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Cancer insurance policies, which are offered by Private medical insurance (PMI) providers have been criticised for their lack of clarity and inclusion of ambiguous terminology, that may result in people being excluded from treatment and unclear of their entitlements, according to a study by Mercer and Cancerbackup, the cancer charity.

The study, called ‘Covering Cancer: Survey of Corporate healthcare / Private Medical Insurance providers', surveyed 11 major UK PMI providers to assess each of their main corporate medical insurance policies for cancer, including issues such as scope and standard of cover, treatments included within the cover and limits on cover.

Steve Clements, principal in Mercer's health & benefits team, said: “One in three people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their life.  Some of the new and sometimes expensive treatments which are now emerging are, as yet, unavailable through the NHS.  So understandably, cancer cover is an area of focus for companies purchasing private healthcare.”

He added: “PMI providers are using it to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Whilst there have been substantial improvements, there is continued ambiguity over what is and isn't covered in some cases.  Eligibility rules for chronic conditions, for example, can sometimes mean cancer treatments will effectively be excluded or cut short. Transparency and clarity must be improved.”

Mr Clements continued: “New therapies are coming into the market. Some of these will lead to long term treatments where the goal is to slow the spread of the disease, prolong life or improve the quality of life by easing the symptoms, rather than to cure.  PMI providers must be clearer about whether or not these will be covered in their policies.”

The report also notes that PMI providers often use the phrase ‘active treatment' for cancer to govern their decisions on cover for a particular course of treatment.  This allows certain treatments to be covered for very specific reasons (e.g. radiotherapy to shrink a tumour) but others to be excluded (e.g. hormone therapy of on-going control of spread and symptoms).  The term active treatment is often only loosely explained in the policy document. Mercer also notes that the term is not currently recognised by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

Derryn Borley, head of Cancer Support Services at Cancerbackup, said: “It's not imperative to buy the most expensive cover but there should be total clarity on what is and isn't covered.  There should be clear and seamless mechanisms in place to transfer the treatment from private care into public care and back into private when necessary. Ultimately the patients' treatment should not be compromised.  PMI providers' decisions on whether certain treatments are covered or not are taken on a case by case basis.  There is a need to improve the openness and transparency around the extent of the coverage for cancer.  People need to fully understand the term ‘Active Treatment' when it's used.”

According to the report, companies looking to provide their employees with an uncompromised level of cancer cover should consider the AXA PPP Healthcare ‘Corporate Healthcare, VIP & Executive Plan' with the optional enhanced cancer cover, the BUPA Premier Insurance Policy and the PruHealth Comprehensive policy.  These policies meet the ‘Gold Standard'.  The gold standard of cancer cover is defined by Cancerbackup as the funding of all treatment intended to affect the growth of the cancer by shrinking the cancer, stabilising it or slowing the spread of the disease, as well as relieving symptoms.

Steve Clements also added: “There is a price attached to the ‘Gold Standard' and so other PMI policies are all viable options for corporate healthcare plans in the right scenario.  But the purchaser should be aware of the lesser levels of cover for cancer care through these policies.

Clements concluded: "It's vital that companies seek clarity from the PMI provider on how cases will be managed when employees reach the limit of their cover but still need treatment, particularly if this treatment is unavailable through the NHS.  Most of the PMI providers we surveyed do have some flexibility around the cover they provide in this area, and so may be able to offer tailored solutions so that clients can strike the right balance between comprehensive cover and affordability."

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Four Canadian cities placed among the The survey asked questions regarding the quality life on Mercer Island, from public safety to satisfaction with the school district, city staff, Vienna Tops Mercer Quality Life 2010 Survey. Post this article on your site or blog. May 27, 2010 6:48 a.m. EST. Close . When publishing articles from May 26, 2010 City Mayors examines the quality of life in cities around the world. Mercer' s of Living Index list was revised and now covers Apr 28, 2009 Auckland is the fourth-best place in the world to live, according to the latest Mercer Quality of Life survey. Photo / Getty Images Jul 19, 2010 Mercer' s quality life study uses measures political stability, security, economic strengths, access to medical facilities, (May 26) -- Life is good in Vienna, at least according to global consultancy firm Mercer, which ranked the Austrian capital as the city with the world' s May 26, 2010 Vienna has the world' s best quality of living, according to global consultancy Mercer, with Zurich and Geneva just behind it and Dusseldorf, May 27, 2010 Six Australian cities in the top 50 Mercer Most Liveable Cities survey. Highlights from Mercer' s 2010 Quality Living Survey Press Release. NAMI Mercer is the County, NJ affiliate the National Alliance on realize significant reduction symptoms and improved quality of life. Community Life. The Quality of Life Works. Located midway between New York and Philadelphia, Mercer County is within an hour both cities and the famous Jan 28, 2007 The Mercer of life survey, which ranks cities around the globe, puts Auckland in fifth place worldwide behind Zurich, Geneva, File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View May 26, 2010 NEW YORK — Vienna has the world' s best quality of life and Baghdad the Mercer consultants' city rankings for 2010 lists Vienna, Zurich, May 27, 2010 Vienna gets top position as Mercer Consulting release their 2010 Life Index. European cities have topped the polls as being the Apr 28, 2009 Labels: 2009, cities, city, city comparison, cost of living, human resource, mercer, quality of life, statistics, survey, surveys 6 posts  -  4 authors  -  Last post:  Apr 28, 2009The 2009 Quality of Life survey is out: Quality of Living global city rankings 2009 – survey . In 2008 Zuric beat out Vienna May 25, 2010 European cities dominate the top 10 ranking for Quality living, with Canada, New Zealand and Australia also highly ranked. Apr 3, 2007 Mercer' s City ' Quality Life' Index - The Top 20. Business News. Zurich in Switzerland has the highest life among the 215 Apr 28, 2009 Dubai (77) in the United Arab Emirates and Port Louis in Mauritius (82) are the region' s cities with the best quality living. 0 = low quality of life, 10 = high quality life. 3. Consulting, Quality of Life Index. The Quality of Life Index is derived from 39 key quality of General Kentucky Quality Information. Median Home Price (2008): Mercer County - $106000 for 99 homes. Source: KY Department Revenue. May 26, 2010 Canadian cities get top marks against the world' s major urban centres. Apr 2, 2007 Mercer world quality-of-life survey. (Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open 17 posts  -  6 authors  -  Last post:  Jun 26The Mercer reports essentially calculate the “quality life” in cities where companies are thinking sending their workers. Mar 1, 2004 People living in London have among the worst life in Slagin Parakatil, a senior researcher at said: " Most of the As a result, open space preservation has played a significant role in Mercer County' s efforts to maintain and improve the life its residents. Apr 28, 2009 Quality life makes people in these cities love where they reside. For the first time, Mercer also evaluated cities on the basis of Munich has the seventh best of life in the world. That' s the findings of the 2009 edition Mercer' s rankings 215 cities and what they have to Mercer' s of Living Survey is released annually, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York is given a baseline score of 100 and other May 26, 2010 Mercer' s 2010 Quality Living survey highlights. Mercer' s overall of survey has revealed Zurich as the world' s city with the best quality of life, with 106.5 points. What makes one person' s quality life better or worse cannot be quantified in an objective index. Therefore, Mercer' s Quality Living report reflects Jun 13, 2010 has ranked Vienna as the city that offers the highest quality of living in 2010. In your humble blogger' s opinion, this list is A new Mercer study ranks cities by the life they offer expatriate executives and their families across the world What foreign postings are most