Saturday, September 25, 2010

Beware Your Insurance Policy Coverage


The New Paper's report by Tuesday 31 August 2010

This sort of fury often brought on by finance-related matters.

Yesterday I received a letter from Prudential, with whom I spend nearly $1,000 every month, telling me that I don’t have cancer
Yep, you read it right. Apparently, according to the experts at Prudential, I lost a breast and went through a 12 hour surgery for… not cancer!
Blows your mind, huh? I’m still trying to find pieces of my brain under the couch after this staggering news.

Truth is, three of my many Prudential policies cover me for critical illness. However, when I signed with my agents, I never imagined that cancer at Stage 0 would be considered by my insurance company that I “do not have cancer”. In fact, there is every chance a woman buying a life plan with critical illness coverage has NO IDEA there is a stage called DCIS, and that her insurance company does not consider it cancer.

So my “imaginary cancer” won’t allow me to claim any of the $200,000 (or more) that my critical illness plans entitle me to.

Please, if you are a woman reading this, go and see your insurance agent and tell him/her/it that you want coverage for EARLY STAGE CANCERS. Make sure your policy document states that you will get 25% or however much for ductal carcinomas-in-situ or Stage 0 breast cancer. To my understanding these are the 2 policies that offer them now:



1. Great Eastern’s PinkLife will pay out 25% of your sum assured for carcinomas-in-situ. Not great an exchange for a breast but at least it’s not nothing. If I had bought that instead I would have $50,000 to allow me to take a break from work for some months, while still being able to pay my monthly bills and kids’ tuition fees and groceries…


2. AIA’s Complete Critical Illness Cover pays out 25% on early critical illnesses (I am assuming DCIS breast cancer is one of these).


Please please please, I beg you, don’t get royally scr*wed like me. Make sure your critical illness plan actually covers you, and you are not just happily giving your money away to insurance companies for their CEOs to buy 10 luxury holiday homes across the world.

Do not be a sucker like me. Please.

Call your insurance agent or financial planner today and make sure, by hook or by crook, you are covered by some rider, anything, for early stage cancers.

I’ve been researching cases of insurance companies who don’t pay out for DCIS breast cancers. Looks like it’s a worldwide disease. The insurance companies are the disease, I mean.
I lost a breast to this threat.
My histological report finds the cancer cells ARE malignant and aggressive, and most certainly were life-threatening — or I wouldn’t have needed the mastectomy.
I just happened to discover it before it became an uncontrollable growth.
Tell me how this is not cancer.
In my Googling I found this BBC clip. It makes me so, so sad that all around the world, women like me are shortchanged by insurance policies that they pay through the nose for.
I have paid close to $32,000 for one policy and over $25,000 for the other.

This clause in Critical Illness contracts NEEDS TO CHANGE. DCIS is cancer (and in my case, malignant) and it should be awarded accordingly and automatically. Sadly, Prudential covered its backside in its small print, which I had no understanding of. It makes me sad that they expect me to have Stage 1, or 2, or 3 or terminal cancer and chemo and radiation before I qualify to make a claim. Losing a breast is forever. Surely that must count for something.

For women in their 20s or 30s reading this — if you have had a grandmother, mother, sister, aunt, female cousin contract breast cancer, make sure you get yourself proper coverage (see box above).

A close friend who is a decorated journalist was horrified to hear it was likely I could not make a claim on my critical illness plans. “They should change that,” he said (after uttering “Wah lau eh, sh*t!”). “I can write a story on that.”

He should. I think I will be calling him soon. Also I am relooking at my Prudential policies now — maybe it’s not worthwhile carrying on. I should get my money back. Pity the surrender value is so pathetic. Bet that CEO already bought his 11th luxury holiday home.

Never mind, lessons learned. READ THE SMALL PRINT, AND FIND OUT WHAT THE EXCLUSIONS MEAN.
So, I guess I have no choice but to haul my sorry ass back to work.

Shree Ann Mathavan of The New Paper came to visit me yesterday and we had a nice chat about my insurance policies (among other things — she is a lovely girl and a hardworking journalist).
Her story came out in today’s New Paper and I felt it was a really fair and clear report of what happened. I was dreading a super-sensationalist header like “She Loses A Breast… And They Won’t Pay!” LOL!

Shree Ann was really respectful of my reasons for talking about this — it is not to complain that Prudential bullied me (which they did not, a contract is a contract) — but to alert other women who might be in the process of buying a policy, or may not have taken a look at her existing policies to make sure her coverage is full. Hence her report came out as such.
I’ve received emails, calls and comments to this blog — financial advisers who very kindly explain how it works (I just wish it was BEFORE not AFTER, but thank you all), women who have been through the same experience, and women who never even realised hospitalisation and critical illness policies are two different policies! So it only confirms that there is definitely a gap in the information that women need to have about their health insurance.

