Why would I be excluded from a Funeral Plan?

Research funeral plan options in South Africa, taking into account the qualification and exclusion terms.

Funeral plans are low premium insurance policies that are available to almost every individual. There are, however, a few minor limitations and exclusion terms to consider when applying for a funeral policy.

There are certain conditions that may exclude you from qualifying for a funeral cover plan. It is advisable to research these factors before applying, to ensure that you will qualify for funeral cover.

Qualification terms for a funeral policy

There are many funeral cover options available in South Africa. The terms and conditions of each available plan will differ from the next, be sure to select funeral insurance, best suited to your particular needs.

Funeral policy providers in South Africa offer varying qualification conditions. There are a few general terms that apply to most funeral insurance policies.

Applicants qualify according to age: You can only apply for funeral cover when you are between two predetermined ages, specified by the policy provider. The average age limits are between 18 and 76, or thereabout.

If you are living in South Africa, but you are not a citizen or a permanent resident, you do not qualify for funeral cover in the country. This condition is standard across all funeral policy plans in South Africa, and is non-negotiable. Proof of residence or a South African identification document will have to be produced for verification.

To qualify for funeral insurance it is essential that the principle member is actively employed and in ownership of a bank account.

Claim exclusions

It is important to be aware of the exclusion policies of funeral plans. There are certain conditions that may prevent your funeral policy from being paid out. Benefit claims can be withheld if the policy holder’s death is a direct result of any illegal activity. Peruse the terms and conditions of your funeral plan, these documents will clearly define your policy’s terms of exclusion.

Grounds for claim exclusions

Your funeral cover benefit will not be paid out if the claim arises from, or is the result of any criminal acts committed by you or an insured member.

If you or an insured member puts in a claim containing false or untruthful information, the benefit will not be paid out. Similarly, applicants who submit forms including misleading or deceitful information will not qualify for funeral cover.

You will be required to submit all of the compulsory documents, requested by your funeral policy provider, to facilitate the claim process. The insurance company reserves the right to request further documentation, should the submitted information not be satisfactory.

If a member has underpaid their premium, the benefit payable in respect of the claim will be reduced in proportion to the underpayment. Once you have taken out a funeral policy, it is imperative that you abide by the insurance company’s terms of service. Your monthly premium must be paid every month, but if you do happen to miss a payment, most insurance companies do offer a grace period of 30 days.

If an insured member is out of the country for more than three months, the funeral benefit becomes null and void.

If an insured member commits suicide within the first few years of cover, the policy will not be paid out. Each funeral plan will differ in the specified time frame.

Contact an authorised financial services provider to discuss a tailored funeral policy that will ensure the financial security of your family, in the event of your death. Look out for reputable insurance companies that have been in operation for many years of professional service. Speak to a qualified consultant to discuss qualification terms, and to explore the funeral plan options that are available to you.

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Long Term Care Insurance: Security for Americans

Health Care Crisis in America

A health care crisis is looming on the horizon for many Americans, one that could bring financial and emotional devastation that would make zooming gas prices and bouncing stock markets pale in comparison.

The problem? According to Metlife, 70% of people over the age of 65 will need some form of extended care before they die, whether it's a visiting nurse in the home or full-time nursing home care. According to The Alliance for Aging, "nearly 9 out of 10 Americans will have at least one chronic condition" by age 65. Thanks to modern medicine, these conditions are debilitating, but not immediately fatal. Most seniors express concern about paying for necessary care in the face of such a condition, but few do anything about it.

Laura Moore, senior vice president for long term care insurance at John Hancock, says the issue is "increasingly important because Americans are living longer, care costs are rising, and company pensions are being cut back." Moore says that Americans are "not facing the reality of what lies ahead."

If you need extended care, but are unable to pay for it, the burden will fall to your families. The emotional, physical, and financial drain of caring for a sick parent is so traumatic that, according to the American Alzheimer's Foundation, 60% of family care givers die before the person they are caring for! Furthermore, if you are placed in a nursing home without the funds to pay the bill, you risk not only your life long savings, but also the family home and even your life insurance.

