The word ‘viatical’ originates from the word ‘viaticum’ which was part of the last rites performed on a dying Catholic in order to prepare him for his destiny. History shows us that its early beginnings can also be found in Greece.

Viatical settlements are offered by dozens of companies around the world. Why? To aid senior citizens (viators) in their poor financial situation. Viatical settlements provide a way out of crisis scenarios by giving terminally or chronically ill patients the option of selling their life insurance policy for a premium amount. Naturally, the higher the bid, the more profit you make. Although this form of instant cash has a sad tone, it has been highly beneficial to people who have high medical bills and other critical emergencies. If your policy is a Term, Universal Life, Whole Life, Joint/Survivor or a Group contract, then the good news is that you are eligible for a viatical quote.

The person who buys the policy is called an investor. An investor can be the final third party who is interested in the policy or a viatical company that holds it as an investment. If it is a company that is buying the policy they can resell it at a profit. When buying a life policy of another person you to have complete knowledge of the viator’s medical history. You can either buy the whole policy or a part of it. Usually a policy will state the life expectancy of the individual because the quote will depend on how long the seller is expected to live. Once you buy the policy, you gain if the seller dies before the expectancy date but your return will be lower if he lives longer. In some cases you might loose a little form your principal amount if the seller lives a long life!

Due to this risk factor, viatical settlements and quotes need to be regularized and controlled. Thus, the State Insurance Commission gives out licenses to selected companies who are capable of handling this intricate business. However, in some US states the viatical industry is not regulated at all. Companies often buy the policies and then offer it to prospective buyers at higher rates. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners and Federal Trade Commission are two legal bodies that offer information with regard to viatical quotes and settlements.

If you are a Viator, then you have two choices. Either to can sell your life insurance policy directly to another person or you can use the services of a broker. Viators generally hire a broker because they know the market and can negotiate for a better viatical quote. The quote depends of many variables such as the state, age and medical condition of the viator. Prior to suggesting a bid, the investor, broker and viator will meet to highlight details of the case. The investor will want to know the medical prognosis so he can offer a more realistic quote. Once the quote has been offered and the bid accepted, the life insurance policy is transferred to the new holder. This completes the process and the viator is given a lump sum payment.

In conclusion, viatical quotes will differ from state to state and can be settled upon only after reviewing all the factors involved in the case. The viator and the investor have to come to an agreement is which mutually beneficial. While being a perfect avenue for the viator, he should also be wise to make sure the sale is worth his while.

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Assured - Those insured under the terms of an insurance policy.

Benefit - The money paid to the policyholder when a claim is made.

Bid Price - The selling price or cash-in value of your unit holdings.

Bonus - Relates to a with-profits policy. The amount of money added to the benefit payable under the policy. The amount is dependent upon the profits made by the insurance company. Added bonuses cannot be taken away.

Convertible Term Assurance - A term insurance policy which gives you the option to convert your current policy to a whole-life or endowment insurance policy, without having to take further medical examinations.

Critical Illness Insurance - A policy that pays out a lump sum on the diagnosis of life threatening illnesses indicated in the terms of the plan.

Decreasing Term - A form of term life insurance where the death benefit decreases each year as per your policy. Premiums remain level. This type of certificate is frequently sold as mortgage insurance. There is no surrender value for this policy.

Endowment Insurance - An insurance policy that pays a stated amount at the end of a specified period or upon the death of the insured if it occurs within that period.

Family Income Benefit - Term assurance which pays money to the life assured’s dependants for a set period, rather than paying a lump sum.

Guaranteed Bond - A bond in which principal and interest are guaranteed by an entity other than the issuer. Guaranteed Bonds can be income or growth.

Increasing Term - The cover and the amount you pay into the policy are increased by a specific percentage each year calculated on the original sum insured. Designed as a way to increase your life cover as your earnings increase.

Investment Bond - Combines investment with some life cover. The payments you make into an insurance policy or investment bond, usually a lump sum, are invested in the insurance company’s with-profits or unit-linked funds (Life Funds). Different types of bonds include the guaranteed bond and unit-linked single premium bond. Not to be confused with a company or government bond, an investment that offers a fixed rate of interest and an area where your chosen Life Funds may be invested.

Life Fund - This usually refers to Unit linked Investment Funds. These are funds run by Life Assurance or Pension Companies. Such funds are used for individuals holding life assurance policies to invest in. The assets held within the fund are divided into a number of units. When an investor contributes to a Life Fund, units are allocated to investors in proportion to their investment.

Maturity - An agreed date when an endowment policy ends and the proceeds, including any bonuses, are payable.

Mutual - A life insurance company that is owned by its with-profits policyholders.

Offer Price - The price at which fund units are bought.

Premium - The amount of money paid into an insurance policy.

Proprietary - A life insurance company that issues its profits to its shareholders.

Qualifying Policy - A life assurance based savings plan that has to be written for a minimum of 10 years and must fulfil certain qualifying policy criteria to ensure the final payout is tax free.

Renewable Term - Term Insurance that may be renewed for another term without evidence of insurability.

