CIExpert has analysed Beagle Street's recent upgrade to its Critical Illness (CI) plan and highlighted improved wordings of eleven conditions.
Alan Lakey, director of CIExpert said: "They have improved the wordings to eleven conditions and while they do not offer any partial payments their plan measures up well against competitors when assessing the main conditions.
"Commendably Beagle Street is backdating these wordings to last July and will be revisiting any declined claims to see whether they would now meet their claims criteria"
Amended Conditions
• Benign Brain Tumour
Their plan now includes surgery for removal of the tumour.
• Coma
The 96 hours on life support has now been removed.
• Coronary By-Pass Surgery
The requirement for splitting the chest bone (median sternotomy) has now been removed.
• Heart Attack
The universal Troponin measurement for confirmation of a heart attack is;
"Troponins recorded at the following levels or higher
- Troponin T > 1.0 ng/ml
- AccuTnl > 0.5 ng/ml or equivalent threshold with other Troponin 1 methods
Beagle Street has reduced its requirement to Troponin T > 0.5 ng/ml and AccuTnl > 0.5 ng/ml.
This will enable it to accept claims from heart attack victims where, possibly due to delays, Troponin levels have fallen back to more normal levels.
• Heart Valve Surgery
The requirement for splitting the chest bone (median sternotomy) has now been removed.
• Loss of Limbs
This definition has been amended to cover the physical loss of just one limb.
• Major Organ Transplant
This definition now includes the transplant of a lobe of the liver or lung.
• Multiple Sclerosis
The requirement for 6 months continuous symptoms has been removed.
• Paralysis
This now covers paralysis of one limb.