Understanding Long Term Care

Long term or extended care refers to care that is needed beyond the time period covered by Medicare or major medical insurance. It is often provided in a nursing home, but can also be provided in a person's home or in an assisted living facility.

The cost of assisted living, nursing home care and professional home health care is high and climbing yearly. A 2003 study conducted by Metropolitan Life Insurance found the average rate to be $180 per day or $66,000 per year for a private room in a nursing home. Care in an assisted living facility averages $30,288 a year while professional home care would cost $166,440 a year for round the clock care at $19.00 per hour. Due to inflation, by 2021, nursing homes may cost as much as $175,000 per year.

There are three solutions to surviving these high costs of extended care. You can be rich enough to pay all costs yourself, engage in a spend down to exhaust your assets and qualify for Medicaid, or you can purchase Long Term Care insurance (LTCi).

Long Term Care Insurance

LTCi is an insurance program that pays for extended care when Medicare and private major medical is exhausted, or for intermediate or custodial care which are not covered by Medicare or major medical at all. The most comprehensive programs cover home care, assisted living, and nursing homes. Simpler plans provide home care only and are also less expensive.

The care usually involves assistance with daily activities such as eating, dressing, walking, bathing, moving from bed to chair (called transferring) and using the toilet, or, in the case of cognitive impairment, simply sitting with a person to prevent him from danger to himself.

Regardless of the type of plan preferred, it's like any other kind of insurance. You cannot purchase it once you actually need the care.

Making the Decision for Long Term Care Insurance

Two factors that keep people from taking LTCi are a refusal to accept the possibility that they might actually need it some day and the perception of the insurance as "costly." While you may indeed never need it, if you live a long life, the odds are that you will. The cost of having it and not using it is far less than that of needing it but not having it.

The objection most people raise to purchasing LTCi is the cost. It is perceived as "expensive," and perhaps it is, especially if you wait until you are in your 70's to try to get it. However, when tempted to procrastinate, ask yourself if you could afford a bill of about $4000 per month on what you have today. When you retire, are you likely to have more disposable money or less? Wouldn't it be better to pay a premium averaging $900 to $2000 per year now rather than face the possibility of having to pay twice that every month if you need care? According to Medical News Today, "LTCi can be quite affordable, especially if you buy at a relatively young age."

Relying on Medicaid to Pay the Bill

Medicaid is a state and federal program for people who are at the poverty level, or who have certain physical conditions. According to a 2003 report by the American Council of Life Insurers, Medicaid pays only 17% of America's LTC bill. LTCi currently pays the bill for about 5% of those with coverage. A whopping 58% of the LTC bill is being paid by private individuals who are being forced to whittle away their assets to receive the care they need.

In order to qualify for Medicaid to receive care in a state-run nursing home, you have to be below a certain income level and can own only limited property. The rules vary by state, and new laws are making it increasingly difficult to qualify. No longer, for example, can you transfer your assets to your children and then enter a nursing home. Most states have a 3 to 5 year look back period with a stiff accompanying penalty for those who have attempted such a transfer.

The Medicare Misconception

Many people mistakenly believe that Medicare will pay their nursing home bill.

Medicare covers hospitals and skilled nursing facilities for a limited time period. Medicare will pay for 100 days of skilled care in a skilled nursing facility—with a co-pay for days 21 through 100—if you are admitted to the facility within a 30 days of leaving a hospital and have been hospitalized for the same condition for at least three days. A medical professional has to certify that you need this care.

Medicare pays for skilled nursing care in your home if the care is provided by a licensed home health care agency, but you must be confined to your home, under the care of a doctor, and the care must be intermittent or part-time. Medicare does not cover housekeeping services, personal care services like help with bathing, dressing and other activities, meal delivery, or full-time nursing care in the home.

Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap) and Tri-Care do not cover long-term-care services either.

Determining Whether You Need LTCi

Some experts say that only middle class individuals with over $100,000 in assets need LTCi. The very rich can afford to "self insure," (but may prefer to pass their legacy on to their children and let a company pay for their care), while the very poor will be eligible for Medicaid. Those who are already on Medicaid are not eligible. Nevertheless, if you are forced to rely on Medicaid, your heirs may lose your home and all of your life insurance except for enough to pay for your funeral. To make matters worse, relying on Medicaid restricts your choices to nursing homes that accept it. Medicaid does not pay for assisted living and pays for only very limited home care. If independence, and location are important to you, talk to your family to see if resources can be pooled to provide LTCi.

