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Urologix, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULGX)
F1Q2012 (Qtr End 09/30/2011) Earnings Call
November 07, 2011 05:00 pm ET
Stryker Warren, Jr. - CEO
Brian Smrdel - CFO
Good day ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Urologix Incorporated fiscal year 2012 first quarter conference call. My name is Shinal and I will be your coordinator for today. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. We will be facilitating a question-and-answer session towards the end of the conference. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded for replay purposes. Certain information discussed during this conference call, including answers to your questions, may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in any forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties. A detailed discussion of risks and uncertainties may be found in Urologix's recent Annual Report and Form 10-K for the year ending June 30, 2011 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Urologix disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements made during the course of this call.
At this time I would turn the call over to Mr. Stryker Warren, Jr. Chief Executive Officer. Please proceed, sir.
Stryker Warren, Jr.
Thank you Shinal and good afternoon to all those joining us today to discuss the company's results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012. With me are Brian Smrdel, the company's Chief Financial Officer and Greg Fluet, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Urologix. Today's call will begin with a review of the recently completed Prostiva transaction. Brian will then review the financial results for the first quarter and I will share an update on the progress we are making on the integration of Prostiva, review our near-term priorities and then offer some thoughts in perspective on the trends in the broader market before opening up the call for questions.
The first quarter of this fiscal year was transformative for Urologix. The combination of the Prostiva RF therapy system with our Cooled ThermoTherapy technology has made Urologix to clear leader for the in office treatment of BPH.
The detailed more fully in our September 6th conference call, Urologix has signed an exclusive worldwide license for the Prostiva Radio Frequency Therapy System for BPH for Medtronic. This transaction significantly expands our position as the leading provider of in-office treatment solutions for symptomatic and obstructive urinary conditions attributable to BPH.
The combination of Prostiva RF therapy with Urologix's Cooled ThermoTherapy allows us to offer urologists the broadest in-office solutions set and importantly we'll expand our addressable patient population. Prostiva RF therapy is a transurethral needle ablation device that is 510(k) cleared for the treatment of BPH. Similar to the Urologix's Cooled ThermoTherapy product, Prostiva is most commonly used in the urologist's office.
Prostiva used radio frequency technology to treat symptoms of the obstruction due to BPH and can precisely target and treat areas within the prostrate while allowing the urologist direct visualization of the treatment area. Similar to CTT, the Prostiva technology is safe, effective, durable, preserves to the urethra has minimal post op complications, has minimal sexual side effects and is cost effective for both the patient and payer when compare to drugs and surgeries.
Despite that both CTT and Prostiva are in-office treatments, this transaction expands our addressable market as each technology can treat uniquely different types of disease prostates most effectively. With the breadth of these two technologies indications, urologists are able to treat nearly all of their patients presenting with clinical BPH in their office with products from one trusted partner, Urologix.
We expect this transaction to accelerate our top line growth rate and create operating leverage that will improve our bottom line results attributable to substantial additional revenue accompanied by only a modest increase in anticipated expenses principally related to the addition of Prostiva sales force. I would now like to turn the call over to Brian to review the first quarter's financial results. Brian?
Brian Smrdel
Thank you, Stryker. Our revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 was $3.1 million or 8% more sequentially than the $2.9 million reported in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year, but 6% less than the $3.4 million reported in the same period of fiscal year 2011. The increase in revenue compared to the fourth quarter is the result of the contribution of Prostiva revenue into our product mix following the announcement of the transaction on September 6. The year-over-year revenue decline results from an overall reduced order volume for our Cooled ThermoTherapy products across direct to mobile and third party mobile distribution channels.
A further breakdown on the sources of our revenue on a sequential basis, revenue from sales to direct accounts contributed 44% of overall revenue in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 compared to 40% in the previous quarter.
Urologix's mobile service treatment revenue contributed 42% of overall revenue and third party mobile revenue contributed 13% of overall revenue in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 compared to 46% and 12% respectively for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011.
The increase in the share of direct accounts as a percentage of total revenue is the result of the incremental direct sales from the Prostiva product line in September.
Gross profit for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 was $1.4 million or 45% of revenue compared to $1.3 million or 43% of revenue for the prior quarter and $1.8 million or 55% of revenue when compared to the prior year first quarter.
The decrease in gross margin in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 was primarily driven by planned lower production volume in the last two quarters to reduce inventory, combined with a lower volume of CTT products sold in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012. The combination of these factors impact our gross margin by approximately 450 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, which will not continue based upon the achievement of production plans and sales results in the second quarter and going forward.
