Critical Illness Insurance Cost Calculator Created

To help consumers understand the affordability of cancer insurance and critical illness insurance, an online calculator has been introduced by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

"Cost is always a critical factor when consumers are considering a purchase and that's especially true with insurance products today," states Jesse Slome, director of the critical illness insurance organization.   "The Association's new cost calculator will appear at the very top of almost every page on our new website and provide instant costs for $10,000 of cancer insurance."

The critical illness insurance cost calculator merely requires the consumer enter their sex, age and whether they are a smoker or non-smoker.  "There is no personal information needed to immediately see the cost," Slome explains.  "The cost appears immediately and we don't ask or want to gather any personal information.  We merely are striving to show consumers how affordable this important coverage can be."

Slome noted that the decision to show the cost for $10,000 of cancer insurance was made to be most beneficial to the largest number of young adults.  "For millions of Americans between the ages of 35 and 55, cancer is the critical illness they are most likely to have prior to reaching age 65 to 70," Slome shares.   "The average critical illness insurance policy purchased today is around $15,000 in benefits, so the modest policy seemed to make the most sense.  Obviously, if someone wants more coverage, they can easily estimate what their potential cost might be."

The critical illness insurance cost calculator is designed to demonstrate the affordability of cancer insurance and encourage consumers to seek actual pricing for coverage options.   "When consumers hear they can purchase cancer insurance protection for the cost of one or two cups of coffee a month, they'll be interested enough to take the next steps to learn more,:" Slome predicts.

The calculator revealed that a male, age 45 who does not use tobacco could pay as little as $48 a year for $10,000 of cancer insurance.  A female, age 45 who uses tobacco would pay $108 yearly for the same level of insurance.  "I chose to show smoker and non-smoker rates because it shows the numbers most fairly," Slome adds.  "When rates are the same for both, the non-smokers are more or less subsidizing some of the added risk of insuring smokers."

To learn more and access the critical illness insurance cost calculator, visit the Association's website at www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

Jesse Slome is founder and director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, headquartered in Westlake Village, California.  Slome also heads up the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance as well as the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.

Critical Illness Insurance Association Relaunches Website

The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance has relaunched the organization's website designed to create heightened awareness of and interest in cancer insurance as well as critical illness insurance.

"We intend for the new website to be the nation's primary and trusted resource for information," shares Jesse Slome, director of the organization first founded the critical illness insurance organization in 2009.   "Millions of Americans between the ages of 35 and 55 could greatly benefit by understanding how these two highly affordable forms of protection can provide enormous benefit in the event of a cancer diagnosis, a heart attack or stroke."

The new Association website will contain both relevant information on critical illness insurance protection as well as the three primary health conditions, cancer, heart attacks and strokes.

"Every single day, thousands of Americans hear the dreaded words, you have cancer," Slome explained.  "Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a heart attack and another person has a stroke.  Most of these individuals today will survive but they and their family will face enormous financial consequences and many will go bankrupt, even when they have health insurance coverage."

Slome, who founded the Association at the request of several leading industry executives, noted the website relaunch was part of a planned ongoing awareness campaign.  "Our mission is twofold, first to educate consumers about this important topic," Slome noted.  "And, second, to support insurance professionals who market critical illness solutions."

The new website will have special sections focused on critical illness insurance planning, facts related to cancer, heart attacks and stroke as well as the beginnings of a center where insurance agents will be able to access information and tools.  "At the present time, there is no membership program for agents," Slome shared.  "We will see what level of interest develops over the next few months."

Most critical illness insurance policies are sold via the worksite with several major insurers comprising the largest industry players.  "We see two major trends, a number of new insurance companies that are launching new critical illness insurance products," Slome added.  "The second is an increase in the number of insurers as well as distributors who are promoting and encouraging the sale of critical illness insurance policies."

To learn more, visit the Association's website at https://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

Jesse Slome is founder and director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, headquartered in Westlake Village, California.  Slome also heads up the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance as well as the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.