If you have investments, IRA accounts, or savings, having built a small to moderate estate, you definitely stand to lose the most if you need care in your later years. Several strategies can make the cost of LTCi seem less intimidating.

Choosing a LTCi Policy

Companies that offer LTCi often have a wide variety of packages; the language is confusing, and comparison can be difficult. In spite of the convenience of the internet and mail-order, it is always best—when considering LTCi—to sit down with a licensed, reputable agent who will answer your questions and work with you to design a plan that fits your needs and your budget.

The policy should cover several levels of care, not just care in nursing homes. Benefits should increase along with the inflation rate. You should buy from a company that will stay in business for the long run and that has a solid reputation for paying claims.

Policies are priced according to your age, the length of benefit (ranging from one year to life time), and the dollar amount payable per day. According to the latest federal statistics, the average stay in a nursing home is 30 months. While five years or more is an attractive benefit, a three year policy will drastically reduce the price.

Another way to save money is to take a waiting period, usually called an "elimination period." You can think of this as a "deductible" or number of days for which you will pay for care yourself before your policy will begin to pay. Part of your plan should include a consideration of how you will pay during the elimination period.

Lack of Planning Could Mean Disaster

According to Financial Planner, Jeffrey D. Voudrie, ignoring the potential need for LTC is the wrong decision. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that currently some 1.6 million people reside in nursing homes. "That number is likely to increase significantly when the baby boomer generation reaches their senior years." Voudrie reports that many families are already finding themselves "caught in the nightmare of having to provide care that isn't covered by insurance or the government. This problem will not go away, as the government is likely to cover even less care in the future." He advises families to "take action now."

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How Funeral Prearrangements and Pre Planning at a Funeral Home in Tampa Can Be Beneficial

How can funeral prearrangements and pre planning at a funeral home in Tampa be beneficial? Anyone can make such funeral pre planning and prearrangements in Tampa even for himself or herself. This can make the prospect of mortality more acceptable. It is somehow comforting to know that the loved ones you leave behind will no longer be burdened with the many tasks related to the funeral during their moments of intense grief. They will then be allowed the proper time and space to deal with their raw emotions in order to be able to process these properly.

Funeral prearrangement and pre planning is done at a time when the person involved and his or her family is still not burdened with emotional issues. Clear decision making can therefore be made, with services and costs of different Funeral Homes in Tampa compared for the best choice.

One of the first decisions to be made in funeral prearrangements and pre planning at a funeral home is between cremation or burial at a cemetery. The decision is often done based on religious beliefs, but many people nowadays also have personal preferences. This decision leads to having to choose from among urns and caskets. Sometimes, even if cremation is chosen, the decision includes burial of the urn in a cemetery. If the cemetery is the final resting place, a cemetery plot or mausoleum crypt has to be purchased while making the prearrangements in Tampa.

Other choices for the final resting place of the deceased after a cremation are a columbarium niche, the home of the next of kin or scattering of the ashes in a location of deep significance to the departed. If the columbarium niche is chosen, this also has to be purchased beforehand.

For some people with next of kin in another land, the choice may be to have the body shipped out to the family. This should be taken into consideration during the funeral prearrangements and pre planning. A funeral home in Tampa, for example, specializes in ship outs to Cuba.

Another decision to be made during funeral prearrangements and pre planning at a funeral home in Tampa is whether to have a funeral service or a memorial service. Having both could also be an option.

A funeral service is often held at the funeral home, where family and friends gather to pay their final respects while the deceased is laid out in a casket before the cremation or burial in Tampa. A eulogy and a religious service may be included. A memorial service, on the other hand, is done without the remains of the deceased and could therefore be held anywhere even long after the cremation or burial in Tampa.

