Posted 8 Jan 2021

What are the 36 critical illnesses?
Many people who are looking for critical illness cover are concerned about what is covered and how it works. You might have heard in the past that there are 36 critical illnesses that are covered which isn’t always the case, but it’s a good place to start.
Most critical illness cover policies will include the 36 main conditions as well as several more depending on the insurer and level of the plan.
The following are widely considered 36 critical illnesses:
1. Cancer | 19. Hepatitis (Fulminant Viral) |
2. Heart Attack | 20. Coronary Artery Disease |
3. Stroke | 21. Encephalitis |
4. Kidney Failure | 22. Head Trauma |
5. Multiple Sclerosis | 23. Medullary Cystic Disease |
6. Parkinson’s Disease | 24. Brain Surgery |
7. Alzheimer’s Disease | 25. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery |
8. Brain Tumour (Benign) | 26. Lung Disease (end-stage) |
9. Paralysis (limbs) | 27. Surgery of the Aorta |
10. Muscular Dystrophy | 28. Terminal Illness |
11. Third Degree Burns | 29. Loss of Independence |
12. HIV | 30. Major Organ Transplant |
13. Cardiomyopathy | 31. Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension |
14. Loss of Speech | 32. Severe Coronary Artery Disease |
15. Chronic Aplastic Anaemia | 33. Heart Valve Surgery |
16. Blindness (Permanent) | 34. Angioplasty |
17. Bacterial Meningitis | 35. Coma |
18. Liver Failure (end-stage) | 36. Deafness (Permanent) |
Looking at the current products that are available, almost all will at least cover these and many more. There are two different categories of critical illness cover which are:
Standard cover: These policies generally cover up to or around 75 critical illness definitions and will pay out 100% of the sum assured at the point of claim
Enhanced cover: This type of critical illness cover policy will pay out for up to 182 different serious illness definitions. The main difference is that it will pay out 100% for severe conditions and drop down to 10% based on severity or impact on lifestyle
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If you need more advice or help to get the best critical illness cover for you then please feel free to contact our iam|INSURED experts on 0800 009 6559
Our advice is absolutely FREE and we offer cover from all of the TOP insurance brands
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