Protection
Critical Illness Cover
A tax-free lump sum if you're diagnosed with a serious illness. Use it to clear the mortgage, pay for private treatment, or take time off work to recover.
What Is Critical Illness Cover?
Critical illness cover (CIC) pays out a one-off, tax-free lump sum if you're diagnosed with one of the conditions listed in the policy. The main conditions covered by virtually every insurer are cancer, heart attack and stroke, but most modern policies cover between 40 and 80+ conditions including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and organ transplants.
This isn't the same as life insurance. Critical illness cover pays out while you're alive, giving you the financial breathing room to focus on treatment and recovery without worrying about the mortgage or household bills.
The biggest difference between insurers is how they define each condition. A cheaper policy might define "cancer" so narrowly that early-stage diagnoses are excluded. We compare definitions across the whole market to find policies that will actually pay out.
Conditions Typically Covered
Most policies cover 40-80+ conditions. This is just a snapshot of the core ones.
Why Definitions Matter
Two policies might both list "cancer" as covered, but one might exclude early-stage cancers while the other pays out from diagnosis. The difference could be £250,000.
Restrictive
"Cancer is defined as a malignant tumour... The following are excluded: non-invasive cancers, early-stage cancers with a TNM classification of T1N0M0..."
Broad
"Any malignant tumour positively diagnosed with histological confirmation... Includes early-stage cancers with enhanced payments..."