There are so many adverts on the television for the over 50 life plan you may be wondering what they are about. The best bet is to speak with a specialist life broker or professional advisor to get the best advice for this important insurance product. But back to what’s on the  market at the present time.

The adverts you see for over 50 life insurance from popular television personalities are not a savings plan but pay out a fixed amount if you die. The level of cover is normally fixed at around £20,000 so it’s probably not something to consider if you want to pay off a mortgage and is really designed just to cover initial death costs and the price of a funeral.

The TV adverts offer all types of free gifts and the like and with these products there is no medical that is required. The low pricing but low cover may  not be for everyone and if you die within the first 2 years in most cases you’ll only get your premiums refunded.

Different types of life insurance for the over 50s (or anyone really)

There are many different types of  life insurance products for the over 50s and these terms will apply to anyone who is thinking of taking out insurance on their life as follows :

• Level term – means the policy is for a fixed period of time and value and the payout is made on death. If you do not die within the term the policy ceases and has no value at all.
• Increasing term – this means that the level of cover increases each year together with premiums based on a formula linked to inflation. This means the value keeps up with current increases in prices
• Decreasing term – this is what most mortgage life products are linked under. As you pay off your mortgage the amount of cover decreases so you would not require so much money. The actual monthly premiums normally stay at the same level. The policy ceases at the end of the term.
• Whole life policies – these are different from the over 50s life insurance that is sold via tv adverts and you entire life is covered where a lump sum of your choosing based upon your premium values is paid out upon death.

The level of cover and premiums you may pay

Although you may see enticing headlines of very low rates these will likely be for the least risk to the insurance company based in a healthy part of the UK. Premiums will be based on you, where you live and your life style. For example your age, your gender, whether you smoke, how much you drink, where you live, and what level of cover you require.

The best way is to get as many quotes as you feel are needed for your cover either from price comparison websites or from the insurance companies direct. Compare the level of cover that is on offer and the price of the premiums. Also see the exclusions and the small print of the terms offered on over 50 life insurance quotes that you may receive. If you are in any doubt then you should seek professional advice.

Legal and General have been offering excellent life insurance for people for many years and in 2008 paid out 98.1% of all claims on this type of policy.

Product Options

Legal and General offer three main types of life insurance as follows :

• Over 50s life insurance – like many of the television adverts you see during the day where if you are aged between 50 and 80 you are guaranteed to be accepted. There are three options in this product which offer fixed cover, increasing cover and funeral expenses cover. Plans start at £6 per month and the most you can pay is £50 per month. No payout is made in the first two years of a policy
• Decreasing term insurance – which means the cover and sometimes the premiums descrease over the term of the plan. This is mainly to cover the outstanding balance of a mortgage because the loan decreases in value as you pay it off each month so in 10 years time you need less as the loan decreases. There are also specialist mortgage life products which come with options to help you if you need to move home in an emergency. This is called “Smooth Move” and is provided by an external partner Inter Partner Assistance
• Fixed or level term insurance – this simply means that the cover you buy is fixed for the duration of the policy you take out.

For all plans none of them can be in operation after your 80th birthday and are really set to pay out if you die early and either need to pay off a mortgage loan or simply provide enough money for your family if you cease to be the main income provider.

Other options available

Of course there are add ons that you can take out with Legal and General such as critical illness cover if perhaps you are self employed and want a fixed amount to be paid if you can’t work due to illness or an accident. Additionally you can take out a waiver of premium policy as well which means you are allowed to stop paying your premiums for up to six months if you have an illness or accident which prevents you from working. Both of these are available at an additional cost which you can get a quote for at the time of getting quotes for your life insurance (although you can’t get quotes for these using their online system and website).

Getting a Quote

It’s very easy to get a quote and begin your life insurance with Legal and General. You can either go to their website and get an instant quote online and buy the product over the internet or call their customer telephone call centre for more information or if you need to discuss these products with their professional advisers.

If you are thinking of getting any insurance product then you should always seek professional advice before buying a Legal and General life insurance product or any other financial services related products.

To offer their members more services the AA, known for car breakdown cover and driving lessons, now offers their members health insurance cover by being an affiliate for AXA PPP. Many other companies have adopted the same business model and this make sense as they have a massive database of member information so why not offer them additional services and get a commission for doing so ?

