COVID-19 FAQ's
-
Am I covered by Accident & Sickness cover (income/mortgage protection) if I am off sick because I have coronavirus?
- Most insurers will cover you providing you were suffering no symptoms of coronavirus before your policy start date. Each insurer is looking individually at each case and most will cover both isolation periods when there is also illness. There is usually a minimum claim period of 30 days so please check your policy wording to see whether this applies to your cover.
-
Am I covered by unemployment policies if I am made redundant because of coronavirus?
- Yes, where you have passed the Initial Exclusion Period which is usually the first 3 to 4 months after you purchase the policy.
-
If my employer asks me to take unpaid leave, will my income protection policy pay out?
- Income Protection policies will not cover unpaid leave. You must be signed off work due to Accident or sickness or be made redundant in order to claim.
-
If I am self-employed, what type of cover can I apply for?
- You should have Accident and Sickness cover if you are self-employed. This will pay you a weekly or monthly income if you are off work unwell and give you time to get better and back to work. However, if you have lost income simply due to lack of work/social distancing because of the virus, unfortunately this is not covered.
-
How much of my income can I cover using an income protection policy?
- Most insurers will cover around 60% of your gross monthly income (before tax). This can vary and some will cover as much as 70%.
-
What are the different policy options available to protect my income?
- You can choose a short-term policy which will pay out for 12 months if you are off due to Accident, Sickness or Redundancy. If you are worried about longer term sickness, you can get policy that pays for 2 or 5 years; or until retirement age however these do not cover redundancy.
-
Are pre-existing medical conditions covered under an income protection policy?
- This depends what the medical condition is, and what type of policy you have. Most policies that cover you for one year will exclude on-going medical conditions. Certain conditions that are well controlled can sometimes be covered if you opt for a Permanent Health Insurance policy. Please contact us to discuss your options and receive the best advice.
-
What is the "exclusion period"?
- When you first purchase a redundancy policy, you will not be able to claim during the initial exclusion period. This is usually the first 90 or 120 days after starting cover, and you cannot be notified of any risk to your job within this time.
-
What is the "excess period"?
- This is the length of time that you choose to support yourself for if you need to make a claim. The most common option is usually 30 days; however, some insurers offer options from 1 week right up until 1 year.
-
I have life insurance already; will I be covered if I get coronavirus?
- Life Insurance will pay out a lump sum if you pass away. Most insurers do not have an exclusion for coronavirus especially if the cover was already in place. Please speak to your provider for further details.
-
Will Private Health Insurance cover me if I get coronavirus?
- Private hospitals are not set up for emergency medicine, and lack some of the facilities needed, as these types of hospitals are designed to perform ‘elected’ treatments such as hip replacement and other corrective operations. Private hospitals are now supporting the NHS, by accepting patients from the NHS, for treatment and care they are equipped to deliver. This is a great collaboration and its worth noting that the private sector will only recoup their costs, thus no profit, from the NHS. Covid 19 has seen the cancellation of all non-urgent treatment which is likely to cause treatment delays for many months to come. If your policy has an NHS cash benefit and you are required to stay in an NHS hospital for a period of time, you should be able to claim back the benefit as detailed in your policy documents. One insurer has even increased the daily rate of this benefit to help customers further.