Reported first quarter operating expense totaled $2.7 million, an increase of $168,000 or 7% when compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, and an increase of $206,000 or 8% when compared to the $2.5 million reported in the first quarter of fiscal year 2011. The increase in operating expense for the first quarter is primarily a result of acquisition costs and expenses related to the expansion of our direct sales force associated with the Prostiva transaction.
Net loss for the fiscal year 2012 first quarter was $1.4 million or $0.09 per diluted share compared to the $1.3 million net loss, also a $0.09 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, and a net loss of $708,000 or $0.05 per diluted share in the first quarter of fiscal year 2011.
Cash and cash equivalents were $1.6 million at September 30, 2011 compared to $3.1 million at June 30 of 2011. Cash utilization in the quarter increased to $1.5 million from $1 million in the first quarter of prior year. During the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, the company paid $500,000 to the licensing fee related to the Prostiva agreement as well as additional one-time transaction costs for legal and accounting fees.
Our first quarter is historically the highest for cash utilization due to the timing of annual payments. Payments during this period included annual insurance premiums and year end audit fees, in addition to other annual expense items. The company does not have any debt obligations.
I'll now turn the call back to Stryker.
Stryker Warren, Jr.
Thank you, Brian. Now an update on the progress that we made on the integration of the Prostiva product lines which we signed a licensing agreement in early September. When we closed the Prostiva transaction, we made offers to all the Prostiva sales personnel and met with them in person. Only one individual did not join Urologix just for personal reasons.
We are enthusiastic about the seven new individuals now in the Urologix team selling two safe, efficacious, durable and complementary technologies.
Despite only a partial multi-productivity from the combined businesses, September was a strong month for us, and I believe we will carry that momentum through the second quarter.
It is important to note that during September, the technologies continue to be represented by the respective sales personnel for each product line. It was in early October at our National Training Meeting that we completed the integration of the sales force team and related support infrastructure. This training meeting included combined product positioning and clinical training supported by revised collateral materials to support the consultative sale and an enhanced marketing program. The combined expanded sales force and mobile distribution channel are under new leadership and are highly focused on driving growth. While the external economic environment continues to pressure elective procedures, we believe that our leading market share and expanded sales organization in combination with our Think Outside the Pillbox! marketing campaign should generate top-line growth.
We have shared revenue guidance for fiscal year 2012 of $18 million to $20 million. Let me share the components of our growth strategy that contribute towards this guidance. First of all, with larger sales force with smaller territories selling two complimentary technologies into our expanded customer base which offers greater efficiency in meeting with urology groups.
Second, new sales leadership has made sales competency and clinical sales excellence priorities. We anticipate we will see improved productivity from the field force. Third, we are leveraging the combined offering of CTT and Prostiva across multiple distribution channels specifically the second quarter we have established the goals of introducing Prostiva across our company-owned mobile distribution channel and the initiation of EU distribution.
And finally, our Think Outside the Pillbox! patient education programs are taking hold and showing early positive results. We believe this program is scalable and represents the cornerstone over demonstrable commitment to supporting the urologist and realizing the Urologix's value proposition.
Let me now offer a brief update on reimbursement. In-office BPH therapy both CTT and Prostiva continues to be well reimbursed by Medicare. The calendar year 2012 CMS physician fee schedule final rule was published on November 1, 2011. There is the question if and when Congress will address the annual Sustainable Growth Rate adjustment for calendar 2012, but we believe they will act as they have in the past to minimize that impact. If Congress acts to completely eliminate the SGR adjustment, the national average reimbursement level for CTT will be $2,156 and for Prostiva it will be $2,081.
[Literature] continues to emerge and questions the risk-reward relationship of chronic maintenance BPH medication. The recent announcement that non-prescription over-the-counter BPH preparation Saw palmetto is no better than placebo has generated significant attention amongst the way public as have other articles in the late press questioning some BPH medication risks.
You've heard me say this before, [that appears] repeating, there exists a large and growing population of men on chronic medical therapy who are dissatisfied and increasingly symptomatic. The company is not seeing and still nor ignoring this unique opportunity presented by the change in attitudes toward medical therapy. This is evidenced by our licensing of Prostiva the number two technology market share behind our number one CTT, but continued investment in expanding our sales and marketing organization and our new leadership and executing on our focus BPH patient awareness campaign.