Other companies also have affiliate deals or are directly underwritten by AXA PPP such as the health insurance offered by both Tesco and Saga. So what makes the AA medical insurance different ? The bonus of signing up through the AA affiliate link is you’ll get 2 months free cover if you are a member and one month if you are not. With Tesco it’s a £50 clubcard account to spend in store and with Saga it’s 2 months free and a 10% discount if you sign up online. So at face value this is not such a good deal and it’s worth shopping around not only directly with AXA but with other medical insurance companies as well.

The AA Medical Insurance Policies offered

There are slightly different names given for the products offered by the AA as follows :

• Premier choice – this is the top plan where just about everything is covered including all consultant and specialists fees, tests, psychiatric treatments and other therapies.
• Ideal choice – is the same as the above but has limited cover for consulting fees, specialist fees, diagnostics tests, physiotherapy and psychiatric treatment for out-patient treatments
• Assure choice – is the same as above but where we have written limited cover for treatments there is no cover under this plan.

With all plans you’ll get a starting no claims discount of 40%, cover for all in patient and day patient treatments including all hospital charges, consultant fees, specialist fees, diagnostics tests, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and psychiatric treatments (except with the assure choice plan).

Additional benefits include private ambulance and hospital at home. As with all policies there are general exclusions around dental treatment, child birth, pre-existing conditions and emergency treatments.

Getting a quote for the AA health insurance

You can get an online quote by simply clicking on the affiliate link on the AA website. This will take you to a form hosted by AXA PPP where they will ask various details about you and the type of cover you require. At the end of the questions you’ll be presented with pricing options where you can decide what to do next.

It’s always best to seek professional advice when considering health insurance as this is a long term commitment to paying a certain amount each month for medical cover. Full terms and conditions are available on the AXA website or via the AA website where you’ll find the exact information on this policy which you should refer to if you are thinking of taking out this insurance cover.

The financial results released show that customernumbers for Bupa UK fell by 5% during the last year as unemployment rose as the recession really kicked into family budgets and as Bupa attempts to restructure reports suggest that up to 100 people in their UK division may be made redundant. A 90 day consultative process is underway.

Although measures taken last year show that by investing into the business related policies side an additional 100,000 policies were added from companies that offer some form of health care cover for their employees.

As part of a plan to ”transform operational efficiency and enhance speed and flexibility of new product development Bupa UK is to be renamed Bupa Health & Wellbeing UK and although the volume of claims remained constant the costs rose significantly especially with cancer care where over the past four years costs have risen by around 40% due to the introduction of new drug treatments that are now available to patients.

Complaints during the past year fell by 53% and 78% of Bupa customers rate the service as “very good” or excellent so the service that is provided is deemed positive by those that need treatment from their private health insurance.

Overall for the entire group revenues were up by 17% although 57% of all revenues are generated outside of the UK. Additional cost control measures that were introduced in 2009 included extended networks for cataract treatment and physiotherapy and redundancies in its preventative and wellbeing division.

Overall the entire group now has over 10 million customers worldwide which was an increase of around 1%. Bupa also reported that the health assurance, life and critical illness division showed a 6% increase in customer growth numbers.

You see all the adverts on day time television for over 50 life cover products that are normally advertised by celebrities to entice you to their products and there are many providers of such life insurance which pays out a fixed sum in the event of your death.

What are Life Cover Plans for the over 50s ?

A life cover plan whether you are under or over 50 is not a savings plan as such but a product where you pay in a small monthly fee and after a qualification period (normally 2 years but it can be shorter) a fixed lump sum of money is paid out on the event of your death. Normally these plans are for smaller amounts of money and are not necessarily designed to pay of mortgages etc but to cover general expenses such as funeral arrangements.

How Much are Life Cover Plans ?

This is of course entirely down to your choosing but for around £14 per month you can get a life cover plan for around £3,000 from some insurers. It’s best to shop around and if you are in any doubt whatsoever for whether this type of insurance product is right for your circumstances then you should always seek professional financial advice from a qualified person or company. The level of cover is different for each insurance company so you should either undertake some research or perhaps look at a price comparison website so see what level and premiums are right for you.

Will I be Accepted ?

