JOHANNESBURG - Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women of all races in South Africa. One in 27 women will be diagnosed in their lifetime, according to the 2014 National Cancer Registry.
During breast cancer awareness month in October, women are reminded to do regular breast check-ups.
It is important to consider the disease’s financial implications, especially in your retirement years when the prevalence of the disease increases significantly. Apart from the financial pressure that comes with the current economic recession, retirees’ financial stress is exacerbated by not having enough retirement capital to cover living expenses, let alone to have to cover the added burden of unforeseen medical bills. “Financial worries should be the last thing on the mind of a retiree who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It is therefore beneficial that retirees who are purchasing an annuity income at retirement are medically underwritten at inception of the policy to determine whether they qualify for a higher monthly income,” says Justine Wyatt, legal and compliance executive at Just.
Just is the only annuity provider in SA to offer medically underwritten annuities, which means that if you have a lower life expectancy because of ill health, you qualify for a higher income than a healthier person with a longer life expectancy.