For all benefits, the underwriter will request a GP report. We need to understand which organs are a...
For all benefits, the underwriter will request a GP report. We need to understand which organs are affected, the stage of any lung disease, the pattern of possible further chest disease, use of steroids and the age at onset and duration.
For life protection, sarcoidosis, which affects the eyes, the lymph nodes outside the chest, the liver (with normal liver function) and joints, would be standard rates if no steroid treatment were required. This is known as Stage 0 disease.
Where the lymph nodes in the lungs are involved, known as Stage 1 disease, we could only offer terms if it had been diagnosed over six months ago and was in remission. Once again, we possibly could offer standard rates where no steroid treatment was required.
For Stage 2 disease, where the lungs are involved, we could only offer terms if the disease had been diagnosed over 12 months ago and was in remission.
For Stage 3 disease, where fibrosis is present in the lungs, we would not offer terms.
If steroid therapy was being used, we can still offer terms for Stage 0, 1 and 2 but this would be rated at a minimum of 50%. Steroids can have many unpleasant side effects as mentioned earlier, which is one of the reasons the rating is imposed.
In cases of critical illness and income protection, we would not offer terms if sarcoidosis was present or if the client was on steroid treatment.
