# life insurance in the event of the apocalypse **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 1, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560 "2006-03-01T03:00:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DarRRva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@DarRRva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarRRva)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560/21 "2006-03-02T00:04:09Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > If I were the insurance company, I’d simply refuse to pay on the grounds that no one can reasonably predict what will happen when Mars spirals out of orbit and smashes into earth. Maybe all life will be destroyed; maybe people living inland will be spared from the giant wave that comes when the rogue planet hits the ocean; maybe the prevailing winds will spare Canada from the the giant dust cloud that chokes the entire southern hemisphere. okay sure, but I’m talking about a hypothetical situation where EVERYONE dies. There are no ifs, buts, or maybes. > [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > There’s no point in planning for a situation in which all your plans would be meaningless. Establishing a policy on such a thing would just be a waste of money. Maybe not for you, but I know if I was told I had 12 months to live before certain death, I would be ringing my insurance company to see what they had to say. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560/22 "2006-03-02T00:14:31Z")
> [@DarRRva](#): > > Except here, where insurance companies have a terminal illness part to their policy… > > Read the op I did read the OP. You were unclear, which resulted in my misinterpreting you. > [@](#): > > Life insurance providers have terminal illness clauses in most of their policies. These say that if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness with a life expectancy of less than 12/6 months, you recieve either full payout or a percentage of your cover. Also most of them have a 13 month stand down on suicide. The inclusion of the time period before which the policy does not pay if death is due to a suicide, made me think that the reference to a terminal illness clause also referred to a certain period before the policy became effective. That the clause was that, while not covering pre-existing conditions, would either pay on full upon death from terminal illness, or if the waiting period was not up would pay a significant percentage of the benefit upon your death. ---
**Author:** ![pikolo77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@pikolo77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pikolo77)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560/23 "2006-03-02T00:28:47Z")
I know the insurance companies are stingy, but just what if the president of the company decides he/she is spending his/her last few months of life doing good? Let’s say the insurance companies of the world decide to liquidate assets, and pay out on policies! Oh, and let’s be clear that a few of those checks will indeed bounce. However, a few of them will clear! And “oops, we’re so sorry” to the fellow who ACTUALLY dies 11 months and 29 days before the disaster: ) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560/24 "2006-03-02T00:28:54Z")
The terminal illness benefit is a feature of life policies in New Zealand and Australia, but the actual contractual wording differs from one product to another. Under some policies diagnosis of a terminal illness is a defined contractual benefit which will automatically trigger payment of the sum insured to the policyholder. For other policies the insurer may (not must) pay some or all of the sum insured if the life insured is diagnosed with a terminal illness i.e. payment is at the insurer’s discretion. ---
**Author:** ![DarRRva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@DarRRva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarRRva)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560/25 "2006-03-02T00:33:28Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > The terminal illness benefit is a feature of life policies in New Zealand and Australia, but the actual contractual wording differs from one product to another. Under some policies diagnosis of a terminal illness is a defined contractual benefit which will automatically trigger payment of the sum insured to the policyholder. For other policies the insurer may (not must) pay some or all of the sum insured if the life insured is diagnosed with a terminal illness i.e. payment is at the insurer’s discretion. I see… In all the ones I called around, and after reading through miles of fine print, I don’t think i came across any like this. All the ones I saw had no mention of discretion at all, there was just a “as long as you have the paperwork and such, have your money” kind of thing. So I guess the insurance companies here could just refuse to pay, although it would be pretty weird, because it’s not like the company needs the money in the long run anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-event-of-the-apocalypse/346560.md?page=1)