Pros And Cons Of Critical Illness Cover
Now you have some background on what critical illness cover is, we can dive into the pros and cons of this type of life insurance.
We could go on all day about the benefits of critical illness cover. Ultimately, any kind of life insurance policy is the #1 way to protect yourself and your family in the event something happens to you. But we can acknowledge that with all the pros, there are a few cons to consider.
We have put some of these together in a handy table to make it easy to digest and compare the main reasons you should, or shouldnt, take out critical illness cover.
Overall, we do believe that in most cases the pros outweigh the cons. The advantages of a critical illness policy, in most cases, should be great enough that things like paying a small fraction more or being unable to claim for certain specific things is a small concession to generally great cover.
Critical Illness Insurance: What Are The Pros And Cons
Critical illness insurance is often overlooked with many people assuming it is either unnecessary or too expensive. Critical illness insurance can, in fact, be relatively cheap and a lump sum payout can often play a crucial part in the recovery process, allowing you to take additional time off work, adapt your home or even seek treatment abroad.
How Is Critical Illness Insurance Different From Disability Insurance
Critical illness insurance and disability insurance are two completely different types of policies, but they share some similarities.
You can use the benefit payouts from both of these insurance policies to pay for living expenses, medical bills, healthcare, and all sorts of out-of-pocket costs. But thats where the similarities end.
Here are the key distinctions between critical illness insurance and disability insurance:
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Critical Illness Rider For Life Insurance
If you have life insurance, it’s possible to purchase a critical illness rider that functions just like a separate critical illness insurance policy. The rider pays a lump sum if you’re diagnosed with a covered illness, such as cancer or kidney failure.
Illnesses covered by the critical illness rider include many of the same illnesses covered by the standalone critical illness policy.
It won’t cost too much to add this rider to your life insurance, but don’t expect a huge benefit either. Critical illness riders usually provide 10% of your death benefit, up to a maximum amount in excess of that 10% if you’re willing to pay extra.
What You Must Tell Your Insurer Before You Take Out Critical Illness Insurance
You must give your insurer full details of you and your familys medical history. If you leave anything out and then later try to make a claim, your insurer may refuse to pay out.
If you already have a pre-existing medical condition, look for an insurer that will be prepared to cover it, although you may have to pay more to take out the policy. A pre-existing medical condition is one you’ve had before.
You dont have to discuss personal or sensitive information with the person who sells you the policy. You can ask to send the information directly to the insurers medical officer.
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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Critical Illness Insurance
HomeInsuranceWhat are the Pros and Cons of Critical Illness Insurance?
When you start comparing critical illness policies you will quickly notice that there is a great deal to take into account. First and foremost, you need to examine the advantages and disadvantages this type of insurance has. Different insurers offer different terms, conditions and payouts, so you need to ensure you have a clear picture of what each policy has to offer and whether critical illness cover is something that might be useful to you.
Think Plutus wants you to make an informed decision about critical illness insurance so weve created this guide to talk you through it. As always, if you would like bespoke advice from an insurance expert, you can contact us any time and well have a chat.
Why It May Be Important
You can purchase critical illness insurance on your own or through your employer . You can also add it to your current life insurance plan as a rider, which may be a more affordable option with the same benefit.
One of the reasons companies have been keen to add these plans is that they recognize employees are worried about steep out-of-pocket expenses with a high-deductible plan. Unlike other healthcare benefits, workers generally bear the entire cost of critical illness plans. That makes it a money saver for companies and workers alike.
A big draw of critical illness insurance is that the money can be spent on a variety of things, such as:
- To pay for critical medical services that might otherwise be unavailable
- To pay for treatments not covered by a traditional policy
- To pay for daily living expenses, enabling the critically ill to focus their time and energy on getting well instead of working to pay their bills
- Transportation expenses, such as getting to and from treatment centers, retrofitting vehicles to carry scooters or wheelchairs, and installing lifts in homes for critically ill patients who can no longer navigate staircases
- Terminally ill patients, or those simply in need of a restful place to recuperate, can use the funds to take a vacation with friends or family
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How Critical Illness Claims Work
The most common covered conditions include cancer, heart conditions, stroke, and organ damage, including transplants. Some policies may also provide coverage for less common conditions, such as blindness, deafness, ALS, cystic fibrosis, severe burns, major head trauma, and coma.
