Ms. Lee took out critical illness insurance in early January this year. Five weeks later, she experienced severe stomachache and was admitted to hospital. After various investigations, she was diagnosed as suffering from colon cancer.

She then filed a critical illness claim with her insurance company, but it was rejected on the grounds that it fell within the 60-day waiting period of her critical illness insurance.

Three months later, Ms. Lee was diagnosed as suffering from ovarian cancer. She then filed another critical illness claim with her insurance company. However, after investigation and with reference to the medical reports from Ms. Lee’s attending doctor, it was found that the ovarian cancer was metastasis which originated in the colon. As Ms. Lee’s ovarian cancer was secondary to her previous colon cancer and as her primary colon cancer was diagnosed within the 60-day waiting period of her critical illness insurance, the insurance company rejected Ms. Lee’s claim.

Most critical illness insurance policies contain a waiting period clause stating that the symptoms of illnesses appearing within a specified number of days following the inception date of a policy are excluded, except those which are caused by accident. It is suggested that when customers take out critical illness insurance, they should take note of the length of the waiting period of the policy. The shorter the waiting period, the greater the protection.

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