Single Premium Policy - Where a single lump sum is paid for an insurance policy.

Sum Insured - The amount of money that is guaranteed to be paid under an insurance policy, before any bonuses are added.

Surrender Value - Not applicable to all life insurance policies. The amount that an insurance policyholder is entitled to receive when he or she discontinues coverage

Term Insurance - Provides policyholder with protection only. Life insurance payable to a beneficiary only when an insured dies within a specified number of years (the term). If you live beyond the term you do not receive any payment. This is thought to be the cheapest type of insurance.

Terminal Bonus - This is an extra bonus determined when a death or maturity claim is paid. Terminal bonus is often only paid if the policy has been in-force for a minimum number of years at claim time. The amount is dependent upon the profits made by the insurance company.

Unitised With Profits Fund - Also known as a Unit-Linked With Profits Fund. A type of Life Fund that can invest in UK and overseas shares, property, fixed interest securities and cash. When you invest in this fund through an insurance policy, you buy ‘units’. When an annual bonus is declared, you can either receive more units or it is added to the unit price on a daily basis. Due to the addition of bonuses the unit price does not reflect the value of the underlying investments.

Unit-Linked - Also called Unitised. If your insurance policy is unit-linked, some of your money is used to purchase ‘units’ in a fund. The value of your policy at maturity is dependent upon the growth of the fund in which the policy is invested. Generally refers to policies that offer protection and saving such as endowment insurance, whole life insurance and investment bonds.

Unit-Linked Single Premium Bond - A single lump sum life insurance policy where your investment is spread over a number of Life Funds.

Whole Life Insurance - Whole life insurance provides a death benefit for the policyholder as it builds up cash value. The policy remains in force for the lifetime of the insured, as long as premiums are paid according to the policy agreement. You can choose insurance that pays out on death a guaranteed sum only, the sum plus any bonuses that have been added, or the sum plus any additional value from the growth of the funds invested in.

Without Profits - When a policy reaches maturity or the policyholder dies, the amount paid out is the basic guaranteed sum only. You would not be entitled to any bonuses.

With Profits - Relates to insurance policies that combine investment with protection. This type of policy is entitled to a share of the profits made by the insurance company. Premiums are invested in the with profit fund, reversionary bonuses are applied usually on an annual basis which reflect the investment growth of the fund assets. On death and/or maturity a further terminal bonus might be applied to the fund value.

With Profits Bond - An insurance policy where your lump sum is in most cases invested in a Unitised With Profits Fund (which is listed under the Life Funds section).

About the Author
First Hand Insurance are Life Insurance and House Insurance specialists in the UK.

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Twenty per cent of critical illness claims are turned down. That means for every five people making this important claim, one will have it rejected at this crucially important time.

The whole reason behind taking out critical illness cover is that, in the event of you becoming critically ill (that is being diagnosed with one of the listed illnesses described in your policy documents) a payment will be made. The reasoning behind your decision to take out what some consider being an important part of your financial planning is sound. Critical illness can affect the whole family. You may have to pay out for child care, change your home or job or even train for a completely new career. Having taken out cover, should the unexpected happen, all eventualities are covered and you have gone as far as you can to minimise financial problems and get down to the important personal matters.

Unfortunately, in a number of cases, this is not so. Failure to disclose what may seem to you to be minor, unimportant illnesses in the past may give the insurers a reason to reject your claim. Fair or not, it’s completely legal! As far as the law stands, if you have failed to disclose information which the insurer was seeking, then the insurer is perfectly within their rights to terminate the cover.

If this happens to you, not only do you have to cope with the implications of the illness, but you have to either accept that your critical illness insurance plans have totally failed you. At this stage depending on the severity of the illness, you may feel overwhelmed by the situation and unable to face challenging the decision. If you do appeal against the decision and the Financial Ombudsman Service gets involved, they will make every attempt to establish whether you deliberately misled the insurers in order to gain cover or whether the questions on the original proposal form were vaguely or poorly written.

As soon as you make a claim on your critical illness policy, your insurer will instigate an extremely thorough check on your medical records. It appears that they can go back without a time limit and if they find anything, related to your illness or not, which you’ve failed to disclose to them, they may choose to refuse your claim. There is no such search or investigation carried out when you take out the policy and some people feel that this should be addressed.

It is virtually impossible to remember every minor illness. Can you really be expected to remember and record every visit to the doctor regarding things like headaches, eye pain, stiff neck, ear infections and depression? There were recent cases where claims were rejected for these reasons - a man had his claim for prostate cancer refused because of failure to disclose an earlier ear infection and a woman whose claim failed because she’d not disclosed an earlier problem with depression.

However, for four out of five people, the insurance works. It is important to disclose your full health history and not to attempt to cover anything up. Read the terms of the insurance thoroughly and miss nothing out. Used as intended, critical care cover is a valuable financial tool.

Plenty of help is available when choosing your critical illness cover. Log on to the internet and you’ll find on-line brokers who’ll be able to offer advice, a choice of quotes and the best possible terms.

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