Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee, an Aetna company
Protection Series — Cancer Plus and Heart Attack or Stroke PlusEvery benefit below is transcribed from the Aetna Protection Series Cancer Plus outline of coverage CLICS04672NV (Nevada edition), for policy forms CLICCAN18 NV and CLICCANR18 NV, and from the Aetna Protection Series Cancer and Heart Attack or Stroke Plus brochure CLICS04742NV (Nevada edition), which is the only document we hold describing the heart attack and stroke policies, the Aetna Senior Supplemental Insurance company profile CGFMP08395, which states the A.M. Best rating and its date. Benefits, amounts and riders vary by state; the policy issued to you governs.
A lump sum on diagnosis, paid to you Included
The policy pays 100% of the benefit amount you chose, from $5,000 to $75,000 in $5,000 increments, directly to you or to someone you designate, regardless of any other health insurance coverage you hold.
Waiting period: 30 days. Eligibility for benefits begins 30 days after the coverage effective date. There is also a 30 day free look: return the policy for any reason within 30 days of receiving it for a full refund of premiums paid.
Cancer insurance Included
Pays on a diagnosis of cancer or carcinoma in situ. Only one cancer benefit is paid for each insured person under the policy, and on the policy without the recurrence benefit coverage terminates for that person once it has been paid.
Carcinoma in situ is covered at the same 100%, which is not true of every cancer policy — it is an early stage cancer confined to the site it started from, and some policies pay a fraction for it or nothing at all.
Cancer insurance with the recurrence benefit Included
The same lump sum, plus a further payment each time the insured is diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer. The percentage paid depends on how long the insured went without medical advice or treatment before that diagnosis. 0% — nothing at all — if the recurrence comes less than 2 years after; 25% at 2 years or more but less than 5; 50% at 5 or more but less than 7; 75% at 7 or more but less than 9; and 100% at 9 years or more. The lifetime maximum is 100% of the recurrence benefit amount, so a part-paid recurrence leaves the remainder available for a later one and nothing beyond that.
This is a third design on our cancer, heart attack and stroke comparison page and it is worth comparing against the other two. It turns on time without treatment, so an early recurrence pays nothing where a long remission pays the lot.
Heart attack or stroke insurance Included
Pays 100% of the benefit amount you chose, from $5,000 to $75,000 in $5,000 increments, on a diagnosis of heart attack or stroke. Only one heart attack or stroke benefit is paid for each insured person under the policy.
It is a separate policy from the cancer one. You can take a cancer plan, a heart attack and stroke plan, or one of each with different benefit amounts.
Heart attack or stroke insurance with the recurrence benefit Included
The same lump sum, plus a further payment on a subsequent heart attack or stroke, payable as long as at least two years have passed since the date of the last one. 0% — nothing at all — if the recurrence comes less than 2 years after; 25% at 2 years or more but less than 5; 50% at 5 or more but less than 7; 75% at 7 or more but less than 9; and 100% at 9 years or more. The lifetime maximum is 100% of the recurrence benefit amount, so a part-paid recurrence leaves the remainder available for a later one and nothing beyond that.
Note the difference from the cancer version: this one measures two years since the last heart attack or stroke, where the cancer policy measures two years without medical advice or treatment. Somebody on continuing cancer treatment is not accruing that time.
What “stroke” means here, and what it does not Included
An acute cerebrovascular event caused by intra-cranial thrombosis or hemorrhage, or embolism from an extra-cranial source, with acute onset of new neurological symptoms and new objective neurological deficits on clinical examination, which persists for more than 30 days.
A transient ischemic attack is excluded by name. So is brain damage from accident, injury, infection, vasculitis, inflammatory or demyelinating disease, vascular disease of the eye or optic nerve, vertebrobasilar insufficiency, an incidental finding on an imaging study, and an ischemic disorder of the vestibular system.
A stent on its own does not pay Not covered
A balloon angioplasty procedure, laser relief or other like procedure is excluded, and so is a cardiac arrest that is not caused by a heart attack. A heart attack here means an acute myocardial infarction resulting in the death of a portion of the heart.
Worth comparing against Critical Protection and Recovery on this same page, which does pay a partial benefit for angioplasty and stents and draws the remaining benefit down when it does. Two products, opposite answers, one page.
Who it can cover, and what happens to them later Included
Individual, individual and spouse or domestic partner, individual and children, and family. The same lump sum benefit amount applies to each covered person. Children aged 18 to 26 and divorced spouses or domestic partners can convert to an individual policy without underwriting or proof of insurability.