According to the expert opinions of psychologists, funeral prearrangements and pre planning at a funeral home benefits the grieving loved ones of the departed. Without having to deal with decisions and financial obligations related to the funeral at the time of mourning, they have more emotional space. If they were involved in the funeral prearrangements and pre planning at a funeral home in Tampa, it would also have paved the way for acceptance.

Orange Assisted Living

The city of Orange is named after its most successful crop, discovered in 1873 after much trial and error by the local farming community. Only seven short years later, the town’s tourist boom began with the construction of their first railroad depot.

Competitive fares between rival rail companies attracted settlers and visitors to Orange, and over the passing years the area became known less for its citrus fruit and more popular for its proximity to major Southern California attractions.

With a population of less than 150,000, Orange proudly calls itself “a major city with small town ambiance.” Orange assisted living residents will find both modernization and nostalgia in a city that has chosen to embrace its history and preserve its Old Towne structures.

Orange Recreation

Orange senior living residents can enjoy the flower gardens or play a quiet game of chess on the boards provided for them in Pitcher Park, a serene respite that prohibits all rolling locomotion - with the exception of wheelchairs, of course. For a more active encounter with nature, your loved one may take a train ride or visit the small Orange County Zoo within the 477-acre boundaries of Irvine Park.

The city of Orange is known for her innovative shopping experiences. The Block at Orange is an imaginative, open-air promenade which features both shops and movie theaters. The Village at Orange is a full-service modern mall, whereas Old Towne Orange Historic District offers shoppers antiques and the country’s oldest operating soda fountain.

Orange Activities

For appreciators of culture, the area surrounding Orange boasts six art museums, four concert halls and 10 performing arts theaters. Information and show schedules can be found on Orange County’s website.

The Orange Senior Center is a vibrant facility with plenty of fun and services to offer Orange assisted living residents at both their primary location and their second center in the north area. The senior center provides six different support groups to help elderly residents cope with health challenges and other life issues.

Orange Medical Facilities

The healthcare needs of Orange senior living residents are met at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Hospital. The Chapman Medical Center is another full service hospital which also specializes in geriatric psychiatry. This facility offers a free van shuttle to patients within a 10-mile radius.

Orange Transportation

Your loved one will have access to all area activities using the bus and train services offered by Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). Orange assisted living residents age 65 and older are eligible for a reduced fare ID card. The county’s ACCESS service provides paratransit mobility for eligible citizens.

The famous California sunshine that helps orange trees to thrive is also ideal for your senior loved one. For more information about assisted living options in Orange, California, visit our Orange Assisted Living page.

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Professional Obituary Writing

Obituary writing is often a deeply moving experience. People assume that obituary writing is sad and depressing, and sometimes it is, though, obituary writing is an art, it is more than a regular beat. Obituary writing is a job that requires the best journalistic skills and a deep sense of compassion. Most professional obituary writers will tell you that obituary writing is an honor, a privilege, and great fun. Journalist who, at their first days spend their time writing nothing but death notices, are still think obituary writing is the most rigorous training a young reporter can have. Very interesting is that there are young writers going into the obituary field, people with wit and skills

Having death before our eyes never allows us to take life for granted. Death is a mystery we can never comprehend; we can only grieve and mourn the loss of the people we love and in that grieving come closer together. Now there is a devoted worldwide following of obituary fans who pore over deaths of everyone from celebrities to philanthropists to ordinary people. Obits sell papers. If an interesting 'important' person dies, it will be on the newspapers (it might get in without details of the death), but if you are 'nobody', forget it… Any how by the next issue the death will be old news, but not to mention the loss would be unthinkable

There is several kind of obituary writing. Newspaper obits are written by staff writers, while 'death announcements' are written by family members, and are paid-for. There is also paid obituary services- Obituaries Professionally Written. It is an obituary-writing service that provides custom obituaries for three groups of people:

1. Those wanting their final story written before death as part of pre-planning and end-of-life arrangements

2. Family members of the deceased needing professionally written death announcements or obituaries to honor his or her loved ones

3. Newspaper editors wishing to publish feature-story, biographical obituaries for anyone who dies in the community.

Each story in Obit is a miniature biography, focusing on achievements rather than on the gory details of death. And while it is not revolutionary to write about dead people—there is something morbidly fascinating about death that will always make for readable text—it is quite a novel idea to bring them into such public light. As it turns out, so is death.

