If you have life insurance then you know that a lump sum of money will be paid to the beneficiaries of your policy should you suddenly pass away. You will probably have this policy for peace of mind to reduce the financial burden you death might put on any dependents you have, and assist them in settling your estate.

Statistically however, you are six times more likely to suffer from a critical illness than die before you reach the age of 65. Advancements in the field of medicine mean that today we are now surviving the illnesses that might have meant an early grave for previous generations. In this situation your life insurance is unlikely to be able to assist you, but an alternative is available; you might consider obtaining critical illness cover.

Critical Illness Insurance will cover you if you are diagnosed with an illness listed on your policy and, as with life insurance, pay out a tax-free lump sum. This can help with any financial difficulties that sudden diagnosis of a serious illness might bring you. If you were to be diagnosed with a serious illness today and were unable to continue working you may face several financial problems at once; you may have a mortgage payments to make, you might run your own business and need to arrange cover or you illness may require additional medical treatment not covered by your standard health insurance policy.

A standard critical illness insurance policy will cover you for the following illnesses:-

· Cancer

· Coronary artery by-pass surgery

· Heart attack

· Kidney failure

· Major organ transplant

· Multiple Sclerosis

· Stroke

However, you may also cover additional critical illnesses under your policy, you will need to check with the individual insurance provider as to which other illnesses they may cover.

Do be aware though that there are fairly strict definitions as to what constitutes any one particular critical illness. For example if you were to suffer from Angina, this would not come under the Heart Attack section of your policy, even though it is a serious heart condition. In addition to this you will normally need to survive your critical illness for at least 28 days from diagnosis in order for your policy to pay out. There are further exclusions to your policy too, for example you cannot reasonably refuse medical treatment that leads to the development of a critical illness.

Obtaining critical illness cover is a fairly straightforward process you will need to complete an application form, and probably undertake a medical assessment. Your premium will depend on your health status at the time of application along with your family medical history. If you are a smoker you will definiately pay higer premiums. It does pay to shop around for your cover, some providers will offer additional free coverage for your children or a joint policy may be more cost effective than individual policies.

© Mike Bromley 2005