I am also happy to hear from friends who have bought the women’s only policies from AIA, Prudential or Great Eastern, and the GE Early Payout Critical Care, and were covered when the need arose.

Comment:
This is the story i read through facebook and quite a big shock. Immediately i give a call to my insurance agent. He also clarify that AIA policy also mention that stage 3 only consider CANCER. Stage 2 ( carcinomas-in-situ ) only able claim under Female illness. Stage 1 or 0 only claim for hospitalization.

Grown Ups

Friday, September 17, 2010

当幸福来敲门 ( The Pursuit Of Happyness -2006 )

Based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner. Gardner has invested heavily in a device known as a "Bone Density scanner". He feels like he has made these devices. However, they do not sell as they are marginally better than the current technology at a much higher price. On top of that, one of these does not work. As Gardner tries to figure out on how to fix the faulty one and sell the others, his wife leaves him, he loses his house, his bank account, and credit cards. Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner is now desperate to find a steady job; he takes on a job as a stockbroker, but before he can receive pay, he needs to go through 6 months of training, and to sell his devices. Written by John Wiggins

Comment:
This is very interesting movie. It show the reality of life. How a guy going to live with $21 after paying the government tax. Some more he has a son which also needs to eat and sleep. No money and everyday have to queue up to get a place to sleep. Life is not easy. But at last he successfully get a new job and having his own company.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Recipes for Health: Garlic


According to a Provençal saying, “Garlic soup is a life saver.” This simple broth, made by simmering crushed garlic cloves in water with sage or other herbs, is recommended as a cure for ailments as varied as hangovers, stomach ailments and colds.

Garlic has been known for its therapeutic benefits since ancient times. Studies have linked it to lower cholesterol, serum triglyceride levels and blood pressure. Sulfur-containing compounds including allicin, which give garlic its pungency, along with high levels of vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese and selenium seem to be responsible for garlic’s beneficial cardiovascular effects. Allicin helps to prevent platelets in the blood from sticking together and is also a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent that may be useful in weight control. - Martha Rose Shulman

Risks: Asleep, and Helping to Keep the Weight Off

Children under 5 who do not get at least 10 hours of sleep at night are almost twice as likely to be overweight or obese later in childhood, a new study reports. And naps during the day don’t count.

The study, published Monday in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 1,930 children under 14. The data included detailed diaries from two random days, in which parents recorded the amount of time a child spent in various activities, among them sleeping.

The study adds to an existing body of evidence suggesting that sleep plays an important role in weight regulation, perhaps because tired children are not as active or because sleep affects hormones that influence hunger and appetite, said the paper’s lead author, Janice F. Bell, an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle.

“What we’re saying is that adequate sleep at age 0 to 5 is probably more important than we think,” Dr. Bell said, adding that the good news is that “it’s a modifiable risk factor — it’s something we can change.”

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Friday, September 10, 2010

Top 10- High Energy Foods 2


No.2 - Omega-3 eggs
Omega-3 eggs are full of healthy fats, energy-boosting B-vitamins and some vitamin D. They also provide a rich supply of brain-boosting choline, the precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and are considered the ”perfect” protein because of their amino acid profile and high biological value. They are one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods

Top 10 - High Energy Food


No.1 - Cold-water fatty fish
Cold-water fatty fish include wild salmon, mackerel and herring. These fish are an excellent source of omega-3s, which provide a number of health benefits including decreased risk of heart disease and various cancers, decreased inflammation, and decreased body fat. They’re also rich in complete protein, energy-boosting B-vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and are one of the few food sources of vitamin D.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Colours for Health


The gorgeous colours in fruit and vegetables like pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, and tomatoes come from carotenoids 类胡萝卜素, but these natural pigments aren’t just window dressing. Some may also fight our most prevalent conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, which reportedly affects about ten to 40% of Asians, and ups their chances of type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

A new study from the University of Queensland has found that people with diets high in carotenoids are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome. And the good news doesn’t stop there. A study of 6177 Canadians found that those with diets rich in the carotenoids betacarotene, lutein and zeaxanthin were up to 26% less likely to develop the most common form of kidney cancer. Other new research has found that women with high levels of these plant chemicals had a lower risk of ovarian cancer, men were less likely to get lung cancer, and both sexes boasted better bone mineral density.

Smashing Pumpkins
Pumpkin seeds are particularly high in disease-fighting plant compounds called phytosterols. For healthy savory snack, remove the seeds from the pumpkin, rinse to separate them from the stringy pulp, pat dry, toss with olive oil and salt, and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until slightly puffed and golden.


from http://www.rdasia.com.my/colours-for-health