Critical illness cover gives you financial protection against certain illnesses and medical conditions of a specific severity.
Your cover will provide you with a tax-free lump sum cash payment which can be used to help you and your family. For example, it could help you pay off your mortgage, pay for treatment to help you recover or pay your household bills.
All critical illness policies cover the following illnesses, providing they are of a certain severity:
- cancer
- heart attack
- stroke
Covers varies between insurers and some policies include additional medical conditions, so check the details of your policy with your insurer.
Next steps
If you have a policy, want to buy some cover, or just want more information:
- read through your policy and / or talk to your insurer
- talk to a financial adviser or insurance broker through unbiased.co.uk or the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) website to find out more about critical illness cover
- shop around to find out more on how to buy the best type of critical illness cover for you