Almost all of the insurance companies guarantee acceptance if you are aged between 50 and 80 years of age and are a permanent resident in the UK. The terms of the policies are different for each insurance company so you should check. For most of these types of policies you won’t need to undertake a medical either or have to visit your doctor as you’re guaranteed to be accepted for most over 50s life cover. Most of the insurance companies have their own websites and you can simply apply directly online and your cover will begin immediately once you have entered all your details including your direct debit information.

What Else ?

Normally you’ll be offered some form of welcome gift such as vouchers for some of the high street shops or some other form of incentive normally worth about £30. But as this is not a savings plan if you stop paying then the cover stops so be sure that you can afford the premiums for the rest of your life. Although the payout in the event of your death is tax free it’s added to the entire estate to be valued for inheritance tax in the UK. If you and your partner want to take out this insurance then you both need to take out separate policies as joint policies are not generally available because it’s insurance against one life.

Aviva Life Insurance Overview

The comprehensive life insurance offered by Aviva is designed to pay out in the event of your death or if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness. The cover starts at around £10 per month and there are plenty of options to suit your needs. This is one of the cheapest yet most comprehensive policies although you should seek professional help and guidance when considering this important insurance for you and your family. There are normally a few incentives available when you take out a policy such as free Marks and Spencers vouchers but these should only be considered an extra bonus if you choose this insurance policy and not a reason to choose one insurer over another.

Cover options

There are two main types of cover and policies offered although there are additional extensions and included extras which are mentioned at the end of this section. Most life insurance is actually designed to pay off your largest debt, ie: your mortgage, so that there are no debts left when you die. Some mortgage policies already have life cover included (especially if you have taken out a with profits policy so always check what cover you may already have). Here is what is on offer from Aviva Life:

• Level life insurance- which is designed to pay off an interest only mortgage because the level of cover remains the same over the term of the plan. You decide how long you want the plan for and it doesn’t have a cash in value (ie: this is not a savings plan so when you stop paying for it you no longer have any benefits). It comes with terminal illness cover (*)
• Reducing value insurance – this is designed to pay off a reducing or repayment mortgage – as your outstanding loan reduces so does the payout amount. For both of the above the premiums are decided at the beginning of the policy and are guaranteed not to increase. Terminal illness cover is included (*)
• Guaranteed whole of life insurance – is designed just to pay a fixed amount on your death at a rate of your choosing. Unlike the above plans which generally last around 25 years (the same time as your mortgage) this plan is for the rest of your life.
• Guaranteed lifelong life insurance plan – is designed for people aged between 50 and 80 with fixed premiums and designed to pay out a fixed amount on death.

(*) the terminal illness cover mentioned above means that if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and your life expectancy is 12 months or less you will get a pay out straight away so long as you have at least 18 months remaining on your plan. See the Aviva life website for full terms and conditions.

What Else about Aviva Life Insurance ?

Like some other insurance companies Aviva Life is not on any price comparison sites and yet it is the UK’s biggest insurance company so it’s worth getting an online quote to see what you may be missing. You can get all the details on their website and get an instant quote and apply for cover on their website.

Most private health insurance offers private health care and their systems and administration services are set up to pay your hospital and consulting bills directly so you don’t need to worry about the hassle and you simply choose where to have your treatment.

What is different about Freedom Healthnet Private Insurance ?

Health insurance at Freedom Healthnet is different in that you get a cash lump sum and then you choose where to have your treatment either privately or at a NHS hospital — so if the treatment costs less you keep the difference. Once your treatment has been approved the cash is paid directly into your bank account before treatment starts and Freedom Healthnet can of course help you choose the right place to have your treatment.

Types of polices offered

As you would expect there are a range of policies to cover most people including single individual private medical insurance, single parent families, dedicated child cover if required, couples insurance and medical insurance for children. Their family health insurance is better than some traditional PMI policies in that it covers the whole family no matter how many children are in the household (whereas others add costs as your family increases in size).

