PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care II enhances cancer benefits with continuous annual lump-sum financial support and extra family protection benefit

• Offers yearly lump-sum financial support for cancer with up to a total of 500% coverage while it persists

• Shortens the waiting period between cancer claims to 1 year

• Provides value-added services including access to second opinions by international medical experts and concierge service for overseas treatment

(30 December 2019 – Hong Kong) Prudential Hong Kong Limited (“Prudential”) today announced it will be launching PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care II on 2nd January 2020, kicking off the new year with an expanded Health & Protection portfolio.

PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care II is an upgraded plan that covers 117 critical illness conditions and offers extended coverage against the three major diseases – cancer, heart attack and stroke. The plan also strengthens protection for customers with cancer by providing continuous and lump-sum financial support every year throughout their treatment journeys.

One of the significant new benefits, the Cancer Treatment Extra Benefit, enhances Prudential’s market-leading protection solution for customers diagnosed with critical and persistent disease conditions.

A stronger safety net for customers suffering from new or ongoing cancer

According to  data revealed by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, cancer is the biggest  killer illness in Hong Kong^[1]. Many Hong Kong citizens underestimate or lack awareness of the high costs of cancer treatment. Some cancer patients are also unable to afford proper treatments^[2]. However, another survey also indicates that cancer survial rates are increasing, with the survival rate for patients with Stage I Breast Cancer at 97.5% within five years^[3]. In addition to undergoing lengthy and long duration cancer treatments, patients also face the risk of cancer recurrence. The median period from primary to recurrence of colorectal cancer is 16 months, while that of lung cancer is 14 months^[4]. Coupled with the high medical cost of cancer treatment and care, more support is needed by cancer patients.

“As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive protection against critical illnesses, we are pleased to introduce PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care IIthat will offer a stronger safety net to customers, especially those diagnosed with cancer. The newly launched plan has particularly added the Cancer Treatment Extra Benefit to provide continuous coverage while cancer persists. Together with the Extended Major Disease Benefit for cancer, the total coverage for cancer is increased up to a maximum of 500%,” said Derek Yung, Chief Executive Officer of Prudential. “Thanks to the advent of modern medical technology, chances for cancer recovery are greater than ever. Prudential is responding to the market trends and the needs of our customers by launching this upgraded protection plan, which shortens the waiting period between cancer claims to 1 year. It will provide additional financial support and further assurance to patients when they are facing these life-changing adverse health events.’

Multiple cancer claims can be made under the Extended Major Disease Benefit^[5] for a new or ongoing cancer - including recurrent, metastatic and persistent cancer - with up to two extra claims of 80% of the sum assured, provided that the cancer claims fulfil the 3-year cancer waiting period requirement.

The revamped solution will bolster the level of care by offering the Cancer Treatment Extra Benefit^[6]. This benefit helps plug the protection gap within the 3-year cancer waiting period by providing up to two extra payments of 40% of the sum assured, the first of which will be paid after the first year following a cancer claim, while the second will be paid after the second year following the claim as long as customers still suffer from cancer and are receiving active treatment or end-of-life care for cancer.

The enhanced plan provides critical illness protection of up to a total of 660% of the sum assured, including a maximum of 500% cancer coverage while the cancer persists.

Building on the success of PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Carelaunched in 2018, the enhanced version provides up to 160% of the sum assured for multiple coverage for a combination of heart attack and stroke, with up to two extra payments of 80% of sum assured.

Extended protection and cover for beloved family members

Other features of the upgraded plan include the special Spouse Extra Benefit, which offers a one-off, 50% extra life protection to cover the death of the life assured for the first 10 years of the policy, as long as the couple successfully enroll in the plan together.

The upgraded plan also includes Parental Premium Waiver Benefit that is designed to continuously protect the insured children if one of their parents unfortunately passes away. Along with the protection, all future premiums^[7] of the policy will be waived and customers are not required to provide any health information.  

Treatment Sure, a one-stop professional medical advisory service: Global Expert Medical Opinion and Medical Concierge

Whether or not the patient’s condition is covered under the PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care II, as long as it is not an emergency condition, customers can access  Prudential’s Treatment Sure service with a licensed doctor as their dedicated Physician Case Manager, providing guidance throughout their recovery journey. Through Global Expert Medical Opinion, customers can obtain independent second opinions from 50,000+ global medical experts, covering 450+ specialties.

Customers who seek treatment overseas will be provided with options on overseas medical specialists through Medical Concierge. The scope of this seamless service includes appointment arrangement, on site medical translation and recovery care advice after the customer is discharge from hospital.

“Echoing one of our brand commitments on “We Do Health”, we fight side by side with patients on their roads to recovery. The solution aims to help customers focus on their recovery with the peace of mind that comes from comprehensive protection,” said Priscilla Ng, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, “Should the worst happen, the enhanced coverage for family, including Spouse Extra Benefit and Parental Premium Waiver Benefit, will ensure that protection is extended to the customers’ loved ones. We are also dedicated to giving our customers peace of mind by providing value-added-services, to guide them through every step of their medical journey and also the holistic approach to health and protection.”

Key features of PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care IIinclude:

• Extra coverage against selected diseases – even after a 100% Major Disease Benefit claim
  • Extra cover for new or continued cancer strikes: 
    • Extended Major Disease Benefit for Cancer – up to two extra claims, 80% coverage each; and
    • Cancer Treatment Extra Benefit – up to two extra payments of 40% coverage each, starting one year after an earlier Cancer claim
  • Extended Major Disease Benefit for heart attack and stroke – up to 2 extra claims, each with 80% cover
• Coverage for 117 disease conditions - including 56 Major Disease Conditions and 61 Early Stage Major Disease Conditions. The plan covers most common disease conditions, including cancer, heart attack and stroke
• Protection for early stage major disease conditions, including pre-cancerous conditions
• 50% extra life protection for the first 10 years when both the policyholder and his/ her spouse enroll together successfully
• Waives all future premiums of the child’s policy until they reach age 26 (age next birthday) if the policyholder or his/ her spouse unfortunately passes away
• 50% extra protection for a major disease claim or death claim within the first 10 years via our Critical Illness Care Enhancer II
• Coverage against disease conditions related to congenital diseases or developmental disorders 
• A 12-month premium waiver after an early-stage major disease claim or all future premiums after a major disease claim to ease the financial burden when illness strikes
• Protection and long-term savings in one plan; as one of Prudential’s Shareholder-backed participating plans, policyholders will be entitled to any returns generated on their investment
• Value-added service of Treatment Sure to provide Global Expert Medical Opinion and Medical Concierge

PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care II is underwritten by Prudential Hong Kong Limited. For further details and the terms and conditions of this plan, customers can ask Prudential for a sample of the policy document.

For more information of the Treatment Sure service, please refer to the “Treatment Sure service” section under “More about PRUHealth Critical Illness Extended Care II”. For service and enrolment details, please visit www.prudential.com.hk/treatmentsure-e.

^[1] Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, World Cancer Day 2019 press release
https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/25/101602.html

^[2] Source: The Cancer Information Hong Kong Charity Foundation survey (July 2018)

^[3] Statistics from Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation (2019)
https://www.hkbcf.org/en/breast_health/main/16/

^[4] Reference from the book Survival after Recurrence of Stage I–III Breast, Colorectal, or Lung Cancer(2017)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5572775/

^[5] Before the life assured reaches age 86 (age next birthday)

^[6] Before the life assured reaches age 86 (age next birthday)

^[7] Until the life assured reaches age 26 (age next birthday)