Prostate Cancer
Most life insurance companies offer some form of trauma insurance or critical illness insurance, many of which provide a benefit in the event of prostate cancer.
In 2003, a few mates were having a beer in a bar in Fitzroy, Melbourne, and decided to create a way to bring men's health into the spotlight. They came up with the idea of Movember!
Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache highlighting men's health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. The event, which takes place every November, has expanded beyond Australian shores and now has participants from New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.
Full details can be found at http://au.movember.com
The facts on prostate cancer and depression
- According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, each year close to 3,300 men die from prostate cancer and 20,000 new cases are diagnosed. One in nine men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime (1)
- One in six men will suffer depression throughout their adult lifetime (2)
- Up to three million men in Australia will have prostate cancer and/or suffer depression throughout their lifetime (3)
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer occurs when cells go through uncontrollable growth in the prostate gland (compared to a normal prostate) spreading malignant cells. Normal tissue is invaded and destructed forming a malignant tumour. Low stage prostate cancers usually show no symptoms, which is why screening is vital.
The prostate cancer foundation of Australia recommends that all men over the age of 50, and those with a family history from the age of 40, should seek annual assessments.
According to a medical journal released in 2005, where you live in Australia makes a difference to prostate cancer survival figures (4). The report showed that men who reside in major capital cities had a lower rate of death than those in regional Australia. The main reason for this is screening and the treatment received. This is based on the fact that more men who reside in capital cities are screened by a PSA and/or DRE examination and more full removal of the prostate is performed in city areas as opposed to rural Australia.
Male depression
Depression in men is real and is a widespread illness throughout the community. It is widely commented that mental health issues in men have largely been swept under the carpet and ignored by men who may feel ashamed to seek help. A lot of stigma around this is slowly being removed by awareness campaigns such as Movember and information sites such as Beyond Blue - www.beyondblue.org.au.
How trauma insurance can help
Most insurers offer some form of trauma insurance or critical illness insurance, many of which provide a benefit in the event of prostate cancer. Some examples where insurance can provide benefits include:
- Where you are unable to work at full capacity or at all for a period of time whilst recovering from treatment. Where appropriate, income protection can provide a continued source of income.
- If you suffer depression in the future, income protection benefits may apply.
- Specialist mental health claims assessors - this may seem obvious, but for a client who is suffering depression, often the fact of getting out of bed may be daunting, let alone completing a claim form
- Total and permanent disability benefits - In the unfortunate event the illness reaches this advanced stage in the future, TPD policies may provide benefits.
- Trauma insurance generally pays on the diagnosis of prostate cancer; however this depends on the trauma insurance policy's definition and the level of cancer.
Definitions of prostate cancer
Standard policy definition: Prostate cancer is presence of one or more malignant tumours. The malignant tumour is to be characterized by the uncontrollable growth and spread of malignant cells and the invasion and destruction of normal tissue. This excludes prostatic cancers which are histologically described as TNM Classication T1 or are of another equivalent or lesser classification unless major interventionalist therapy including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, biological response modifiers or any other major treatment is required (5).
Plus policy definition: Early stage Prostate Cancer means the presence of a tumour confined within the prostate, which is histologically described as TNM Classification T1 or a Gleason Score of either 2, 3, 4 or 5 where major medical interventionalist therapy is not required (5).
The above shows examples of two definitions of prostate cancer. Here we can see the difference between one company's standard policy definition as opposed to their 'plus' policy definition.
Trauma insurance for prostate cancer and more
Prostate cancer and male depression are serious illnesses. Having a complete insurance solution can assist when you need it most. Celebrate Movember this year and do your bit to raise awareness of these critical issues impacting up to 3 million men in Australia.
Contact an xLife adviser for your free trauma insurance quotes, and discuss coverage of prostate cancer in your policy today.
Source:
1 www.prostate.org.au
2 www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
3 www.dfat.gov.au/facts/people.html, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au, www.prostate.org.au
4 http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/182_03_070205/coo10519_fm.html. Urban-Rural differences in prostate cancer mortality, radical prosectomy and prostate specific antigen testing in Australia
5 CommInsure Personal Insurance Portfolio PDS, 3/03/2008
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March 2010