15 Minutes Of Exercise Reduces Cancer Risk By 10 Percent

New research finds that just 15 minutes of daily physical activity can reduce the risk of cancer.

The current generally accepted exercise recommendations call for adults to do a total of 2.5 hours of physical activity weekly. That equates to about 150 minutes per-week.

This week, researchers released the results of a study that reports that doing only a quarter-hour of daily exercise or about 105 minutes a week still provides benefits.

Adults who exercised for an average of 92 minutes per week were 10 percent less likely to die of cancer, and had a three-year longer life expectancy, on average. Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum 15 minutes further reduced the risk of all-cause death by 4 percent and the risk of cancer death by 1 percent.

"Over 1.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year so anything that reduces the risk is most welcome news," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

The study included more than 390,000 residents of Taiwan. Researchers followed these individuals for an average of eight years and, based on self-reported amounts of weekly exercise, placed them into five categories.

Individuals interested in receiving a cost quote for critical illness insurance from a designated American Association for Critical Illness Insurance professional can complete the organization's free quote request form accessible at http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org/free-quote/ or by calling the Association's offices.

Critical Illness Insurance Trade Group Offers Free Sales Training

There's really no explanation why critical illness insurance sales continue to lag in the U.S., declares Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance http://www.aacii.org. According to Slome, the protection first introduced in 1983 now sells well in 54 other countries worldwide.

"There are over 65 million Americans between the ages of 30 and 49, creating an enormous opportunity for the sale of critical illness insurance products," states Slome. "These adults understand the risk of being diagnosed with cancer or having a heart attack. They simply have no knowledge that an affordable financial solution like critical illness insurance exists but we are going to change that starting in 2011."

The industry trade association established in 2009 just announced a free education campaign for insurance and financial professionals. The trade group is waiving the $98 membership fee offering free sign-ups which includes access to the Association's online Learning, Marketing and Sales Center. The Center provides access to sales training modules, industry research, marketing and sales tools.

"We plan to educate 10,000 insurance professionals during the year and to significantly jumpstart product awareness and ultimately sales," Slome adds. "Every agent or broker who has clients in their 30s or 40s will benefit by understanding how simple it is to offer and sell this highly affordable form of protection."

The free membership offer will be continued for at least the first six months of 2011. For more information or to sign-up for free membership, visit the Association's website http://www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org/free .

Annual Cancer Death Rates In Europe Drop

There will be nearly 1.3 million deaths from cancer in Europe in 2011, according to predictions from a study published in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology.

The estimates, which have been reached after researchers used for the first time in Europe a new mathematical model for predicting cancer mortality, show a fall in overall cancer death rates for both men and women when compared to 2007. But they also highlight some areas of concern, particularly rising rates of lung cancer in women.

Researchers looked at overall rates in the European Union (EU) and also individual rates in six major EU countries: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK.

They predicted there would be 1,281,466 cancer deaths in the EU in 2011 (721,252 men and 560,184 women), compared to 1,256,001 (703,872 men and 552,129 women) in 2007. When these figures are converted into world standardized rates per 100,000 of the population, this means there will be a fall from 153.8 per 100,000 to 142.8 per 100,000 in men, and from 90.7 to 85.3 in women -- a drop of 7% in men and 6% in women -- since 2007.

"Cancer is no longer an immediate death sentence, the vast majority of people today survive," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, the leading U.S. trade organization. The overall downward trend in cancer death rates is driven mainly by falls in breast cancer mortality in women, and lung and colorectal cancer in men.

However, the number of women dying from lung cancer is increasing steadily everywhere apart from in the UK, which has had the highest rates in women for a decade and is now seeing a leveling off. In the EU as a whole, world standardized death rates from lung cancer in women have gone up from 12.55 per 100,000 of the female population in 2007 to 13.12 in 2011.

Lung cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the first cause of cancer death in Polish women, as well as in women from the UK. The number of women who will die from lung cancer this year in the UK is 15,632 (compared to 14,900 in 2007); this represents a slight drop in the death rate from 20.57 per 100,000 women in 2007 to 20.33 in 2011. In Poland, 6,343 women will die from lung cancer this year compared to 5,643 in 2007, and this represents an increase in the death rate from 15.53 per 100,000 women to 16.60 in 2011.