An obituary is the story of a life, not a death. Obituary journalist try to prepare for the eventual death of a person by writing the biography material, sometimes interviewing the subject, and talking with people who know them, though sometimes questions don't get answered or the date of death is beyond their deadline.

In most metropolitan areas, hardly a day passes without the deaths of a few leading citizens whose lives are worth recalling. In most cases, not even in death does it take the time and effort to dwell on noteworthy careers, selfless service, dedicated philanthropy, brilliant invention, artistic genius. Magazines call it 'lives well lived' deserve, at death, to be well covered.

Writing an obituary can be a formidable task. One of the most important aspects of obituary writing is, like the constant reminder of human mortality in art, culture and prayer, is intended to prepare people for the inevitability of death, and promote awareness of the art of dying well. Therefore obits generally do not state the cause of death. (Cause of death, if it's omitted, it may also be out of sensitivity to the family of course). Usually, though, there's no cause of death given for 'ordinary people' because the obit writer hasn't been provided with one, and the person isn't 'important' enough for the desk to tell them to dig one up. Cause of death is usually the result of an autopsy, which is not done before the funeral in most cases.

In small newspapers, where so much is preserved, the art of obituary writing is still practiced with a passion. The writer isn't limited to writing a three-paragraph summary of a person's life followed by a list of survivors; obits these days can be long captions under photographs, front-page news stories, or 1,000-word feature articles about the deceased and the impact he had on the world.

Obits sell papers! It turns out that obituaries help sell newspapers Obituaries have been refined over the years. When we talk about writing obits it is the craft of capturing a reality in a way that engages the interest of the readers and helps them associate their experience and lives with the lives of other members of humanity. A good obit evokes emotion and gives the reader a sense of the subject's character. The question facing the obituary writer is how to capture the essence of the subject in a tight and timely format. If you read the obit and find things you didn't know about the person, then the obit writer has done his job well.

Obit writers generally show respect for the deceased by using courtesy. Most creative writing being done in journalism today is the form of the obituary- the specific ways in which the writer used language to make the case within the constraints of normal obituary language use. Although obituary writers are always looking for compelling and inspiring stories to tell about how people lived their lives, when family members of the deceased needing professionally written obituaries, the hardest part of professional obituary writing is disappointing a family in some way by not being able to either run the obituary of a loved one or causing a mistake to appear in an obituary.

People love reading the obituary features each day. Obits sell papers. People will die whether we write an obit or not, but to be able to use words to memorialize their life is something special. Too many treat the obit page as a depressing burden, or at best a place to mention a lot of names to please a lot of readers. Well, magazines and newspapers are defiantly showing that obits can be as instructive as other journalism

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Pet Cremation - Honor Your Pet's Memory Through Cremation

Our pets are a cherished companion of us. They are like members of our family, been there for holidays, vacations, the ups and downs, and stuck with us to give endless joy and happiness in their short lives. So a pet loss, whether predictable or sudden, is a heartbreaking event. Our pet’s demise deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

They deserve a proper memorial whether it is a simple cremation or a service to memorialize their life. All pet owners want a final resting place for their pets.

Many Pet Owners opt for cremation since it both provides a way to keep your pet near you and allows you to bury or scatter some of your pet’s ashes in a place of your choice.

Pet Cremation as a Memorial

We share a special bond with our pets, it is natural that many pet owners wish to have a human like cremation or burial, as it will keep your pet near you and allows you to bury or scatter some of your pet’s ashes in a place of your choice.

The cremation process begins with the placement of the deceased pet in the cremation chamber

Types of Pet Cremation

Communal Cremation: Communal cremation is when multiple pets are cremated at the same time and their ashes disposed of on private cemetery grounds or taken to a local landfill.

Private Cremation: A private cremation is when 2, 3, or maybe 4 pets are cremated at the same time, but are physically separated by space or cremation bricks.

Individual or Priority Cremation: Individual Cremation, or Priority Cremation is one pet in one cremation unit at a time. Pure and simple, it is what most pet owners expect.

