A Guide To Critical Illness Cover

By Author: Lecia Selbo
Total Articles: 49
Comment this article

Critical illness insurance is a type of cover that will provide you with a financial cushion in the event of being diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer or stroke. One in four women and one in five men suffer from such a condition before they reach retirement.

The majority of critical illness policies will give you a large tax free lump sum if you survive for a month or more after being diagnosed with a serious condition.

All critical illness policies cover seven main conditions, as well as any injury or illness that causes you to become permanently disabled. These conditions are heart attack, kidney failure, cancer, coronary artery bypass, major organ transplant, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

Critical illness cover can take care of large expenses such as your mortgage that you may not be able to pay if you become ill, making it more useful than life cover if you are single. If you are part of a couple, it will help to reduce the burden on your partner if you find yourself unable to work.

You can take out the cover at any time between the ages of 17 and 70. Most policies are not valid ...
... until a couple of months after taking out the cover. It can cover you for your whole life, or you can get cheaper policies to cover you for a certain period of time, such as your mortgage term.

More and more claims are being made on critical illness policies, due to medical advances helping to keep people alive. As a result, the cost of critical illness cover is constantly rising, which makes it imperative that you sort it out sooner rather than later.

When you apply for critical illness cover, you will be asked certain questions, such as if any of your family members have suffered from major illnesses in the past, and whether you are a smoker or not. Your answers to these questions will determine the cost of your premium, but if it is found out that you have lied on your application, your policy will be invalidated.

Some policies might also require you take a medical before you are accepted. If you are in reasonably good health, this may lead in some circumstances to cheaper premiums. Lecia Selbo took out critical illness cover with Legal