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Critical Illness

Critical illness can affect you at any age, impacting your ability to earn a living. Depending upon your individual circumstances you’re most likely to need it if you have a family or a partner or spouse who depends upon your income. If you become ill, you will need time off work to recover which may negatively impact your ability to pay the mortgage or bills.

Equally, if you are a parent of a child with a critical illness who you must take time off work to nurse, then your income can be adversely affected in the same way. We can insure against this too.

We can guide you through the process, letting you choose policies to match your individual needs, budget and circumstances.

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Level Critical Illness

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Decreasing Critical Illness

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Level Critical Illness

If the worst happens and you find you have one of the illnesses or disabilities listed on the policy during the period of cover, you will receive a lump sum to support you and your family.

Designed to deliver a fixed amount of cover over the term of the policy unless you choose indexation – increasing your cover in line with inflation – or you exercise your guaranteed insurability option – choosing to buy additional critical illness cover at a later date.

You can choose single cover to insure one of you, or joint cover to insure you and your partner or spouse.

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What's Included?

What Critical Illnesses And Disabilities Are Covered?

Full payments covered with Critical Illness Cover

  • Aorta graft surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • Aplastic anaemia – categorised as very severe
  • Bacterial meningitis – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Benign brain tumour – resulting in either specified treatment or permanent symptoms
  • Blindness – permanent and irreversible
  • Brain injury due to trauma, anoxia or hypoxia – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Cancer – excluding less advanced cases
  • Cardiac arrest – with insertion of a defibrillator
  • Cardiomyopathy – of specified severity or resulting in specified treatment
  • Coma – of specified severity
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
  • Deafness – permanent and irreversible
  • Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Encephalitis – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Heart attack – of specified severity
  • Heart valve replacement or repair – with surgery
  • Kidney failure – requiring permanent dialysis
  • Liver failure – of advanced stage
  • Loss of use of hand or foot
  • Loss of speech – total permanent and irreversible
  • Major organ transplant
  • Motor neurone disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Multiple sclerosis – where there have been symptoms
  • Parkinson’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Pulmonary hypertension – of specified severity
  • Respiratory failure – of advanced stage
  • Specified heart surgery
  • Spinal stroke – resulting in symptoms lasting at least 24 hours
  • Stroke – resulting in symptoms lasting at least 24 hours
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – with severe complications
  • Third degree burns – covering 20% of the surface area of the body or 20% of the face or head
  • Total and Permanent Disability (own occupation) – unable to do their own occupation ever again
  • Total and Permanent Disability (specified work tasks) – unable to do three specified work tasks ever again

Surgical treatment

We will make an advance payment of the amount of cover, if the life insured is placed on an NHS waiting list for one of the following surgical treatments and meets the full definition:

  • aorta graft surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • heart valve replacement or repair – with surgery
  • specified heart surgery

Additional cover on Critical Illness Cover

  • Carcinoma in situ of the breast – treated by surgery
  • Low grade prostate cancer – requiring treatment

If you have a critical illness cover policy and your child is diagnosed with a specified condition and is eligible to claim, an amount of cover is paid. The amount of cover is always limited to a proportion of the original amount of cover selected. Additionally, the policy will not end, meaning the cover for the main policyholder continues unaffected.

  • Serous illness, disability or bereavement support
  • Second medical opinion
  • Mental health support
  • Cares support
  • Help at home
  • Eldercare

Additional Cover

What Illnesses Are Covered With Critical Illness Extra?

All conditions covered by CIC – Standard (please see above) are covered by CIC Extra.

  • Benign spinal cord tumour
  • Cauda equina syndrome
  • Heart failure
  • Intensive care
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Necrotising fasciitis
  • Neuromyelitis optica
  • Parkinson’s plus syndromes
  • Peripheral vasulcar disease
  • Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Pulmonary artery surgery
  • Removal of an entire lung
  • Removal of an eyeball
  • Severe Crohn’s disease
  • Syringomyelia or syringobulbia
  • Ulcerative colitis

Surgical treatment

  • aorta graft surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • heart valve replacement or repair – with surgery
  • peripheral vascular disease – requiring bypass surgery
  • pulmonary artery surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • severe Crohn’s disease – treated with two surgical intestinal resections or removal of entire large bowel
  • specified heart surgery
    syringomyelia or syringobulbia – with surgery
  • ulcerative colitis – resulting in the removal of the entire large bowel