Family Health Insurance Policies

There are four types of policies from Freedom Healthnet to protect you and your family as follows :

• Essential health insurance cover gold- this policy allows you to claim up to £30,000 in costs per year and this includes all hospital charges, nursing fees, medical expenses and medicines. It also provides £350 per night if you stay in a NHS hospital
• Core medical insurance platinum – is the same as the above up the claim limit is increased to £50,000 per year and also includes up to £500 for physiotheraphy – you have the option to add in out patient treatments to both of the above plans
• Comprehensive PMI diamond – covers you for up to £100,000 per year and up to £1,250 for out patient treatments. There is a £100 excess and a 6% discount if you pay annually by direct debit
• Fully comprehensive diamond plus – this offers unlimited cover for in patient and out patient treatment. There are also additional benefits such as alternative therapies, psychiatric care and rehabilitation care.

Things to consider

The main difference with this policy is you have limits on the amounts you can claim each year and with most people they really have no idea on how much treatments could cost so you may find you may have to pay to top up the limits on the most basic plan if you still want to go private (but of course you still have the option to use the NHS and out a claim in and receive the money).

The insurance is provided on a moratorium basis which means any condition that has occurred in the fives years previous to joining will be excluded from cover in the first two years from when the policy has been taken out.

You have the choice to use any hospital anywhere in the UK or overseas so long as they will take you of course. You can get a quote online for Freedom Healthnet insurance an get covered quickly.

Health insurance from Standard Life Healthcare differs from other insurers in that you build your policy according to your needs rather than choosing from a range of already developed plans and policies. This can be good if you know exactly what you require but may be difficult to compare your costs and cover against other health insurance companies.

Core healthcare policy

When building your policy you always start with their core health care product which contains most of the basic items you would expect from medical insurance. These will include access to private hospitals and getting an appointment when you want it. The core healthcare has the following as standard:

• In patient and day patient treatment including – all hospital charges, all consultant fees and charges, diagnostics tests such as MRI scans and radiology, full cost for physiotherapy, NHS payments if you stay in an NHS hospital rather than a private one and day patient cash benefits  for NHS treatments.
• Out patient costs – includes full coverage for MRI, CT and PET scans

Cancer cover – this is included as standard and covers most things you need for investigations and test to diagnose the condition. It also includes the cost of treatment to remove the cancer and any reconstructive surgery that may be required. You also get cover for radiotherapy or chemotherapy, stem cell therapy and 12 months treatment using biological therapies such as herceptin or avastin. The policy covers primary and secondary cancers however this insurance won’t cover you for preventative treatment or the removal of healthy tissue to prevent breast cancer. If you are in any doubt you should speak to a trained advisor.

Enhancing the core health care product

If you wish to add any additional treatments or cover then this is the time to choose what you may require. Some of the options are simply to increase the value of some specialist consultations but the options don’t stop with the basics and some of these can not be found with other private medical insurance companies. You can choose to add the following to your policy:

• Home care including home nursing and help at home
• Pregnancy complications and investigations into infertility
• Psychiatric treatments including in patient and day care
• Telephone and/ or face to face assistance programme
• Health screening
• Access to a private general practitioner (GP)
• Full maternity cover including post natal care up to £3,000
• Overseas travel insurance
• Full dental insurance

Once you have chosen from the basic list of options then it’s time to choose your hospital list and excess. All insurers work the same in that generally the UK country wide private hospital lists are included then you can opt for some specialist inner London hospitals. The excess on these policies range from £50 to £5,000 which is one method to reduce your monthly or annual premiums.

The NHS wait options provides a 15% discount on your policy which means if the NHS can treat you within 6 weeks then you will have their treatment but if they can’t you get to go private. Then there are no claims discounts which not all insurers offer which range from a 10% discount after 1 year to 65% after 8 years.

Once you have chosen your cover and options then you’ll have a quote for your Standard Life health insurance and you can get cover almost immediately.

The current reciprocal agreement between the UK NHS and the Isle of Man health care system meant that UK residents would be covered if they visited the island and the same if residents of the Isle of Man came to the UK would be covered via the NHS.

But this health care agreement will come to an end in April 2010 which means any medical costs such as hospital treatment will have to be covered by yourself or your insurance company.

Jonathan Simpson of FamilyHealthInsurance.org.uk says “The current UK government announced that this agreement would be scrapped. The health secretary Andy Burnham specifically said that it was not the policy of the government to fund the cost of healthcare for residents of the Isle of Man travelling to the UK or for people residing in the UK to have their health care funded outside of the UK.”

