Combined Insurance Encourages Consumers to Assess Insurance Plans and Protection During Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Leading Provider of Supplemental Insurance Offers Cancer Policies to Help Offset Some of the Costs Associated With Treatment

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 18, 2008 -- November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and Combined Insurance, a leading provider of supplemental insurance, encourages consumers to consider the financial impact that lung cancer could have on themselves and their family. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States among every ethnic group.

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Additional expenses can be overlooked, but are often costly and can compromise individual or family assets.

That makes Lung Cancer Awareness Month an opportune time to increase attention to lung cancer issues. The vast majority of lung cancer cases fall into one of two categories: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, which is the most common type, and Small Cell Lung Cancer. Surprisingly, more than 60 percent of new cases are people who have never smoked or are former smokers, many of whom quit decades before. One in five women and one in twelve men diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports that since 1987, more women have died each year of lung cancer than of breast cancer, which had been the major cause of cancer death in women for more than 40 years. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 100,000 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008 and more than 71,000 women will die from this disease in the United States.

Cancer Costs Will Continue to Rise
"The American Cancer Society reports that approximately 67 percent of total cancer-related costs are non-medical and that lung cancer is among the most expensive cancers to treat. That's why having a supplemental insurance plan in place can help ease the financial burdens of cancer and help with some of the additional expenses not covered by primary health insurance," said Becky Mills, vice president, Research and Development and Product Marketing. "Additional expenses can be overlooked, but are often costly and can compromise individual or family assets."

Cancer Coverage When It Counts
Investing in a supplemental insurance policy can help fill some of the cancer care coverage gaps that may exist in a primary health insurance policy. Benefits offered can include: daily benefits for hospital stays, intensive care, anesthesia and surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, preventative care, first diagnosis, physician's and private nurse hospital visits, prescription drugs, blood and blood plasma and ground and air transportation.

Many supplemental cancer protection policies offer these added benefits:

     • Coverage that begins immediately upon issuance, with no waiting period
     • A choice of coverage for individual or family protection
     • Flexible premiums, with the choice of paid-up or return of premium riders
     • Benefits paid directly to the insured or the insured's designee, regardless of any other private
     insurance
     • Consistent benefits that remain the same regardless of age or the number of claims paid

"With a supplemental cancer-specific policy, consumers can help ease the stress of financial worry by arming themselves with added protection against the mounting bills that often pile up during the course of treatment," notes Mills.

Mills adds, "Selecting the right partner to provide such cancer care protection is also important. We recommend finding a provider or agent who will meet with you face-to-face to review your current coverage and help you select the right supplemental protection to meet your individual or your family's specific needs to ensure you'll be covered when it matters most."

About Combined Insurance Company Combined Insurance (www.combinedinsurance.com) is a leading provider of supplemental accident, health and life insurance products and is a member of the ACE Group of Companies. With a field sales force and corporate staff in excess of 10,000 people worldwide, Combined Insurance meets the growing coverage needs of policyholders around the globe. For more information, call 1-800-490-1322 or visit www.combinedinsurance.com.

About ACE The ACE Group of Companies is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE), the ACE Group of Companies conducts its business on a worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. Additional information can be found at www.acelimited.com.

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