Additional payments covered with Critical Illness Extra – 50% or £30,000

  • Aortic aneurysm
  • Aplastic anemia
  • Brain abscess drained via
  • craniotomy
  • Carotid artery stenosis
  • Central retinal artery or vein occlusion
  • Cerebral or spinal aneurysm
  • Cerebral or spinal arteriovenous malformation
  • Coronary angioplasty
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Desmoid type fibromatosis
  • Diabetes Mellitus type 1
  • Drug resistant epilepsy
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Less advanced cancers (of named sired and specified severity)
    – Carcinoma in situ of the breast
    – Cervix
    – Larynx
    – Low-grade prostate cancer
    – Oral
    – Ovary
    – Renal pelvis
    – Urinary bladder
    – Uterus
  • Non-invasive gastro intenstinal stromal tumour
  • Pituitary gland tumour
  • Removal of one or more lobe(s) of a lung
  • Removal of urinary bladder
  • Significant visual loss
  • Third-degree burns
  • Other cancer in situ or neuroendocrine tumour (NET)

If eligible, this means that you won’t have to pay your premiums if you suffer an illness or accident that prevents you working for more than six months.

If you are aged under 55 and accepted on standard terms and normal rates, you will be eligible to take out a Waiver of Payment option on your life or critical illness assurance. This means that providing that your policy payments have been kept up to date until the point of claim, you won’t have to pay premiums if you suffer an illness or accident that stops you working for more than six months.

You must continue to pay your premiums for the first 26 weeks if you are incapacitated. However, your premiums are waived after 26 weeks if you are unable to work because of incapacity.

If a you are not in work, then your premiums are waived if you are unable to perform three or more functional assessment tests. Premiums will continue to be waived until you either:

  • Reach the end of your policy term
  • Die
  • Return to work or fitness, so you no longer qualify for the waiver
  • Retirement
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We understand that as a parent (or future parent), you may want more cover for your little ones. As well as our standard Children’s Critical Illness Cover, we offer enhanced cover you can add for an extra cost. Customers who select this option will benefit from:

 

Cover for your child from birth

Cover for an unlimited number of children

Additional illnesses covered:

  • Benign spinal cord tumour
  • Brain injury due to anoxia or hypoxia
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Child’s diabetes mellitus type 1
  • Child’s intensive care benefit
  • Severe Crohn’s disease
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Down’s syndrome
  • Hydrocephalus
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Spina bifida
  • Ulcerative colitis

Children’s Terminal Illness Cover:
We will pay £10,000 if, in the unimaginable circumstance, your child is diagnosed with an advanced or rapidly progressing incurable condition (with a life expectancy of less than 12 months in the opinion of your hospital consultant and our medical officer).

There is also the option of linking the amount that you’re insured for to the increases in the Retail Prices Index (RPI). This is called indexation. The amount that you pay and the amount that you are insured for tracks the average change in the purchase price of goods and services such as housing expenses and mortgage interest payments. This will mean that the cost and benefit of the cover will increase each year.

Speak to an expert

Speak with our friendly. award-winning team to find the right solution for you and your family.

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Still Struggling?

Our short explainer video will guide you through the basics of critical illness insurance, answering questions such as ‘What is critical illness insurance?’, ‘Why do people have it?’, and ‘How does critical illness insurance work?’

Length 3m 43s

Play Video
Play Video

Watch David's Story

We put people, not products first. Once we’ve received your details by telephone, we visit our life insurance and critical illness customers at home, making sure to answer any questions you have and completing the paperwork in person.

Our client account manager service also means that we get to know your individual needs. Whatever your circumstances, we can help find the right solution for both you and your family.

Length: 3m11s

Some Questions?

What Critical Illnesses And Disabilities Are Covered?