Also, the research and development initiatives to enhance product and performance as well as patient comfort and leveraging the valuable clinical studies supporting both CTT and Prostiva; while our fundamental belief in our business and our superior product offering has not yet been substantiated by our financial results, I continue to believe that ongoing organizational focus on our strategic initiatives will prove successful in the near-term.
In closing, I assure you our key areas of focus remain unchanged and are dramatized by the Prostiva transaction. W are committed to expanding the in-office BPH market by increasing awareness of in-office nonsurgical alternatives to drugs and we will promote CTT and Prostiva as effective, durable and safe nonsurgical treatment options for the many men suffering from BPH.
The entire Urologix organization including the recently integrated Prostiva sales staff is highly motivated by the sizable market opportunity that CTT and Prostiva address, and we expect our successful sales execution and expense management will drive improving operating and financial results in fiscal year 2012.
With that, I am pleased to open up this call to your questions.
Question-and-Answer Session
(Operator Instructions) And Mr. Warren, there are no questions.
Stryker Warren, Jr.
Chanel, thank you and to those of you on this call, on behalf of the Board of Directors, senior management and all Urologix employees I thank our loyal shareholders for your continued interest in Urologix and I look forward to meeting you personally should you attend tomorrow afternoon's annual shareholders meeting which is scheduled for 4 PM at the Sheraton West Hotel in Minneapolis. In the meantime, we look forward to updating you on our progress on our second quarter conference call and until then we wish you good health and good day.
Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the presentation. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.
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Best arm blood pressure monitors | Cheap arm blood pressure monitors | Best wrist blood pressure monitors | Buying guide | Reviews
The World Heart Federation estimates that at least 970 million people worldwide have high blood pressure or hypertension -- a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Research indicates that at-home self-measurement of blood pressure can help you stay healthy in several ways:
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ConsumerSearch editors evaluated hundreds of user reviews and expert ratings to determine the best blood pressure monitors for performance, ease of use and features. See our reports on blood glucose monitors and digital thermometers for other items that can round out your home health kit.
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The BP786's ComFit cuff spans the range of a medium to large cuff, fitting arms from 9 inches to 17 inches (23 cm to 43 cm) in diameter. Once you get the adjustable cuff set up just right, you can slip your arm in and out of the uninflated cuff easily -- no need for a second pair of hands. The BP786 is covered by a five-year warranty and doesn't have any notable durability issues.
If you have large upper arms, your best choice is the LifeSource UA-789AC (Est. $90). The cuff on this monitor fits arms between 16.5 and 23.6 inches (42 and 60 cm) in circumference, and users love the way it's slightly tapered to provide a better fit. They also say this blood pressure monitor is durable -- some users have had theirs for several years with no problem -- and most say it's quite accurate when compared against a manual blood pressure cuff in their doctor's office.
The LifeSource UA-789AC has a fairly simple range of features: It detects an irregular heartbeat, stores up to 90 blood pressure and pulse readings in memory, and has a large, easy-to-read display. It runs off an included AC adapter or four AA batteries (not included).
If you want a simpler blood pressure monitor, there are a few viable alternatives that still offer accurate readings at about half the price of their high-end competition.
One top budget pick, the ReliOn BP200 (Est. $40) upper-arm monitor, which is sold exclusively through Walmart, can store up to 30 readings in each of two user accounts. The readings for this unit are marked with a date and time stamp, which can help reveal trends in your blood pressure readings over time.
Owners say the ReliOn BP200 is easy to use straight out of the box, and it receives an excellent accuracy rating from a leading consumer organization. The wide range of its cuff -- from 9 to 17 inches in arm circumference -- is also a plus for those with larger arms. A few years ago we noticed a rash of durability concerns with the BP200, but more recent user reviews indicate that the newer versions of this home blood pressure monitor hold up well.
Another highly rated, inexpensive blood pressure cuff, the Panasonic EW3109W (Est. $42), receives an excellent accuracy rating from a leading consumer research laboratory, and users say it's very precise. Said users are even more pleased, however, with the monitor's most notable feature: It measures your blood pressure as the cuff inflates, instead of pumping the cuff up to a set pressure and then measuring your blood pressure as it lets the air out. This helps eliminate the discomfort and -- in extreme cases -- bruising that some associate with upper-arm blood pressure cuffs.