That conversion right is easy to miss and it is worth real money to a child ageing off a family policy or a spouse after a divorce.
What is not covered Not covered
On the cancer policy: skin cancer other than malignant melanoma; premalignant conditions or conditions with malignant potential; and any disease or illness other than cancer, even where it was complicated, aggravated or caused by cancer. On the heart attack or stroke policy: any disease or illness other than heart attack or stroke, on the same terms. Neither pays for an intentional self-inflicted injury or sickness, or for exposure to a declared or undeclared war or any act of one. The heart attack and stroke policy also excludes suicide or any attempt at it, the commission or attempted commission of a felony or an illegal occupation that contributed to the loss, voluntary participation in a riot or civil insurrection, and practising for or taking part in a semi-professional or professional competitive athletic contest for which payment is received.
Does this apply in your state?
Everything set out above is transcribed from the Nevada edition of this company's material — the policy form number carries the state in it. The way the policy is built is the product's, and it is why the design is worth comparing. The exact amounts, the riders on offer and the availability are that state's, and they can differ where you live.
Tell us your state and we will check it and send you the documents that apply to you. Call (424) 295-0627, or use the form at the bottom of this page.
What this kind of care costs
None of the figures below is a policy benefit and none of them is ours. They are third-party research quoted in the company's brochure, and each one is shown with who produced it and when, because a statistic is only true of the year it was measured in. They are here because the policy above cannot be judged without them.
| What | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What heart attack patients paid per hospital stay average length of stay 5.3 days | $21,500 | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 24 September 2021 |
| What stroke patients paid per year in the United States | $59,900 | National Library of Medicine, The Economic Burden of Stroke, September/October 2021 |
| How much more the cost of treating cancer is expected to be by 2030 Projection | 34% | American Cancer Society, The Costs of Cancer 2020 Edition, 2020 |
Confirm this one before you sign
This does not appear in the sales brochure, and it changes what the policy is worth to you. Ask for it in writing, in the policy and the outline of coverage for your state, and do not take our word or anyone else's for it.
- The heart attack and stroke policy has no outline of coverage here Everything published above about the cancer policy comes from its outline of coverage, which is the carrier’s own summary of the contract and carries the exclusions and the termination terms. The heart attack and stroke policies are described only in the sales brochure, which prints no policy form number for them. Ask for the outline of coverage for the heart attack and stroke policy in your state, and read it before you sign.
- Issue ages
- 18 to 89, age last birthday.
- Renewability
- Guaranteed renewable for life provided premiums are paid when due. Renewability is subject to payment of the policy maximum benefits.
- Financial strength
- Rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best as of 13 March 2024 — the third highest of sixteen ratings, which is the part the letter on its own does not tell you. It is a view of the insurer’s ability to pay claims, not a comment on this policy, and it can be changed at any time.
- Policy form
- CLICCAN18 NV, CLICCANR18 NV. Form numbers and benefits vary by state.
Required disclosures from Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee, an Aetna company
THIS IS A LIMITED BENEFIT POLICY. READ YOUR POLICY CAREFULLY. This outline of coverage provides a description of the important features of your policy. This is not the insurance contract. Only the actual policy provisions will control. The policy sets forth in detail the rights and obligations of both you and the insurance company. It is important that you READ YOUR POLICY CAREFULLY! Defined terms in the policy shall have the same meaning in this outline of coverage.
This coverage will pay a fixed benefit upon Diagnosis of Cancer while the policy is in force and after the policy’s terms and conditions have been met. The policy provides limited benefits to supplement coverage you may already have in force.
Premiums for the policy may be changed. Any change in premium will apply to all covered persons with Your same policy type based on the issue state of Your policy. Any change in premium may occur on the next premium due date after You are given at least 60 days advance notice in writing of such change.
This is not a Medicare Supplement policy. This is not a Major Medical policy. This policy may not cover all of your medical or health care expenses. This policy should not be purchased as a substitute for Medicare or Medicare related health plans.
This brochure is an illustration for Cancer Plus and Heart Attack or Stroke Plus insurance policies and is not a contract of insurance. For complete details of all provisions or benefits, please read your policy carefully.
Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by one or more of the Aetna group of subsidiary companies, including Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood, Tennessee, and its affiliates (Aetna). Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or the Federal Medicare Program.