Investigate the crematory company you will use to take care of your pet cremation. Be sure to ask your provider for what type of service you are receiving. You deserve to know how your pet’s cremation will be performed before the decision is made.

Pet Cremation Urns

Your pet’s ashes are placed in a sealed plastic bag which is then placed in a temporary pet urn, usually a tin, plastic or a box and given to the pet owner. To prevent the accidental loss the ashes are bagged in a beautifully crafted memorial pet urn. It is a wonderful tribute to the life that touched yours so deeply.

Every pet is special with a unique behavior and character. That's why there are several pet memorials from which you can choose the urn in which you want to memorialize your much-loved pet. Pet urns usually display a name plate and treasured photo of your pet. Larger pet cremation urns can additionally hold remembrances such as a collar, tag or ball.

There are lots of pet cremation service provide are there. Search for the one who can honor your pet’s cremation.

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What Makes A Jewish Casket Different From All Other Cultures.

Society has various different methods to pay tribute to the deceased and as a result has just as much variety in funeral ceremonies. These ceremonies are as unique as the cultures adopting them. Almost all funerals involve religious and cultural beliefs in as many ways as there are cultures. The ancient Egyptians had unique beliefs when it came to burying their dead. They believed that the dead need all the amenities the living have. Affluent Egyptians would commonly bury utensils, furniture, weapons, ornaments and even servants to follow the deceased into the afterlife. Even with such bizarre customs the Egyptians employed other customs not much different than the ones we use today. Caskets are one such example of a carryover from the Egyptian bereavement customs to the customs accessed today for death.



Funerals are heavy with sentiment, and that emotion follows every aspect of the burial, including the casket. Decorating the casket with flowers and engravings or ornaments imbedded is a well known practice of the day. Preparing the body for the casket is part of the complete process as well. Bathing and clothing the body has been an ancient practice as has embalming the body with chemicals and perfumes and placing the body in a specially designed casket. Burial caskets come in all designs and colors with prices to match, and can even be purchased online.



With the emotion that is involved, care must be taken to find the casket that best honors the loved one. As a result there is a variety of burial caskets to choose from, up to 20 categories of good grade caskets within the undertaking business. These different categories are created by distinctions such as wood types. As an example of the distinctions possible, the different kinds of wood that are used are ash wood, cherry wood, mahogany, oak wood, and maple wood. The use of wood is popular as it decomposes with time and allows the body to decompose as well. Burial caskets must be able to cater to a range, including the unfortunate sizing for infants; there are also accommodations for size exemplified with the large majesty size casket. Another distinction would be in the form of military specialization. The US funeral management services have their own special categories of burial caskets such as military, religious, art, and custom-designed.



As for the procedure before the casket, the details should be looked after by the undertaker. Undertakers collect the body from the home or hospital, and then they bath and embalm the body based on the family's wishes. These services are specific to the burial plan chosen and paid for by the family of the deceased. The casket containing the body is placed in a chapel and then decorated with flowers and candles. These burial caskets may be closed or open to allow the family to have a last look at the deceased. This is known as the visitation service and is presided over by a religious figure of the community.



What makes a Jewish casket different is the orthodoxy of their burial procedures. Their funerals are very straightforward as are the burial caskets. Jewish burial caskets are usually black without any sort of embellishment. Part of the Jewish orthodoxy involves not allowing the dead body to be exposed. The main intention behind this is to honor the dead. Another peculiarity, Jewish caskets are designed to decompose fast along with the body as per the religious belief from dust to dust. Any form of special material used in making a casket will delay the decomposing process, which is against Jewish religious belief. This is the reason embalming of the body is banned in the Jewish community. A Jewish burial is mainly concerned with consoling the bereaved and respectfully laying the deceased at rest.



In closing, what is most significant is to find the most appropriate way to honor your loved one based upon your own background and traditions whether it be by orthodoxy and tradition, or by the way the burial is arranged, or by the casket chosen.



This article with information about Jewish caskets or coffin photos submitted by Mr. Chad McDonald from: http://www.jewish-casket.info

Video Source: Youtube

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