The EW3109W's sparse selection of features includes one-touch inflation; a large, easy-to-read display; and a 90-reading memory capacity for one user. That memory storage isn't automatic, though -- you have to push a button to store each reading, and they're not marked with a date or time stamp.
Excluding the issue with the memory function, owners say the Panasonic EW3109W is fast and easy to use. It's backed by a two-year warranty and can accommodate arm circumferences of 7.75 to 15.75 inches (20 to 40 cm) with the default cuff; you can also buy a large cuff (Est. $23) that fits arms of 13.75 to 17.33 inches (35 to 40 cm). The EW3109W is covered by a two-year warranty and runs off four AA batteries (included) or an optional AC adapter, which can be purchased separately.
So: If you're particularly sensitive to the discomfort of using an upper-arm blood pressure cuff, your best choice is the Panasonic EW3109W. If you have large upper arms, go for the LifeSource UA-789AC. For a bargain that still offers the very handy feature of date- and time-stamped readings, consider the ReliOn BP200. And if you want the general all-around best-performing, feature-rich monitor that also happens to be smartphone compatible, go for the Omron 10 Series BP786 -- but be prepared to spend a little quality time with its owner's manual before you're able to use all its features.
Some people have a hard time finding an upper-arm blood pressure cuff that fits well, or find the whole process of having their arm squeezed to be very uncomfortable. If either of these sound like you, you might have a more pleasant experience with a wrist blood pressure monitor, which most users say are a lot more comfortable than upper arm monitors.
The biggest downside of wrist monitors is that you must have them positioned just so, every single time, to get accurate and consistent readings. Our best-reviewed model, the Omron BP652N (Est. $55), makes that easy with lights that signal proper positioning: orange when the monitor is out of position, blue when it's lined up correctly. You can also set it to give audible signals.
The BP652N draws excellent accuracy and comfort ratings from a leading consumer research organization, and quite a few owners say they've compared it with their doctor's equipment and found it to be very accurate. However, all of that is dependent on mastering the learning curve that goes with its positioning guidance system. (You also have the option of turning the guidance system off, but it does come in handy for many users.)
The previous version of the BP652N offered two separate user accounts (with storage for up to 100 blood pressure readings apiece), but a number of recent user reviews state that this function has been replaced with a single user account that stores up to 200 date- and time-stamped readings, even if product descriptions in online stores haven't always been updated to reflect this. It also comes with an irregular heartbeat alert, automatically shows how the user's blood pressure compares to international guidelines, and it can average up to three readings taken in a 10-minute span. The Omron BP652N comes with a storage case and is covered by a five-year limited warranty, although we found a few comments that customer service is so-so -- generally responsive, but not always very helpful.
If you feel you can get by without the Omron BP652N's positioning guidance system, the ReliOn BP300W (Est. $50) [no ASIN. Link here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-BP300W-Digital-Wrist-Blood-Pressure-Monitor/13281899] sold through Walmart receives very good scores for its accuracy and comfort from the same consumer research organization, and draws mostly positive comments from users who've taken it to their doctor's office for comparison. Said users report that the BP300W is simple, accurate and easy to use, with large, easy-to-read numbers on the display.
You must follow the directions very carefully to get accurate readings, though. The ReliOn BP300W does have a good suite of features, including pulse readout, irregular heartbeat detection and advanced averaging. It also stores 90 readings for a single user account and has a one-year warranty, although many recent user reviewers wish it came with a storage case.
Omron also offers a basic wrist model, the Omron BP629 (Est. $50). It doesn't have the advanced guidance system either, but it can calculate the average of your last three recent readings (taken within 10 minutes), and most users say it's quick, accurate and easy to use. The BP629 stores up to 60 date- and time-stamped readings for a single user and is covered by a two-year warranty.
All three wrist blood pressure monitors come with one-size-fits-most cuffs that accommodate a wrist circumference of 5.25 to 8.5 inches (13 to 21 cm), feature one-touch operation, run off two AAA batteries (included), and come with a storage case for easy blood pressure readings on the road, although some users say they never received the promised storage case for the ReliOn BP300W.
Given all these similarities, the Omron BP652N and its advanced positioning sensor is hard to beat. Its latex-free cuff and monitor also make it the best choice for those with latex allergies. But if you feel that simple is best -- or if you can only find the BP652 at its full retail price of $80 -- the ReliOn BP300W and Omron BP629 are both viable runners up.
