Terms for income protection will be unlikely for most types of muscular dystrophy, but depending on ...
Terms for income protection will be unlikely for most types of muscular dystrophy, but depending on the severity of symptoms and the rate of improvement, adverse terms may be available for extremely mild cases with slight symptoms, but generally the morbidity prognosis is poor.
Terms for critical illness (CI) may be available subject to the severity and degree of involvement. If a client has been diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral MD and the muscles of the face, upper back, upper arms and shoulders are affected, then terms may be offered with an additional rating of 50%, depending on the rate of progression and the policy term. Applications with a short-term will be looked upon more favourably than policies with longer terms.
If the same client was experiencing more involved symptoms, for instance, dystrophy in the pelvic muscles, then the rating would increase by approximately 100%, again, depending on the rate of progression and policy term. A client with a less severe form of the condition, for example, Myotonia congenital, may be accepted at standard rates.
Terms for life cover are very similar to those for CI - in that the more involved the disease, the greater the rating will be. Terms for a client diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral MD may be offered with an additional rating of 50%, or even standard rates where there is minimal involvement, little or no progression and a relatively short-term. A client with more extensive involvement, for example, involvement of the pelvic girdle muscles may be accepted with an additional rating of 150%.
Client's diagnosed with Becker or Limb girdle MD may be accepted with a high rating. This is dependent on involvement, progression and policy term. If the client has extensive involvement, the condition is noted to be rapidly progressive and the policy term requested is 25 years, then this application would be declined.
Due to the poor mortality rate associated with Duchenne MD, terms for all benefits are unlikely. A family history of the condition, depending on the applicant's age, may attract an additional rating. The older the applicant, the lower the additional rating as the client's probability of developing the condition decreases with age. All decisions are made subject to current genetic legislation.
