life insurance.
Daily exercise can increase cancer survival for men
28 May 2008 17:09:32
Basic daily exercise reduces cancer death risk in men by 33 per cent, a study has revealed.
Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute examined the effects of physical activity on cancer risk in men aged between 45 and 79. They observed the lifestyle habits of 40,708 men from central Sweden.
Over seven years, 3,714 developed cancer and 1,153 died from the illness. The scientists found men who did half an hour's walking or cycling a day had a 34 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer than those who did less or no exercise at all.
Lead author of the study, Professor Alicja Wolk, said: "These results clearly show for the first time, the effect that very simple and basic daily exercise such as walking or cycling has in reducing cancer death risk in middle-age and elderly men."
Professor Wolk called the data "promising" and hoped to further explore the role exercise plays in preventing cancer in the future.
The findings were published in the British Journal of Cancer yesterday (May 26th). Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK welcomed the findings. She said: "It's encouraging to see research that helps us understand in more detail what steps men can take to reduce risk of cancer."
Cancer Research UK advises not smoking, maintaining body weight, a sensible diet and regular exercise as key to a healthy life.
The study results arrive before National Men’s Health Week (June 9th to 15th), which hopes to encourage men to take advantage of health initiatives available at work.
16 July 2007 11:39:30
Leading life insurance provider LV= has improved many of its premium rates for critical illness cover, reports Mortgage Solutions.
Critical illness insurance rates have been reduced by as much as 30 per cent in some cases, with 96 per cent premiums reduced across guaranteed and reviewable combined life and combined critical illness contracts.
Justin Harper, head of intermediary marketing strategy at LV=, said that the changes were part of a constant effort to keep consumer confidence in mind.
"This latest enhancement to our critical illness rates comes just a week after we announced improved term assurance premiums," he said.
The insurer reduced premium rates across 90 per cent of its term assurance packages.
He continued: "However, over and above rate reviews we understand that it is the extra benefits that we provide to advisers and their clients that really can make a difference.
"For advisers, our tele-underwriting and straight through processing services for our mini-protection plan saves time, allowing them to focus on more important things."
Mr Harper added: "We know that our Extra Care service, which is shortly coming up to its first anniversary, is highly regarded in helping policyholders handle living with a serious health condition or long-term disability following a claim under a critical illness policy."
03 July 2008 17:48:03
A government fertility watchdog has given the go-ahead for stem cell research that will be used to study fatal heart diseases.
Warwick Medical School researchers will use part-human and part-animal embryos for the first time to carry out their study which could eventually have an effect on the cost of life insurance policies for patients with heart disease.
The team plans to create embryos that are 99.9 per cent human DNA and 0.1 per cent pig DNA and stem cells extracted from the embryos will be grown into human heart cells.
Chemicals will be used to destroy the pig DNA before the researchers grow the human heart cells.
Justin St John, heading up the research team, explained what they hope to achieve from the process: "Ultimately they will help us understand where some of the problems associated with these diseases arise, and they could also provide models for the pharmaceutical industry to test new drugs."
Licenses have been granted to two other British teams that are hoping to create hybrid embryos but neither planned to extract animal DNA from the stem cells first.
Conditions such as heart disease can often have an impact on the cost of UK life insurance.
28 May 2008 17:09:32
Basic daily exercise reduces cancer death risk in men by 33 per cent, a study has revealed.
Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute examined the effects of physical activity on cancer risk in men aged between 45 and 79. They observed the lifestyle habits of 40,708 men from central Sweden.
Over seven years, 3,714 developed cancer and 1,153 died from the illness. The scientists found men who did half an hour's walking or cycling a day had a 34 per cent lower risk of dying from cancer than those who did less or no exercise at all.
Lead author of the study, Professor Alicja Wolk, said: "These results clearly show for the first time, the effect that very simple and basic daily exercise such as walking or cycling has in reducing cancer death risk in middle-age and elderly men."
Professor Wolk called the data "promising" and hoped to further explore the role exercise plays in preventing cancer in the future.
The findings were published in the British Journal of Cancer yesterday (May 26th). Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK welcomed the findings. She said: "It's encouraging to see research that helps us understand in more detail what steps men can take to reduce risk of cancer."
Cancer Research UK advises not smoking, maintaining body weight, a sensible diet and regular exercise as key to a healthy life.
The study results arrive before National Men’s Health Week (June 9th to 15th), which hopes to encourage men to take advantage of health initiatives available at work.