There's just one thing all three aforementioned wrist blood pressure monitors can't do: Speak your results. For those who have limited vision or can simply make better sense of what they hear (instead of having to read it), the Simple Diagnostics Talking Wrist BP Monitor (Est. $30) will read your results off to you in either English or Spanish.
As usual, it's challenging to get the Simple Diagnostics Clever Choice Talking Wrist BP Monitor into just the right position, and it doesn't have advanced sensors to guide you -- but its ability to speak your results will be indispensable to some users, and those who do figure out the positioning say this monitor is both comfortable and easy to use.
The Simple Diagnostics Talking Wrist BP Monitor operates with just two large, illuminated buttons (again, easy to use for those with limited sight), has two user accounts that store up to 60 readings apiece, and detects irregular heartbeats. It accommodates a wrist that's just slightly smaller than the aforementioned monitors -- 5.5 to 7.625 inches (14 to 19.5 cm) in circumference -- and is backed by a limited two-year warranty. You'll need to provide two AAA batteries for power.
Do you plan to travel with your blood pressure monitor? If so, choose one that comes with a carrying case or pouch, and that can be operated with either battery power or an AC adapter.
Is more than one person going to use the cuff? If so, you must either purchase a monitor with multiple user accounts -- so you can each store your readings separately -- or buy one that doesn't automatically store readings, so you don't end up with your blood pressure logs mingled together.
Are you and your doctor wired in? A growing number of blood pressure monitors allow you to upload your log of readings directly to your doctor. If neither you nor your doctor make use of such capability, you can save some money by buying a simpler unit.
Experts recommend taking your home blood pressure monitor to your healthcare provider when you first buy it, so your healthcare provider can test the monitor against medical-standard equipment to determine its accuracy. Take your blood pressure cuff back in every six months to re-check its accuracy, and have it checked immediately if you drop it or if your readings suddenly change dramatically.
Blood pressure cuffs that transmit data directly to an app on your smart phone are becoming increasingly common. Just a few short years ago this was novel, new technology, but it's now on the verge of becoming a standard feature on high-end blood pressure cuffs, and, as with most wireless technology, will probably soon be the norm at all price points.
Researchers in the Consumer Reports laboratory test two dozen home blood pressure monitors, including both arm and wrist models. Each model receives ratings for convenience and comfort along with a few very brief comments on its performance, plus an overall comparative rating out of 100.
Testers at Popular Mechanics subject 10 cordless drills, all with lithium-ion batteries, to a triathlon test designed to measure real-world performance. They start by boring 24 holes with a 1-inch spade bit, then drive 12 2-inch lag screws into pilot holes in a pressure-treated beam, and finish by driving 3-inch screws until the battery gives out. Berendsohn's write-up gives pros and cons for each drill, based on performance, features, and ease of use.
The author subjects four blood pressure monitors to hands-on testing. Although he doesn't assign comparative scores, he does discuss the relative merits and quirks of each monitor, discusses how easy (or difficult) it was to use them for the first time, and occasionally quotes company stands on specific features.
Pro Tool Reviews subjects eleven 18-volt cordless impact drivers to a series of tests. Testers measure performance by driving a series of different types of screws into plywood. They also try to get a measure of reliability by measuring the heat each tool builds up during testing. Ergonomics and value are also assessed, and tools are ranked both overall and on performance alone. You can also find numerous other single-tool reviews and multi-tool roundup at this site.
Popular Mechanics turns its attention to 20-volt electric drill drivers. Testers bored 1-inch holes in Douglas fir 2-by-8s and drove 3-inch lag screws into pine 4-by-4s, then left all the drills in an unheated garage for several days and checked their performance again. Each drill gets a star rating and a summary of likes and dislikes. Roy Berendsohn says all six of the test drills "met or exceeded our expectations for performance and value."
User reviews at Walgreens.com tend to be brief and to the point, which makes them useful for gauging overall customer reaction to any given product. Most blood pressure monitors for sale here get at least a few user reviews; we chose standout models that receive an average score of 4 stars or better after at least half a dozen user comments.
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Four Types of Life Insurance That Are a Complete Waste of Money
Bank Deal: Earn 1.00% APY on an FDIC-insured savings account at Barclays.
Do you ever feel like you're just throwing money away on life insurance? You could end up doing just that if you buy specialized coverage that you don't really need. One way to save money on life insurance is to keep it simple and resist the temptation to load up on life insurance in all its varieties.
