<unk> , otherwise known as<unk><unk>  cover or a dread disease policy, is an<unk>  product in which the insurer is contracted to typically make a lump sum cash payment if the policyholder is diagnosed with one of the specific<unk> es on a predetermined list as part of an<unk>  policy. The policy may also be structured to pay out regular income and the payout may also be on the policyholder undergoing a surgical procedure, for example, having a heart bypass operation. The policy may require the policyholder to survive a minimum number of days (the survival period) from when the<unk>  was first diagnosed. The survival period used varies from company to company, however, 14 days is the most typical survival period used. In the Australian market, survival periods are set between 8 – 14 days. The contract terms contain specific rules that define when a diagnosis of a<unk><unk>  is considered valid. It may state that the diagnosis need be made by a physician who specialises in that<unk>  or condition, or it may name specific tests, e.g. EKG changes of a myocardial infarction, that confirm the diagnosis. In some markets, however, the definition of a claim for many of the diseases and conditions have become standardised, thus all insurers would use the same claims definition. The standardisation of the claims definitions may serve many purposes including increased clarity of cover for policyholders and greater comparability of policies from different life offices. For example, in the UK the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has issued a Statement of Best Practise which includes a number of standard definitions for common<unk><unk> es. There are alternative forms of<unk>  to the lump sum cash payment model. These<unk>  policies directly pay health providers for the treatment costs of<unk>  and life-threatening<unk> es covered by the policyholder’s<unk>  policy, including the fee of specialists and procedures at a select group of high-ranking hospitals up to a certain amount per episode of treatment as set out in the policy.
Critical illness insurance
Cancer insurance
Terminal illness insurance
Personal medicine
Social insurance
Refugee health
Publicly funded health care
Medicare 