Critical Illness Cover Explained
The Association of British Insurers (or ABI) recently proposed a document known as the “Statement of Best Practice for Critical Illness Cover.” The document says that a critical illness cover plan will pay out a lump sum figure if you should meet the definitions of the following illnesses: stroke, cancer, and heart attack.
If you meet the definitions of these illnesses and acquire one of them during the term of the policy then your insurer will be required to pay out a lump sum at that time.
Cancer, heart attack, and stroke aren’t the only illnesses with these types of policies; however, the list may vary between each insurance provider. This is why it’s important to seek the knowledgeable advice of an insurance adviser.
The British Insurers Association has put together an exhaustive list with definitions of all the possible critical illnesses but each insurance company will choose which policies they want to cover. Currently, there are 23 definitions under the ABI’s Statement of Best Practice for Critical Illness Insurance.
These definitions will include things like blindness, Alzheimer’s, HIV infection (contracted under specific circumstances), aorta graft surgery, deafness, and coma. Many of these illnesses will have very specific definitions that include or exclude certain elements. A perfect example is kidney failure, as you will need to be on dialysis to qualify for this critical illness. Another one is MS because it will only be considered a critical illness if the symptoms persist for a specific amount of time.
By using the life insurance provider’s Key Features document you can review specific sections of your policy. This will help you compare the polices of a number of different life insurance companies and allow you to find the best deal on the illnesses that you want covered.
A lot of UK residents choose to purchase critical illness cover for their children, which would pay out at around 25% of the policies sum assured. These children’s policies are usually capped at a certain amount though.
Another benefit that is usually included is a ‘waiver of premium’, which can cover payments when you fall ill and can’t work. Adding this onto your policy will often increase the costs though.
All of the policies will have certain exclusions that will void your policy so make sure you are aware of these. This could include things like unreasonable failure to follow medical advice, war, drug abuse, and flying among other things.
Different insurers will have different definitions of their exclusions so if you partake in something like a hazardous sport or pastime you’ll want to understand the risks of your policy.
Many insurance companies will use similar specifications and will have their own exclusions so make sure you know what you’re getting into. One of the exclusions that are very commonplace is non-disclosure of medical information, as it might affect your critical cover policy. If you lie to the insurance broker and they find out later you or your family may get nothing and the insurance company usually takes these matters very seriously. It is always better to just tell the truth.
You can usually bundle your insurance products together to save money. So a normal package would include life insurance cover, Permanent Health Insurance, and Critical illness cover. All of these things might not be necessary for your specific needs but a lot of people would rather be safe than sorry.
Learn more about critical illness cover. Stop by Vern Eaton’s site where you can find out all about how to compare critical illness cover prices in the UK.