Many exotic, specialized life insurance policies simply feed on people's fears. Dying is a fact of life, and no matter what kind of life insurance you've got, it can't prevent you from dying. What it will do is provide for those you leave behind. Let's take a look at some commonly marketed, largely unnecessary policies:
Accidental death insurance
There's really no reason to purchase an additional life insurance policy that pays you more money if you die in an accident. If you want extra coverage, then you should simply increase your life insurance coverage through a traditional life insurance policy that will pay your heirs for almost any reason you die.
With accidental death life insurance, you are basically paying for the same coverage twice. When you die, it doesn't matter if it was an accident or not. You are still dead, and traditional life insurance will pay either way. There is no need for extra protection due to the manner of death.
Cancer insurance
Nowadays, it seems that anyone you talk to has a family member or knows someone who has been touched by cancer. Cancer is a scary, often incurable, unpredictable disease. Insurance companies and their agents feed off this fear and use it to sell special supplemental cancer insurance that will pay out if you are diagnosed with and die from cancer.
This is akin to trading a stock because of bad headlines. We tend to forget that we are actually more likely to die from other illnesses such as heart disease than from cancer. But have you ever noticed that insurance companies don't sell heart attack insurance?
Mortgage life insurance
If you have a mortgage, or significant credit card debt, then those debts should be taken into consideration when you purchase your traditional life insurance policy because your estate will be responsible for paying those debts. In most cases, you would save money by simply purchasing an adequate amount of term insurance from the start, rather than adding additional mortgage and/or credit card supplementary life insurance coverage.
Because the amount of coverage is typically so small, the premiums end up being very expensive for the amount of coverage purchased, and worse, the coverage effectively decreases with every payment you make. You are much better off using that money to simply pay off your debts, rather than paying additional insurance premiums.
Flight accident insurance
Another waste of money is flight accident insurance that pays the claim if you are killed in an airplane crash. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than having this type of life insurance policy actually pay out to your heirs. In some airports around the world, you can still buy these policies from a kiosk or vending machine before you board an airplane. That alone should help clue you in as to how ridiculous these policies are.
If you have adequate life insurance in the first place, you do not need to waste your money on insuring your life against an event that has very little chance of actually occurring. Flying is far safer than driving, so save your money for treats for your family and enjoy your trip.
Motivated by profit
There is a reason why insurance companies offer these policies for only a few dollars. They know the likelihood of a payout is slim to none, and the premiums are almost pure profit. If you won't miss the few dollars a month and it makes you feel better, go for it. But keep in mind where those dollars are going. Even just a few dollars a month, paid over decades, can add up to some serious money.
How much life insurance do you need? One common rule of thumb is that you should have enough life insurance to equal ten times your annual income. But the actual amount should be based not only on your income, but also on the size of your family, the age of your kids, the lifestyle you'd want them to have if you didn't come home one day, and so forth.
What about you? Have you ever bought a specialty life insurance policy? Do you still think it was a good deal, or did you have second thoughts later?
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Filed under: Insurance
Comments (scroll down to add your own):
What about auto insurance with coverage that pays should a person die in an auto accident? I pay $6 a year which would give my family a $15,000 pay out. Is this something you would recommend?Comment by Anonymous — May 3rd 2011 @ 3:47 pm
My wife and I just bought a house and I was shocked by the volume of solicitations we have received for mortgage life insurance in only two weeks! The only thing that tops the quantity is the level of deception! The solicitations are designed to look like a mortgage payment voucher or other official information from your mortgage company. One of them even put the name of my mortgage company above my name in the address section. Luckily I'm the child of a former life insurance agent and knew better than to fall for this "sucker bet". I wonder how many people fill it out and get taken because they don't read closely.Comment by Anonymous — May 3rd 2011 @ 7:29 pm
Wait, aren't cancer (and heart attack) and flight accident deaths still covered under life insurance policies?Comment by Anonymous — May 4th 2011 @ 3:40 pm
I was led to believe that the main point of cancer insurance is to pay for the expenses of cancer treatment that may not be adequately covered by health insurance. Is that not the case?Comment by Anonymous — May 7th 2011 @ 10:07 pm
@Jan – It's a waste of money. It's not something I would recommend.
@Art – Great point. You're definitely right. I was also blown away by how my mortgage lender blatantly sold our names to advertisers.
@Vic – Exactly! Deaths caused by cancer, heart attack, and flight accident deaths are all still covered under normal life insurance policies. If you have adequate life insurance, you do not need to fall victim to these costly insurance policies.