Declines in mortality from other major cancers such as stomach, uterus, prostate and leukaemia are likely to be seen in 2011, say the researchers.

Health News: Heart Disease And Stroke Costs Will Triple

The cost of treating heart disease and stroke in the United States is expected to triple in the next 20 years, to $818 billion.

According to the American Heart Association this $545 billion increase in costs for treating heart disease and stroke is largely due to the aging of the population.

"The burden of heart disease and stroke on the U.S. health care system and American families will be substantial," said Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

The projected increase in costs will be based on the current rate of heart disease adjusted for changes in the overall age of Americans and the anticipated racial mix of patients.

Experts noted that these estimates do not take into account the additional costs for those who have more than one condition, or new treatments that might come along, To curb this rise in costs, the panel said that effective prevention strategies are needed if we are to limit the growing burden of cardiovascular disease.

American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown said in a news release that "unhealthy behaviors and unhealthy environments have contributed to a tidal wave of risk factors among many Americans. Early intervention and evidence-based public policies are absolute musts to significantly reduce alarming rates of obesity, hypertension, tobacco use and cholesterol levels."

Right now, 36.9 percent of Americans have some type of heart disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and other conditions. By 2030, that number will rise to 40.5 percent of the population, or about 116 million people, according to the report.

The biggest increases are thought to be in stroke, up 24.9 percent, and heart failure, up 25 percent.
Between 2010 and 2030, the cost of caring for patients with heart disease will go from $273 billion to $818 billion, the panel predicted.

In addition, heart disease will cost billions more in lost productivity, increasing from about $172 billion in 2010 to $276 billion in 2030. These losses include days missed from work or home tasks because of illness, plus lost earnings due to premature death.

There are also a number of low-cost, high-value cardiovascular protective therapies that are available but are underutilized in routine clinical care that could also help to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

These include keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control, not smoking and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which means eating a healthy diet, getting exercise and keeping your weight down. These strategies have been proven to substantially reduce the risk of heart disease.

For more information on affordable critical illness insurance protection which can provide a tax-free lump sum cash payment upon diagnosis of a heart attack or stroke, viasit the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance's website http://www.crititcalillnessinsuranceinfo.org

Critical Illness Insurance News: Study Ties Diet To Longer Life

According to medical researchers, today's leading causes of death have shifted from infectious diseases to chronic diseases. These include cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Both of these illnesses may be affected by diet a study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals.

Researchers examined data regarding the associations of dietary patterns with mortality through analysis of the eating patterns of over 2500 adults between the ages of 70 and 79 over a ten-year period. They found that diets favoring certain foods were associated with reduced mortality.

By 2030, an estimated 973 million adults will be aged 65 or older worldwide according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance which tracks data related to critical illnesses. This study sought to determine the dietary patterns of a large and diverse group of older adults, and to explore connections between these dietary patterns with survival over a 10-year period.

Researchers were able to group the participants into six different clusters according to predominant food choices including healthy foods, high-fat dairy products, meat, fried foods, and alcohol and sweets and desserts.
The "Healthy foods" cluster was characterized by relatively higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and lower consumption of meat, fried foods, sweets, high-calorie drinks, and added fat. The "High fat dairy products" cluster had higher intake of foods such as ice cream, cheese, and 2% and whole milk and yogurt, and lower intake of poultry, low-fat dairy products, rice, and pasta.

The study was unique in that it evaluated participants' quality of life and nutritional status, through detailed biochemical measures, according to their dietary patterns.

After controlling for gender, age, race, clinical site, education, physical activity, smoking, and total calorie intake, the "High-fat dairy products" cluster had a 40% higher risk of mortality than the "Healthy foods" cluster. The "Sweets and desserts" cluster had a 37% higher risk. No significant differences in risk of mortality were seen between the "Healthy foods" cluster and the "Breakfast cereal" or "Refined grains" clusters.