Critical Illness Cover
Families Protected
What is Critical Illness Cover?
Critical illness cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland is a type of life insurance policy that offers protection in the event of a serious illness or injury.
If your insurance policy covers the condition you’ve been diagnosed with, you’ll often get a one-time, tax-free reimbursement. This can reduce any financial worries that might arise from the shift in your life and support it. It might be as easy as paying off your mortgage, making up for any lost wages, or possibly making the necessary house improvements. The money from your policy will lessen the financial strain placed on your family if you have dependents living at home.
How Does Critical Illness Cover Work?
You will be covered if you are hurt or are found to have a condition that is covered by your policy if you make your premium payments on time (this might be monthly or annually). Once you’ve been diagnosed, you’ll often get a one-time, tax-free payout that you can use to either make up for the income you missed while taking time off work, pay for medical expenses, or make the house improvements that are required.
You can combine your security in one policy by adding critical illness insurance as an add-on to your life insurance policy. To safeguard your loved ones, certain policies might also include coverage for families with kids.
Make sure to thoroughly read the policy wording because there could be a postponed period that prevents you from receiving your compensation right away after diagnosis. Before submitting your claim, you might have to wait for a predetermined amount of time.
Do You Need Critical Illness Cover?
Although the government does provide benefits for sick leave, they typically only amount to £96.35 a week. This could not be enough to supplement your income or aid in your adjustment to your new situation.
In August 2022, Zurich research found that more than half of cancer patients said their financial situation had been influenced to a “major” or “severe” extent. For instance, the average monthly rise in expenses was £541. The annual cost is £6,492.
If you are forced to quit your job, the sudden increase in expenses will only get worse. The same study found that 26% of respondents had to entirely quit working, and a further 32% had to switch to part-time work. This indicates that while their outgoings significantly increased, more than half of them lost all or part of their income.
Critical illness cover comes into play here. A critical illness insurance policy could help you financially and cover expenditures like a mortgage or rent, regular living expenses, and loved ones who are reliant on you if you don’t have enough in savings to cover a lengthy period of illness or disability.
In the end, you decide whether to obtain critical illness coverage. If you decide to purchase self-insurance, it’s critical to locate the plan that best suits your needs and to understand the scope of your coverage. Although general income protection insurance is probably more expensive than critical illness insurance, income protection insurance is still an alternative, so it’s important to weigh up all your possibilities.
What Conditions Does Critical Illness Cover?
Exactly what’s covered by critical illness insurance will depend on the specific details of the insurance that you take out.
Critical illness cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland varies slightly between providers, and the severity of the condition can affect whether you’re covered, but conditions may include:
- Heart attacks
- Strokes
- Non-terminal cancer
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s
- Organ transplants
- Severe head injuries
Critical illness cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland can also cover you if you’ve suffered a physical disability following an injury, such as after a serious accident at work.
How Much Does Critical Illness Cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland Cost and How Much Cover Do You Need?
The amount that your critical illness insurance will cost depends on:
- The amount of critical illness cover you’re looking for
- Your age
- Your health and lifestyle (including smoking and alcohol consumption)
- Any pre-existing medical conditions you have
- Your current personal circumstances
- How long you want the policy to be in place for (the term)
It can be quick to add critical illness insurance on to a life insurance policy quote.
Consider once more the expenses you’d have to pay if you became sick and couldn’t work (this might include regular outgoings, such as energy bills and food shopping).
If you have children, you should make sure that they are taken care of in case your health prevents you from working. Financial security for you and your loved ones may be provided through level cover.
The ability to repay your mortgage may also require a policy, which is frequently a prerequisite of mortgage applications. Reduced coverage aids in the repayment of debt, such as a mortgage with a reduced payment schedule.
You may typically get life insurance and critical illness insurance together for further security. By doing so, you’ll be covered from a variety of threats and have the flexibility to decide how much insurance coverage you require for each policy.
Compare the Best & Cheapest Critical Illness Cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland
Age, family medical history, if you smoke, your profession or hobbies, and many other variables can influence the price of critical illness cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland.
As a general guideline, never choose a critical illness insurance policy issued to you by your bank or directly with an insurer if you have determined that critical illness insurance is the appropriate choice for you. Doing so can be the most expensive option.
Use Life Expert instead, who specialises in locating the best and cheapest critical illness cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland. We will explore the whole UK market to find you the best critical illness insurance policy at the best price.
Critical illness cover in Belfast & Northern Ireland is typically available as an add-on to your life insurance policy. It is typically less expensive to combine your critical illness insurance with a life insurance policy, and with Life Expert, getting the best and cheapest critical illness insurance coverage couldn’t be simpler.