@Jesse – There are actually two different insurance policies. A health insurance version that also goes by the name of cancer insurance and a life insurance version as well. Both prey on people's fears and statistically are not worth their costs.Comment by Anonymous — May 14th 2011 @ 1:10 pm
I am sorry but I think you are being totally irresponsible giving advice like this. We pay insurance "just in case". 4 years ago my wife decided to get us Cancer Insurance and we decided not to get "Heart Attack" insurance ( which was offered though you falsely stated it didn't). 2 years later I got a heart attack unfortunately we did not have that policy. 2 weeks after while doing a catscan on my heart, they discovered I had Kidney Cancer. We received a big check for loss of income. A few months ago her cancer insurance rep informed her that money was stilled owed to us for all the medical bills associated with the cancer for the last two years.SO we are about to receive another check, which I will inform you how much when we receive it, So readers will know that cancer insurance is worth it.Comment by Anonymous — Jan 16th 2012 @ 4:10 pm
We have house insurance on the slim chance that our house may catch on fire etc. SO what is the difference?
I am providing my mom's story in hopes that it will help others to make the right decision when it comes to supplemental insurance.
3 years ago, my mom had a fall off-duty while she was working full-time that completely tore 2 tendons connected to her rotator cuff. She did not have short-term disability or accident insurance, so all of her time off of work (3.5 months) was a total loss. Not ever wanting something like that to happen to her again, she opted for Colonial Life's "Accident Insurance" which covers such things.
Fast-forward to December of this year, mom starts complaining of horrible, debilitating back pain. It took a month for her to get her cancer diagnosis of multiple myeloma. This is a rare type of cancer for a Caucasian woman, and one of the rarest types of cancer in general. It's a cancer of the plasma cells and circulates around in the bone marrow, creating tumors in the bones/eating through bones and causing fractures. Mom's back pain turned out to be a vertebral compression fracture caused by a multiple myeloma "plasmacytoma" aka tumor. Although mom had the accident insurance, Colonial Life does not consider cancer to be an accident. She will not be covered for her time off of work, (she'd have nearly $3600 due) her surgery (nearly $1600 due) hospital admission ($375 due) 6 day hospital stay ($200 due/night) body brace ($100 due) and physical therapy ($25 due per session). So, thanks to the misleading insurance agent, mom signed up for an accident insurance that didn't cover her, because cancer is a separate policy. And go figure, she gets the type of cancer that breaks your bones. No one told her that if her accident was caused by something other than a trauma, she'd be up you-know-what creek without a paddle.
Mom was doing everything she could to avoid getting cancer, according to her doctors. Not a smoker, not a drinker, didn't bake her skin in the sun, avoided most processed foods, stopped eating fast foods and exercised nearly 5x a week. Cancer is something you believe you can at least lower your risk for. If you're eating the standard American diet, have even moderate stress levels and come into contact with carcinogens on a regular basis, PLEASE get cancer insurance (and then research the Budwig diet). Supplemental "accident" insurance will screw you.
And avoid Colonial Life/Unum. They use misleading tactics and obviously split up coverage types in order to up the likelihood that you won't have the specific insurance you need to cover your problem AND maximize their profits while appearing to be sympathetic to customer needs.
My sympathies to anyone else this may have happened to.Comment by Anonymous — Jan 25th 2012 @ 9:03 pm
Having read this I thought it was rather enlightening.Comment by Anonymous — Jul 3rd 2013 @ 9:16 am
I appreciate you finding the time and energy
to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending way
too much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it
was still worth it!
Good web site you've got here.. It's difficult to find good quality writingComment by Anonymous — Jul 3rd 2013 @ 3:27 pm
like yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate individuals like you!
Take care!!
Hi,my mother is the beneficiary to her brothers life insurance policy. He died 3 motnhs ago from a heart attack and now they denied the claim. Why? I don't get it. Why have insurance if they aren't going pay out?Comment by Anonymous — Jul 14th 2015 @ 11:22 pm
I just got life insurance thru globe I called and asked if my hisband r I died from cancer in the far future would they pay out they said cant really tell u that until after a death is this true and is a heart attack covered I would think so cause a heart attack is natural causes right ?Comment by Anonymous — Nov 9th 2015 @ 12:49 pm
And another question would an autopsy have to be dpne before any payout to determine cause of death cause my husband and I are being crematedComment by Anonymous — Nov 9th 2015 @ 12:52 pm
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