Full payments covered with Critical Illness Cover

  • Aorta graft surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • Aplastic anaemia – categorised as very severe
  • Bacterial meningitis – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Benign brain tumour – resulting in either specified treatment or permanent symptoms
  • Blindness – permanent and irreversible
  • Brain injury due to trauma, anoxia or hypoxia – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Cancer – excluding less advanced cases
  • Cardiac arrest – with insertion of a defibrillator
  • Cardiomyopathy – of specified severity or resulting in specified treatment
  • Coma – of specified severity
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
  • Deafness – permanent and irreversible
  • Dementia including Alzheimer’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Encephalitis – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Heart attack – of specified severity
  • Heart valve replacement or repair – with surgery
  • Kidney failure – requiring permanent dialysis
  • Liver failure – of advanced stage
  • Loss of use of hand or foot
  • Loss of speech – total permanent and irreversible
  • Major organ transplant
  • Motor neurone disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Multiple sclerosis – where there have been symptoms
  • Parkinson’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
  • Pulmonary hypertension – of specified severity
  • Respiratory failure – of advanced stage
  • Specified heart surgery
  • Spinal stroke – resulting in symptoms lasting at least 24 hours
  • Stroke – resulting in symptoms lasting at least 24 hours
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – with severe complications
  • Third degree burns – covering 20% of the surface area of the body or 20% of the face or head
  • Total and Permanent Disability (own occupation) – unable to do their own occupation ever again
  • Total and Permanent Disability (specified work tasks) – unable to do three specified work tasks ever again

Surgical treatment

We will make an advance payment of the amount of cover, if the life insured is placed on an NHS waiting list for one of the following surgical treatments and meets the full definition:

  • aorta graft surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • heart valve replacement or repair – with surgery
  • specified heart surgery

Additional cover on Critical Illness Cover

  • Carcinoma in situ of the breast – treated by surgery
  • Low grade prostate cancer – requiring treatment

What Illnesses Are Covered With Critical Illness Extra?

All conditions covered by CIC – Standard (please see above) are covered by CIC Extra.

  • Benign spinal cord tumour
  • Cauda equina syndrome
  • Heart failure
  • Intensive care
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Necrotising fasciitis
  • Neuromyelitis optica
  • Parkinson’s plus syndromes
  • Peripheral vasulcar disease
  • Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Pulmonary artery surgery
  • Removal of an entire lung
  • Removal of an eyeball
  • Severe Crohn’s disease
  • Syringomyelia or syringobulbia
  • Ulcerative colitis

Surgical treatment

  • aorta graft surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • heart valve replacement or repair – with surgery
  • peripheral vascular disease – requiring bypass surgery
  • pulmonary artery surgery – requiring surgical replacement
  • severe Crohn’s disease – treated with two surgical intestinal resections or removal of entire large bowel
  • specified heart surgery
    syringomyelia or syringobulbia – with surgery
  • ulcerative colitis – resulting in the removal of the entire large bowel

Additional payments covered with Critical Illness Extra – 50% or £30,000

  • Aortic aneurysm
  • Aplastic anemia
  • Brain abscess drained via
  • craniotomy
  • Carotid artery stenosis
  • Central retinal artery or vein occlusion
  • Cerebral or spinal aneurysm
  • Cerebral or spinal arteriovenous malformation
  • Coronary angioplasty
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Desmoid type fibromatosis
  • Diabetes Mellitus type 1
  • Drug resistant epilepsy
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Less advanced cancers (of named sired and specified severity)
    – Carcinoma in situ of the breast
    – Cervix
    – Larynx
    – Low-grade prostate cancer
    – Oral
    – Ovary
    – Renal pelvis
    – Urinary bladder
    – Uterus
  • Non-invasive gastro intenstinal stromal tumour
  • Pituitary gland tumour
  • Removal of one or more lobe(s) of a lung
  • Removal of urinary bladder
  • Significant visual loss
  • Third-degree burns
  • Other cancer in situ or neuroendocrine tumour (NET)

A medical specialist who is a consultant at a UK hospital must verify all critical illnesses and disabilities identified. Their specialism must be appropriate to the cause of the claim. The Chief Medical Officer of the policy provider must also accept them.

A plan can last from a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 40 years. However, the plan must end before the age of 70.

There are a number of different price plans available to suit all budgets. However, the higher the monthly premium, the more the lump sum will enable you to provide financial support for your family.

Your children can be covered  for the critical illnesses and disabilities listed on your policy, with the sole exception of Total and Permanent Disability or any congenital, familial and pre-existing conditions. Cover is subject to terms and conditions, but we’ll be happy to talk you through all the complexities to make sure the policy is exactly the right one.

Before a sum can be paid out, the eligibility of a claim needs to be checked. For example, if you stop paying the premiums or fail to reveal an existing medical condition – the policy may not pay out. We can help guide you through the questions so there are no mistakes.

Ongoing advances in medicine and technology mean that traditional views of critical illnesses are changing. So, for example, not all types of cancer are covered, because not all types of cancer have a severe impact on lifestyle, if discovered early enough. Just ask us for more information.

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