Critical Illness Cover

A critical illness diagnosis changes everything overnight. The treatment, the time off work, the adjustments to daily life – and underneath all of it, the financial pressure that most people aren’t prepared for.

Critical illness cover pays you a tax-free lump sum if you’re diagnosed with a specified serious condition, typically including cancer, heart attack, and stroke, though the list varies by policy. You choose what you do with it. Some people use it to clear a mortgage, cover lost income, pay for private treatment, or adapt their home. There are no restrictions.

It’s worth having alongside life insurance rather than instead of it as life insurance pays out when you die; critical illness cover pays out while you’re still alive and dealing with the diagnosis.

Our advisers will help you understand what different policies cover, what the exclusions are, and find the right level of cover for your circumstances.

Some of the most common critical illnesses include:

The main things to consider are how many conditions are covered, whether children are included, and whether the policy pays out for partial as well as full diagnosis of a condition. Some policies also include a waiver of premium, which means your cover continues even if you can’t work and can no longer afford the payments.

The cheapest policy is rarely the most comprehensive, and gaps in cover only become apparent at the worst possible moment. That’s why it’s worth taking advice rather than going direct.

We’ll compare policies across the market, explain the differences in plain English, and make sure what you’re buying actually covers what you think it does.

Not all critical illness policies are equal. The number of conditions covered can range from a handful to over 100 depending on the insurer, and the definitions matter as much as the list as two policies might both cover heart attack, but define it differently, which affects whether a claim would be paid.

When it comes to choosing a Critical Illness cover policy, it is important to carefully consider your needs and options.

Here are a few tips on how to choose the right policy for you:

The payout is a lump sum. You choose the amount when you take out the policy, and that’s what gets paid if you claim. There’s no standard figure because the right amount depends entirely on your situation.

A good starting point is to think about what you’d need to cover if you couldn’t work for 12 months or longer. Your mortgage or rent, household bills, any debts, childcare costs. Some people also factor in private treatment or home adaptations. Add it up and you’ll have a realistic figure to work from.

The higher the sum insured, the higher the premium – but cover is often more affordable than people expect, particularly if you take it out while you’re younger and in good health. Premiums increase with age, so the sooner you put cover in place, the better value it tends to be.