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List of Critical Illnesses Covered

We're one of the market leaders with the number of critical illnesses we cover

Get a Life with Critical Illness cover quote

With a critical illness, you want to be sure that the cover you choose will be there for when you need it the most.

Here're some of the most common conditions our customers claimed on last year.

Cancer

1 in 2 people born after 1960 are expected to get cancer in their lifetime (Cancer Research UK). In fact, 57% of all our critical illness claims in 2019 were due to cancer.

Heart

Heart and circulatory disease cause more than a quarter (27%) of all deaths in the UK; that's nearly 170,000 deaths each year - an average of 460 people each day or one death every three minutes.

Stroke

There are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK each year, that's a stroke at least every 5 minutes (BHF). Strokes are a major health problem and are the single largest cause of disability for the UK.

Full payment conditions covered

We pay out the full amount of cover for 48 conditions

Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia – resulting in permanent symptoms
Aorta graft surgery – for disease or traumatic injury
Bacterial meningitis – resulting in permanent symptoms
Benign brain tumour – resulting in permanent symptoms or specified treatment
Benign spinal cord tumour – resulting in permanent symptoms
Blindness – permanent and irreversible
Brain abscess – undergoing specified treatments
Brain injury due to trauma, anoxia or hypoxia – resulting in permanent symptoms
Cancer – excluding less advanced cases and including aplastic anaemia
Cardiac arrest
Cardiomyopathy – of specified severity
Coma – with associated permanent symptoms
Coronary artery bypass grafts
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Crohn’s disease – treated with two intestinal resections
Deafness – permanent and irreversible
Encephalitis – resulting in permanent symptoms
Heart attack – of specified severity
Heart failure – of specified severity
Heart valve replacement or repair
HIV infection – caught in a specified list of countries from a blood transfusion, a physical assault or at work
Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension – of specified severity
Kidney failure – requiring permanent dialysis
Liver failure
Loss of hand or foot – permanent physical severance

Loss of independent existence – unable to look after yourself ever again
Loss of speech – permanent and irreversible
Major organ transplant – from another donor
Motor neurone disease and specified diseases of the motor neurones – resulting in permanent symptoms
Multiple sclerosis – with persisting symptoms
Neuromyelitis optica (Devic’s disease) – with persisting symptoms
Open heart surgery – with surgery to divide the breastbone
Paralysis of limb – total and irreversible
Parkinson’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
Parkinson plus syndromes – resulting in permanent symptoms
Pneumonectomy – removal of an entire lung
Pulmonary artery surgery – for disease only
Severe lung disease
Severe mental illness – of specified severity
Severe sepsis – resulting in admission to a critical care unit for 3 days or more
Spinal stroke – resulting in permanent symptoms
Stroke – of specified severity
Syringomyelia or syringobulbia – treated by surgery
Surgical removal of an eyeball
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Terminal illness – where death is expected within 12 months
Third degree burns – covering 20% of the body’s surface area or affecting 20% of the area of the face or head
Ulcerative colitis – with operation to remove the entire large bowel

Additional payment conditions covered

For the following less serious conditions, we'll pay the lower of 50% of your amount of cover up to £30,000. If we pay a claim under one of these conditions, then your policy will still continue for your full amount of cover.

Accident hospitalisation cover
Aortic aneurysm – with endovascular repair
Carotid artery stenosis – treated by endarterectomy or angioplasty
Cauda equina syndrome – with permanent symptoms
Cerebral or spinal arteriovenous malformation – with surgery or radiotherapy
Cerebral or spinal aneurysm – with surgery or radiotherapy
Central retinal artery or vein occlusion – resulting in permanent visual loss
Coronary artery angioplasty
Diabetes mellitus type 1 – requiring permanent insulin injections
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) or Neuroendocrine tumour (NET) of low malignant potential – with surgery
Guillain-Barré syndrome – with persisting clinical symptoms
Non-severe cardiomyopathy – definite diagnosis
Other carcinomas in-situ – with surgery
Partial loss of hearing – of specified severity
Partial loss of sight – permanent and irreversible
Partial third degree burns – covering 10% of the body’s surface area or affecting 10% of the area of the face or head
Pituitary tumour – resulting in permanent symptoms or surgery
Removal of one or more lobe(s) of the lung – for disease or trauma

Less advanced cancer – of named sites and specified severity:
- Carcinoma in-situ of the anus – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the bile ducts – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the cervix uteri – requiring treatment with hysterectomy
- Carcinoma in-situ of the colon or rectum – resulting in intestinal resection
- Carcinoma in-situ of the gallbladder – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the larynx – with specified treatment
- Carcinoma in-situ of the lung or bronchus – with specified treatment
- Carcinoma in-situ of the oesophagus – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the oral cavity or oropharynx – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the pancreas – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the renal pelvis or ureter
- Carcinoma in-situ of the stomach – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the urinary bladder
- Carcinoma in-situ of the uterus – with hysterectomy
- Carcinoma in-situ of the vagina – with surgery
- Carcinoma in-situ of the vulva – with surgery
- Ductal or lobular carcinoma in-situ of the breast – with specified treatment
- Ovarian tumour of borderline malignancy/low malignant potential – with surgical removal of an ovary
- Prostate cancer
- Testicular carcinoma in-situ – requiring surgery to remove at least one testicle

Enhanced conditions

For 17 conditions we'll pay extra to help offset the harsh financial impact it has on lives.

We have ten full payment conditions where we’ll pay double your cover, up to a maximum of £200,000 (on top of your original cover). This happens if your claim is as a direct result of an accident.

This can also be claimed if it happens to your children; see more about children's cover.

Blindness - permanent and irreversible
Brain injury due to trauma, anoxia or hypoxia – resulting in permanent symptoms
Coma – with associated permanent symptoms
Deafness – permanent and irreversible
Loss of a hand or foot – permanent physical severance
Loss of independent existence – unable to look after yourself ever again
Loss of speech – permanent and irreversible
Paralysis of limb – total and irreversible
Surgical removal of an eyeball
Third-degree burns – covering 20% of the body’s surface area or affecting 20% of the area of the face or head

For four neurological conditions we cover, we’ll pay double your cover, up to a maximum of £200,000 (on top of your original cover). This happens if you're diagnosed with these conditions before you're 55.

These are not included in children's cover.

Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia – resulting in permanent symptoms
Motor neurone disease and specified diseases of the motor neurones – resulting in permanent symptoms
Parkinson’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
Parkinson plus syndromes – resulting in permanent symptoms

For 3 full payment conditions, we'll pay double your cover, up to a maximum of £200,000 (on top of your original cover) if you meet the definition for one of the listed conditions.

This payment is also available for children's cover.