BUPA

Provider: BUPA Health Assurance

Product: Lifestyle and income protection - available under the flexible protection plan umbrella of products. The aim of the plan is to provide the member with a regular income if, because of illness or injury, the insured is unable to work, resulting in a loss of earnings. The plan can be chosen as lifetime cover where the cover continues after the insured retires, or as retirement cover where cover will continue until the selected retirement date of the plan.

The product also features a 24-hour healthline. This allows access to a qualified nurse who can advise the insured on a range of health-related issued including:

• oncology

• orthopaedics

• general surgery

• cardiology

• medicine

• paediatrics

• midwifery

Maximum age attained at entry: 55

Retirement ages available: Yes, cover can continue until a selected retirement date under the retirement cover option at ages 50, 55, 60 or 65. If disability continues after retirement, the entitlement for benefit will be re-assessed using the post-retirement definitions of disability and this may affect eligibility for benefits. For an additional subscription, BUPA's lifetime option can be chosen. This allows for benefit to be paid once the life insured has passed their selected retirement date.

Guaranteed insurability options available: The maximum age attained for this option is 49. This allows the insured to increase cover without the need to provide evidence of continued good health, in the event of defined changes in circumstances. The events are:

• Promotion

• Change of occupation

The increase must be notified within six months of the event.

The increase in benefit will be limited to the lower of :

• 50% of the salary increase

• 50% of the existing benefits

• £7,500

The option may only be used twice. Each time the premium will be calculated based on the subscription rates and the insured's age at the time. The option can only be taken before the 50th birthday.

Benefit amount index-linked: On each anniversary of the start date, we will increase the agreed benefits basic rate by the same percentage as the percentage increase in the retail price index during the first 12 months of the 15-month period immediately before the anniversary of the commencement date. The maximum increase on any anniversary will be 10%.

You may cancel the increase by writing to us within 30 days after the date of our telling you about the increase. If you cancel any increases, we will cancel the option and no further increases will be made (this will not affect previous increases). If we are paying benefit to you at the time of the increase in the 'agreed benefits basic rate' we will use the increased amount of this to calculate the benefit if appropriate.

Plan available without indexation: Yes, if indexation option is not selected. Where selected, indexation applies both pre-claim and during claim.

Age used when costing indexation increases: You will have to pay an increased subscription for any increase in the 'agreed benefits basic rate'. The increase in subscription will be the cost for the increase in the 'agreed benefits basic rate' based on age and our subscription rates at the time of the increase.

Guaranteed premium rates available: If the subscription option is guaranteed, the subscriptions are fixed until your membership ends, or where the increase in the 'agreed benefits basic rate' under the membership, results in a subscription increase.

Reviewable premium rates: If the subscription option is reviewable, we may increase or decrease the subscriptions on the fifth anniversary of the commencement date and then at the end of each following five year period. This is until the anniversary of the commencement date before the 75th birthday, after which we may increase or decrease the subscriptions on each anniversary of the commencement date.

When we decide what subscriptions we charge under this option, we make assumptions about the future level of inflation, claim costs, expenses, investment returns, taxes and levies. When we review the subscriptions under this option, we consider if the combined effect of these factors is better or worse than we had assumed and if, as a result, the cost of the cover needs to account for this. We may, as a result, increase or reduce the subscriptions by the amount we reasonably believe is necessary.

Benefit payable during unemployment: Yes, if the illness or injury to which your claim relates occurred before the selected retirement date while not in paid occupation. We will treat you as being incapacitated if, and for as long as, you are totally unable, because of illness or injury to carry out at least three of the activities of daily living without the continual assistance of someone else and/or the use of special devices or equipment.

Maximum % of income insurable: If you are in paid work before you retire, when you are able to claim, you can receive the benefits of your cover plus any subsequent increases or 50% of your pre-incapacity earnings, whichever is less. Where earnings are in excess of £50,000 per year, a lower percentage may apply and you will be advised of this before your cover begins.

Benefit percentage limit based on total income: Gross income. If you are employed, your pre-tax earnings for income tax assessment (excluding any benefits in kind). If you are self-employed, your pre-tax share of the profit from your trade profession or vocation.

Number of salary tiers used in maximum benefit calculation: Where earnings are in excess of £50,000 per year, a lower percentage may apply.

State benefits deducted from benefit amount: No

Continuing income deducted from benefit amount: Yes

Other insurances deducted from benefit amount: Payments received from other sickness or disability insurances will be deducted.

Standard definition of disability: Different definitions of incapacity or incapacitation apply depending on whether or not you are in a paid occupation or the period for which you are claiming the benefit falls after your selected retirement date.

Before selected retirement date: In paid occupation, if the illness or injury to which your claim relates occurred before your selected retirement date and while you were in paid occupation, we will treat you as being incapacitated. This is provided that if, and for as long as, you are totally unable, because of illness or injury to continue with your own occupation, and you are not carrying out any other occupation, resulting in a loss of earnings to you.

Not in paid occupation: If the illness or injury to which the claim relates occurred before the selected retirement date while not in paid occupation, BUPA will treat you as being incapacitated. If, and for as long as, you are totally unable, because of illness or injury to carry out at least three of the activities of daily living, without the continual assistance of someone else and/or the use of special devices or equipment.

Activities of daily living:

• Handling money - The ability to recognise money and its transactional value and handle basic household finances.

• Shopping - The ability to get to and from the nearest shops and carry a small bag of shopping.

• Cooking - The ability to prepare or cook a basic meal.

• Taking medicine - The ability to take routine medication prescribed by a recognised medical practitioner.

• Childminding - The ability to supervise a child under the age of five by feeding, washing and dressing the child.

• Housework - The ability to carry out light indoor household duties, such as dusting, washing dishes and bed making.

After selected retirement date, BUPA will treat the client as incapacitated if, and for as long as, they are totally unable, because of illness or injury, to carry out at least three of the key post-retirement activities of daily living without the continual assistance of someone else and/or the use of special devices or equipment.

Key post-retirement activities of daily living:

• Washing - The ability to wash and bathe unaided, including getting in and out of the bath or shower.

• Dressing - The ability to put on, take off, secure and unfasten all necessary items of clothing.

• Moving - The ability to move from one room to another on level surfaces.

• Transferring - The ability to get on and off the toilet, in and out of bed and move from a bed to an upright chair or wheelchair and back again.

• Feeding - The ability to eat pre-prepared foods unaided.

• Continence - The ability to control bowel and bladder function, with if necessary the use of protective undergarments and surgical appliances.

Two deferred periods in one plan: It is possible to combine benefits with different deferred periods within the financial protection menu.

Number of occupation classes: Five

• Class 1a - Managerial and professional, excluding those involved in physically demanding duties.

• Class 1b - Persons involved in clerical duties but not directly involved in manufacturing or physically demanding duties.

• Class 2 - Supervisors whose main task is to oversee manufacturing processes and light manual workers.

• Class 3 - All workers engaged in manual occupations requiring a knowledge of the process and special features of their industry.

• Class 4 - Semi-skilled workers, including persons engaged in manual work 75% of the time.

Class 1 minimum deferred period in weeks: One, three, six, or 12 months.

Class 2 minimum deferred period in weeks: One, three, six, or 12 months.

Class 3 minimum deferred period in weeks: Three, six, or 12 months

Class 4 minimum deferred period in weeks: Three, six, or 12 months

Number of exclusions applying to the plan: Eight