PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover is a single-pay early-stage critical illness (ECI) plan that you can buy to protect yourself against illnesses.
The plan will provide financial assistance to help you cover medical expenses due to the covered early to late-stage critical illnesses.
In this review, we will explore the features of PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover.
Keep reading.
Criteria
- Premium Payment Term: 35 or 45 years
- Policy Term: 35 or 45 years
General Features
Policy Terms & Premium Payment Term
The PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover has a policy and premium payment term of 35 or 45 years.
Protection
Death Benefit
Should the policyholder pass on, a $3,000 death benefit will be paid out to the beneficiaries.
Terminal Illness Benefit
The PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover also provides a $3,000 terminal illness (TI) benefit should the policyholder be diagnosed with a TI.
The critical illness benefit and the terminal illness claim is paid if the terminal illness is caused by a critical illness specified in the policy.
The life assured must survive at least 7 days after being diagnosed with the critical illness.
The policy is terminated once a death or terminal illness claim is paid.
Medical Conditions Benefit (Critical Illness Benefit)
If you develop any of the 84 critical illness conditions listed in the policy, Prudential will pay a benefit based on the severity of the illness.
However, for the benefit payment to be made, you must survive for at least 7 days from the date of diagnosis.
The severity levels are in 2 categories;
50% Severity Payout
The PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover policy pays a benefit equal to 50% of the sum assured if you are diagnosed with any of the ECI conditions listed in the policy.
Upon payment of this benefit, your future premiums are waived.
This benefit can be claimed twice during the policy term.
However, you must be diagnosed with a different ECI to qualify for the second claim.
100% Severity Payout
This benefit is payable upon diagnosis of any intermediate or late-stage critical illness covered.
There are 2 scenarios for this benefit payment:
- If no previous claim has been made under the 50% Severity Payout benefit, 100% of the sum assured is paid.
- If a successful claim has been made under the 50% Severity Payout benefit, the remaining 50% of the sum assured is paid.
The benefit payment is made only once for intermediate and late-stage CIs.
The PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover ends after either benefit is paid, and no further coverage is provided.
Here are the conditions covered by the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover:
Special Benefit
You will also be given payouts if you’re diagnosed with any of the conditions covered by the special benefit.
Similarly, this will only be paid out if you survive for at least 7 days upon diagnosis.
The special benefits cover the following medical conditions:
| Specific Medical Condition | Special Benefit |
| Angioplasty
Other Coronary Artery Invasive Treatment |
10% of the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover policy sum assured. This payment can be made once throughout the policy term, with a maximum amount of $25,000. |
| Diabetic Complications | 20% of the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover policy sum assured. This payment can be made once throughout the policy term. |
| Juvenile Medical Conditions | 25% of the Early Stage Crisis Cover policy sum assured. However, there is a maximum of 4 juvenile medical conditions covered. |
The payout for special benefits is capped at 130% of your PruEarly Stage Crisis Cover.
You will only qualify for juvenile medical conditions if you are below 18 years old.
Any claims made under the special benefit will neither activate the premium waiver nor alter the total coverage sum of your accumulated PruEarly Stage Crisis Cover policy.
Premium Waiver Benefit
Once the claim is approved, you will not be required to make any future premium payments for your PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover policy.
This waiver starts from the next payment due date after the diagnosis for which the claim was made.
Your coverage under the policy will continue until it terminates.
Waiting Period
There is a 90-day waiting period for new and reinstated policies. This means that you will have to wait for 90 days before you can make a claim against this policy.
Your diagnosis must also be above the 90 days; otherwise, it will not be claimable.
Guaranteed Renewability
As long as premiums are paid within 30 days of the due date, this policy will be renewable until it expires.
You may lose your benefits if any of the following scenarios happen:
- Death of the life assured,
- Failure to pay premiums,
- Cover expiring,
- Making 2 claims under 50% Severity Payout benefit, or
- Making a claim under 100% Severity Payout benefit.
Make this your main plan or an ECI rider
Interestingly, the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover is available as a standalone plan or as a rider on top of selected Prudential plans (whole life or investment-linked policies).
Here are some of the policies you can add the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover as a rider:
You will not get the $3,000 death benefit if you purchased this as a rider.
Summary of the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover
| Cash and Cash Withdrawal Benefits | |
| Cash Value | No |
| Cash Withdrawal Benefits | No |
| Health and Insurance Coverage | |
| Death | Yes |
| Total Permanent Disability | No |
| Terminal Illness | Yes |
| Critical Illness | Yes |
| Early Critical Illness | Yes |
| Health and Insurance Coverage Multiplier | |
| Death | No |
| Total Permanent Disability | No |
| Terminal Illness | No |
| Critical Illness | No |
| Early Critical Illness | No |
My Review of the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover
The PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover is a great single-claim standalone plan to cover you for up to 84 early to late-stage critical illness conditions.
In addition, PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover also provides a $3,000 death and terminal illness benefit.
Under its special benefits, it provides coverage for complications related to diabetes – something only the Singlife Essential Critical Illness and the Manulife Critical SelectCare offer.
Although technically a single-claim CI policy, should you be diagnosed with 2 separate ECIs, you get 2 x 50% of your sum assured paid out.
I think, for what it’s worth, it’s pretty decent, especially if you use this as an ECI rider.
However, as a standalone plan, there are better alternatives.
Here’s our table comparing single-claim standalone ECI plans:
| Singlife Comprehensive Critical Illness | Tokio Marine Early Cover | PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover | |
| Policy Term | From 10 years old to 99 years old | Up to age 70,75 or 85 year old | 35 or 45 years |
| Conditions Covered | 132 | 114 | 84 |
| Annual Premiums | $861 | $912 | $997 |
Based on a 30-year-old non-smoking male up to 75 years old, except for Singlife, which is up to 70 years old.
Based on premium and the number of critical illness conditions covered, the PRUEarly Stage Crisis Cover loses to the Singlife Comprehensive Critical Illness and the Tokio Marine Early Cover.
If you’re kiasi, the Singlife Comprehensive Critical Illness is the best plan for you with 132 conditions covered!
If value is what you’re after, then Tokio Marine Early Cover balances covered conditions and the premiums you pay.
In fact, in our post comparing the best critical illness plans in Singapore, both Singlife Comprehensive Critical Illness and Tokio Marine Early Cover were named the best ECI plan.
But that’s just my opinion – not every plan is made for everyone.
That’s why it’s best for you to engage an unbiased financial advisor to determine what are the best policies for you.
