Cancer Care Plan lets you control your lifestyle and treatment path.
With one in 29 South African women developing breast cancer and, according to the medical journal Lancet, the number of cases is expected to rise by 78 percent by 2030, it is important to give yourself the financial means to afford treatment.
Tetiwe Jawuna, Managing Director: Standard Bank Insurance Brokers says, “If detected early, breast cancer is treatable. However, conventional treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or a combination of these options is expensive.
“A diagnosis of cancer triggers other financial pressures; people need time off work to undergo treatment, or additional caregivers at home for themselves or for children.”
“Also, many women diagnosed with breast cancer explore natural or complementary options in addition to or instead of conventional treatment. Such research takes time, requiring you to put normal activities on hold. This usually has financial implications. Insurance that pays out on diagnosis allows you to manage your healthcare and lifestyle choices without worrying about how you will afford them and the financial implications of this.”
Because the incidence of breast cancer is high, many families are opting for insurance specifically designed to cover it. It is always easier to know that you are financially covered should any situation arise so that you can manage it better. Standard Bank’s breast cancer policy, the Cancer Care Plan, has been bought by almost 10 000 customers.
“Standard Bank Insurance has been there for 103 customers that were diagnosed with cancer from January to September 2014. This indicates that breast cancer incidences remain high. A diagnosis like this adds to individual and family stress as it has long term implications for both the patient and their families. Worrying about finances should be the least of yours and your family’s concern at such a time,” says Ms Jawuna.
“We’ve designed our insurance offering to pay out a significant sum on diagnosis, giving our customers major financial relief, enabling them to focus on their health. In addition, the policies make a contribution to the costs of surgery, should the customer choose to have it, as well as six months of recovery from whatever treatment is selected,” says Ms Jawuna.
All payouts are made directly to the policyholder and not to medical institutions, so the customer has full control of where the insurance money is spent. The amount for surgery is paid out only if the customer chooses to have a partial or whole mastectomy.
“Flexibility is an important component of our cover as it means that our customers have options to choose what they want to do themselves instead of us dictating what they should do. At a time like this, it’s important to allow customers the opportunity to still be in control, as a diagnosis like this can take its toll on them emotionally,” concludes Ms Jawuna.