With a total of 63 critical illnesses covered, we're one of the market leaders
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
If you were born after 1960, there is a 50% chance you'll be diagnosed with some sort of cancer in your lifetime. In fact, over 58% of all our critical illness claims in 2017 were due to cancer.
- Heart
Heart-related conditions kill more than one in four people in the UK. Every three minutes someone in the UK will have a heart attack, and every day 420 people will lose their lives to cardiovascular disease.
- Stroke
Nationally 25% of those who suffer a stroke are under the age of 65. 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 43 conditions
- Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia - resulting in permanent symptoms
- Aorta graft surgery - for disease or traumatic injury
- Aplastic anaemia - complete
- Bacterial meningitis - resulting in permanent symptoms
- Benign brain tumour
- Benign spinal cord tumour - resulting in permanent symptoms
- Blindness - permanent or irreversible
- Cancer - excluding less advanced cases
- Cardiac arrest
- Cardiomyopathy - of specified severity
- Coma - with associated permanent symptoms
- Coronary artery bypass grafts
- Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease
- Deafness - permanent and irreversible
- Encephalitis - resulting in permanent symptoms
- Heart attack - 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 a 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 - resulting in permanent symptoms
- Multiple sclerosis - with persisting symptoms
- Multiple system atrophy - resulting in permanent 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
- Progressive supra-nuclear palsy - resulting in permanent symptoms
- Pulmonary artery surgery - for disease only
- Severe lung disease
- Stroke - of specified severity
- 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 50% of the area of the face or head
- Traumatic brain injury - resulting in permanent symptoms
Additional payment conditions covered
For 20 less serious conditions we pay a proportion of your amount of cover. 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 - (lower of 25% of cover and £25,000)
- Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the brain - with specified treatment (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Carcinoma-in-situ of the cervix uteri - requiring treatment with hysterectomy (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Carcinoma-in-situ of the urinary bladder - (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Carotid artery stenosis - treated by endarterectomy or angioplasty (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Cerebral aneurysm - with surgery or radiotherapy (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Central retinal artery or vein occlusion - resulting in permanent visual loss (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Coronary artery angioplasty - with specified treatment (lower of 25% of cover and £25,000)
- Diabetes mellitus type 1 - requiring permanent insulin injections (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
Note, that this condition is not covered under children’s cover. - Ductal or lobular carcinoma in-situ of the breast - with specified treatment (lower of 25% of cover and £25,000)
- Non-severe cardiomyopathy - definite diagnosis (lower of 25% of cover and £25,000)
- Ovarian tumour of borderline malignancy/low malignant potential - with surgical removal of an ovary (lower of 12.5% of cover and £25,000)
- Partial loss of hearing - of specified severity (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Partial loss of sight - permanent and irreversible (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Partial third-degree burns - covering 10% of the body's surface area or affecting 25% of the area of the face or head (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Prostate cancer - lower of 25% of cover and £25,000)
- Removal of one or more lobe(s) of the lung - for disease or trauma (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Severe Crohn's disease - surgically treated (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Severe ulcerative colitis - with an operation to remove the entire large bowel (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
- Testicular carcinoma in-situ - requiring surgery to remove at least one testicle (lower of 12.5% of cover and £12,500)
Enhanced conditions
For 16 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 200% of 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 and can also be claimed if it happens to your children.
- Blindness - permanent and irreversible
- 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 50% of the area of the face or head
- Traumatic brain injury – resulting in permanent symptoms
For six neurological conditions we cover, we’ll pay 150% of 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 45. These are not included in childrens cover.
- Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia – resulting in permanent symptoms
- Motor neurone disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
- Multiple system atrophy – resulting in permanent symptoms
- Parkinson’s disease – resulting in permanent symptoms
- Parkinson plus syndromes – resulting in permanent symptoms
- Progressive supra-nuclear palsy – resulting in permanent symptoms
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