Manulife launches ManuVital Care offering essential critical illness protection at affordable, guaranteed premiums

Hong Kong – Manulife Hong Kong has announced the launch of ManuVital Care to offer essential coverage against 112 critical illnesses and diseases at affordable, guaranteed premiums. With features such as a unique step-up premium plan and an option to convert to a more comprehensive critical illness solution, ManuVital Care is tailored for those looking for critical illness protection and financial flexibility, such as younger generations at the earlier stages of their careers. 

Wilton Kee, Chief Product Officer for Individual Financial Products at Manulife Hong Kong, said: “With healthcare costs on the rise, it is important to have adequate critical illness protection that can provide customers with peace of mind. In Hong Kong, young adults are no exception when it comes to critical illnesses. Cancer, heart disease, and stroke are the leading causes of death¹ , while new cancer cases increased by 18% between 2011 and 2016 among Hong Kong people aged 20 - 34 ². With critical illnesses striking at a younger age, appropriate protection becomes even more important.” 

“Manulife is committed to providing customers with the best protection against critical illness at different life stages, and we recognise the need for affordable critical illness protection among younger generations. ManuVital Care offers customers financial safety net should critical illness strike, while providing them with an option to convert to a more comprehensive critical illness plan on the fifth policy anniversary,” Mr. Kee added.

ManuVital Care offers the following key features:

• 112 critical illnesses and diseases covered: ManuVital Care provides extended protection against 60 major critical illnesses, including cancer, heart attack (myocardial infarction) and stroke, and 44 early-stage critical illnesses, such as carcinoma-in-situ and early thyroid cancer, up to age 100³ . It also covers eight juvenile diseases, such as severe asthma, up to age 18.
   
• Solid, affordable critical illness protection: Whether customers are looking for essential critical illness coverage or extra coverage to supplement their current critical illness plan, ManuVital Care offers cost-effective protection without putting a strain on personal finances. A healthy non-smoker man who buys ManuVital Care for himself with a notional amount of US$62,500 (equivalent to HK$487,500) at the age of 25, by choosing the ManuVital Care (step-up premium) with an initial annual premium of US$177 (equivalent to HK$1,379) for the first 15 years, only needs to pay US$0.48 or HK$3.8 a day⁴ .
   
• Guaranteed premium for easy financial planning: Depending on one’s financial circumstances, he or she can choose the level or step-up premium plan. Level premium is guaranteed and will not increase throughout the premium payment period. It is available to customers who pay their premiums over 10/15/20/25 years, or up to the age of 65 of the life insured. Step-up premium, exclusively offered by ManuVital Care in the market, is lower and fixed in the first 15 policy years. After that, it will increase to a guaranteed, pre-determined amount, which will remain unchanged afterwards. It is available to customers who pay their premiums up to the age of 65 of the life insured. Regardless of which option is chosen, the premium is guaranteed at the time the plan is taken up, even if the insured person’s health condition changes.
   
• Option to convert to a more comprehensive critical illness plan: Unlike other existing plans available in the market, ManuVital Care customers may exercise this conversion option on their 5th policy anniversary without the need to provide Manulife any additional health information, as long as no benefits have been paid under this plan and no critical illnesses have been diagnosed before the conversion is approved⁵ .
   
• The plan also offers a range of other features, including the inflation protector option, guaranteed death benefit, guaranteed cash value, maturity benefit, and non-guaranteed terminal bonus for greater peace of mind.  

For more details about ManuVital Care, please refer to the product brochure or visit www.manulife.com.hk. 

About Manulife Hong Kong

Manulife Hong Kong, through Manulife International Holdings Limited, owns Manulife (International) Limited, Manulife Investment Management (Hong Kong) Limited and Manulife Provident Funds Trust Company Limited. As a member of the Manulife group of companies, Manulife Hong Kong offers a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individual and corporate customers in Hong Kong and Macau.  

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, we operate as Manulife across our offices in Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. We provide financial advice, insurance, as well as wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions. At the end of 2018, we had more than 34,000 employees, over 82,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving almost 28 million customers. As of September 30, 2019, we had over C$1.2 trillion (HK$6.9 trillion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made C$29.8 billion in payments to our customers. Our principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States are where we have served customers for more than 100 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

Notes:

¹ Source: Number of death by leading causes of death 2018, Department of Health, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

² Source: Website of Hong Kong Cancer Registry, Hospital Authority. Number of new cancer cases from Year 2011 to 2016.

³ Except for the coverage of osteoporosis with fractures, which will end when the life insured reaches the age of 70.

⁴ The case assumes that the exchange rate is US$1 = HK$7.8. All premiums are based on the applicable premium rates at the time when a customer takes up the plan. From the 15th policy year until the customer reaches age 65, the guaranteed annual premium will be US$1,362 (equivalent to HK$10,623).

⁵ Subject to terms and conditions. Please refer to the product brochure.