The severity of your condition will determine whether you receive a benefit. The more serious your prognosis, the more likely you are to receive a full benefit from the policy. Critical illness insurance policies pay partial benefits for less serious conditions. And you may not receive benefits at all if the condition is easily treated.
CII policies generally do not cover chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or multiple sclerosis. They also do not cover pre-existing conditions.
When shopping for coverage and requesting critical illness insurance quotes, it’s important to take note of differences in covered conditions from company to company.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Critical Illness Insurance
Theres so much to be grateful for with Critical Illness Cover, the biggest pro of course being that cover is there for you when you need it most. If Critical Illness Cover sounds perfect for you, great! But there are some things to be aware of with every insurance product, CIC included.
Here are some disadvantages to consider:
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What Does Critical Illness Cover Offer
Critical Illness Cover from Legal & General is designed to protect you and your loved ones from the financial impact of a critical illness. It could pay out a cash sum if youre diagnosed with, or undergo a medical procedure for one of the specified critical illnesses we cover during the length of your policy and you survive for 14 days from diagnosis. It could help pay for things like household bills, childcare costs or simply help maintain a reasonable standard of living for you and your family if you have to take time off work to recover.
What Is Critical Illness Cover
Critical Illness Cover is an insurance policy which pays you a tax-free lump sum payout if youre diagnosed with an eligible serious illness or injury. The policy will last for a predetermined period of time, with most people choosing to be protected until their children have left home or their mortgage is fully paid off.
The conditions that Critical Illness Insurance will pay out for varies depending on the insurer, with some insurance companies protecting you against 60+ conditions. However, all Critical Illness Policies should include cover for:
A successful claim does, however, depend on the severity of the condition, so check with the insurance provider or broker before making your decision. Other common medical conditions that Critical Illness Insurance might pay out for includes: kidney failure, major organ transplant, multiple sclerosis, and coronary artery bypass. Many major insurers will also provide financial protection for loss of limbs, blindness, major burns, Parkinsons and Crohns disease.
Critical Illness Cover can either be part of your life insurance policy or sit alongside it. Alternatively, you can get Critical Illness Insurance without having Life Insurance. The main difference between the two policies is that Life Insurance pays out to your beneficiaries if you die within the policy term, whereas Critical Illness pays out to you if you become seriously ill during the policy term.
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Can You Get Critical Illness Insurance After Cancer: Critical Illness Cover With Pre
Cancer is the most common reason for critical illness claims in the UK. 1 in 2 people in this country will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. This is an astonishingly high amount of people affected by cancer.
If you already have cancer or have previously had cancer, you should still be able to get critical illness cover. It may just be that certain providers would want to place an exclusion on cancer as part of your policy, meaning you cannot claim for it if it reoccurs.
Whilst this is understandably frustrating, there are other types of policy you can put in place to cover cancer. Standard life insurance policies such as family life insurance or mortgage life insurance will generally still accept those in remission from cancer.
It is also still worth considering taking out critical illness cover, mainly because there is still the potential for being diagnosed with another illness. Having already experienced the effects something such as cancer can have on your life, it makes sense you may want added protection in place in the case any other illnesses are diagnosed at a later point.
If youre not sure about what policies may be available for you, check out our page on cancer life insurance or speak to one of our highly experienced advisers for more advice. We are the UKs #1 experts in cancer life insurance and able to answer any questions you may have.
How Much Does Critical Illness Cost
Like all insurance policies, the price of maintaining critical illness insurance depends on a variety of factors.
Your monthly premium will depend upon:
- where you live and work
- the amount of your lump-sum benefit
Disability insurance policies allow you to lock in at a fixed premium rate for the duration of your policy. The monthly premiums for critical illness insurance policies will increase as you age and become more susceptible to suffering a critical illness.
One way to save on the cost of a critical illness insurance policy is to add it as a rider to a life insurance policy. Some insurers provide it as an individual policy, while others allow you to add it to a life insurance plan, which can help bring down the cost a bit.
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It Pays Out Straight Away
If youre diagnosed with one of the illnesses or conditions in your critical illness policy, the lump sum will be paid out straight away. It gives you an immediate financial cushion at a difficult time. This makes it different to other illness insurance, like income protection insurance, which comes with a waiting period, and won’t start paying out until your waiting period has elapsed.
Critical Illness Riders Pros And Cons
Pros
- Lower cost: one of the key advantages of critical illness riders is the cost. In fact, some life insurance providers include it as an add-on without any additional fee.