“This is a crazy situation because the UK has such agreements in place for all countries in the EU so long as the correct paperwork is carried when travelling overseas so why it can not have the same policy for the Isle of Man which is just off the coast of the UK is short sighted.”

The people and government on the Island have similar thoughts and concerns. Many people will not hear this announcement and believe that the island is simply part of the UK rather like the Isle of Wight but as the Isle of Man has its own parliament called Tynwald the Labour government probably see this as an easy way to cut costs from their massive debt mountain.

Although the cost of travel insurance is not likely to be very high we are worried that most people won’t take it out because they probably don’t see it as necessary but hopefully travel agencies and travel websites will have picked up on the news and offer insurance policies to people travelling to the small island.

The tourist office is of course concerned because they believe it may put people off travelling there for their holidays although they will cover treatment for emergency situations which do not require a visit to a hospital. They also estimate that the cost of providing treatment to UK residents whilst on holiday in the Isle of Man is only £3 million per year but the labour government have said this did not represent value for money.

When you hear that MPs are to repay close to that figure in expense claims it make you wonder where the government’s priorities are. An old saying we love in our office when it comes to businesses rings true with this policy from the government in that “they are saving costs with a teaspoon whilst spending it with a shovel”

Perhaps there will be a rethink on this policy but for now if you reside in the UK and are travelling to the Isle of Man we recommend you look at taking out some form of travel insurance (if you already have an annual insurance plan this may cover you but check the terms and conditions with your insurance company first just to ensure they have the Isle of Man in their list of countries).

The common question of do I have an eating disorder may be because you have read about overeating or bulimia or anorexia which are the main types of eating disorders that are written about in the tabloids.

Our standards of beauty are increasing rapidly. Although the images we see in the media are airbrushed, edited and don’t reflect reality, many people feel pressurised into thinking that they should try to attain that level of beauty. Such pressure leads to eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia.

Eating disorders are a severe problem, and can even lead to death. If you or someone close to you is suffering from an eating disorder, it’s important to take the problem seriously and try to solve it, using the methods outlined below.

Therapy

Therapy is one of the most effective techniques for dealing with an eating disorder. It can be done by a professional therapist, or by a close friend or family member, as long as there’s a high degree of confidentiality. The person with the eating disorder is able to discuss how he or she is feeling, and what he or she does.

A detailed discussion will reveal the reason behind the eating disorder, and a sympathetic ear will help the patient discover the underlying problem behind the disorder. Often, eating disorders are caused by self-esteem issues. Once the underlying cause is revealed, it can be addressed, which in turn will lead to discussing effective methods for coping with the eating disorder.

Proper diet and exercise

It’s fairly common to find that people suffering from eating disorders have a heavily skewed perspective of what proper diet and exercise is. An anorexic friend of mine thought that she only needed to eat before she went for a run or for a dance rehearsal – not if she would be doing sedentary activities.

It’s important for people with eating disorders to be re-educated about proper diet and exercise, and the fact that a certain amount of calories must be consumed daily. They also need to learn that engaging in an extreme amount of exercise is unhealthy.

A lot of people with eating disorders need to re-evaluate their relationship with food and exercise, and let go of their extreme ways.

Meditation

The root of an eating disorder is a biased way of thinking, of paying attention to the wrong things. In order to cure an eating disorder, people need to refocus their attention on the right things. Instead of obsessing about having the perfect body, they need to accept that perfection is unrealistic. Rather, it’s important to be healthy and strong.

Meditation is a useful tool for regaining a proper perspective towards life, beauty, eating and exercise. Meditation is the conscious focusing of attention for a period of time. It’s also known as mindfulness training. This training can be used to help someone to stop obsessing about food, body image, etc and to instead embrace the concept of being healthy and happy.

 Support groups

Support groups can help a person suffering from eating disorders. Other people can help them by sharing their experiences, and offering encouragement and advice. This is invaluable, and helps the sufferer understand that he or she is not alone – other people have overcome their disorders, and they can do so too.

Although it’s difficult to overcome an eating disorder, it can be done gradually with the support of close friends and family. There is no single technique that will work wonders, but by combining the strategies discussed, eating disorders can be overcome and eating disorder treatment maybe just a first step in a lifestyle change.