Critical Illness Cover

The Facts:

- One in three people in the UK will contract cancer at some stage and more than 1 million people suffer from it at any one time
- More than 260,000 people suffer a heart attack every year – of which half are survived.
- 1. 4 million people suffer from coronary heart disease
- One woman in four and one man in five will suffer a stroke at some stage in their lives
- About 18,000 patients currently receive kidney dialysis each year
- About 85,000 people have MS, with 2,500 new diagnoses made each year
- Over 120,000 people have Parkinson's Disease, while 180,000 people are diagnosed as suffering from an Alzheimer’s-type disease each year

Medical advances mean that many previously fatal illnesses can now be cured. Many employees are therefore more likely to suffer from a serious illness than a terminal illness.

Critical Illness Insurance policies pay a lump sum in the event a member suffers from a medical condition specified in the policy. The money received can help towards coping with the effects of the illness and is increasingly being seen as a key element in both employee benefits and risk management.