- No additional underwriting: because the critical illness rider is acquired at the same time as a life insurance policy, it does not require any additional underwriting. That is, the same medical evaluation used for the life insurance policy will apply.
- Option to drop: while critical illness riders cannot be added onto an existing life insurance policy, they can be dropped. This is a handy option if you decide you no longer need the coverage or want to save on premiums.
Cons
- Fewer options: because critical illness riders are an add-on offered by life insurance providers, there are often fewer options for the type of coverage you can get, both in terms of benefit size and term length.
- Application constraints: typically, life insurance providers will only allow their clients to include a critical illness rider when they apply for their life insurance policy: it cant be added on once your policy has started.
- No return of premium: riders do not offer the option of return of premiums if no claims are made during the policy term. This is simply because the premiums are tied to the life insurance policy, which will release the full benefit in the event of death.
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Firstly What Is Critical Illness Cover
Lets start with a brief explanation of how critical illness cover works. You can claim on a critical illness policy if youre diagnosed with an eligible serious illness or injury. It pays out a lump sum, designed to cover your regular outgoings such as your mortgage, rent or debt payments, and any healthcare or specialist equipment you might find yourself in need of.
A critical illness policy will last for a predetermined period of time, usually until your children decide to leave home and stand on their own two feet, or perhaps until your mortgage has been paid off and your finances have been freed up a little. You decide.
The Amount Of Cover And Price Of Premiums Can Vary
The rates offered by different insurance providers always varies in accordance with your circumstances. This can have an impact on the amount of cover you are offered. Your health, age and lifestyle can significantly impact your ability to take out critical illness insurance.
You should expect to be asked personal questions about your lifestyle during the application process, which can seem intrusive. Rest assured, however, that it is necessary to ensure you get accurate cover. Before applying, some people try to improve their general health to try and secure the lowest monthly premiums. This can work, but you must always provide accurate information in your application since being dishonest can result in claims being refused.
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How Does Critical Illness Insurance Work In 2022
Critical illness insurance made easy.
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In the market for critical illness insurance, but not sure how it works? You’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll cover:
We’ll also explain how critical illness insurance compares to others types of coverage, including health, disability, life, and accident insurance.
Read on to learn more.
Talk To An Insurance Expert
Contact a critical illness insurance specialist today for free and impartial advice. The advisors we work with can talk you through the pros and cons of each critical insurance policy and recommend the best one for you based on your circumstances.
Give us a call on 0808 189 0463 or fill out an enquiry form and an advisor will respond as soon as possible.
Ask a quick question
We can help! We know everyone’s circumstances are different, that’s why we work with brokers who are experts in critical illness cover. Ask us a question and we’ll get the best expert to help.
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What Does Critical Illness Insurance Provide For Assistance
Critical illness insurance can help fund the bills that life-threatening illnesses like heart attack, stroke, or cancer can incur. At your discretion, the benefit from a critical illness policy can cover anything from medical expenses not covered by a healthcare policy to household bills for utilities, rent or mortgage payment, or grocery bills.
The Difference Between Life Insurance And Critical Illness Cover
The essential difference between life insurance and critical illness cover is that the former provides financial protection in the event of your death during the length of your policy, while the latter can help minimise the financial impact on you and your family if you become critically ill. You might take out a life insurance policy and add critical illness cover for an extra cost, though with Legal & General you cannot choose to add critical illness cover at a later date. Here are some other differences between life insurance and critical illness cover:
- Control of funds Life Insurance usually pays out to your loved ones, giving them control of how to use the money when a valid claim is made. With Critical Illness Cover, you would receive the cash sum and can decide how best to use it.
- The payout both life insurance and critical illness cover pay out a cash sum if a valid claim is made during the length of the policy. The cash sum can help minimise the financial impact on your loved ones, from the mortgage to household bills, if you were to die or be diagnosed with a specified critical illness.
- Children’s Critical Illness Cover this is included automatically with our Critical Illness Cover and offers some financial protection if your children become critically ill, which is not offered as part of our standard Life Insurance policy. Terms and conditions apply.
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It Could Be More Relevant Than Life Insurance
People of working age are more likely to get ill than to die, so protecting yourself in case of illness could actually be the priority for you. Its a good idea to work out what the financial consequences of both scenarios would be in your circumstances to decide which kind of cover is more relevant for you.