Can I Get Critical Illness Insurance If I've Had Cancer?
Question asked by Ruth Stone
I have a Critical Illness Insurance policy. With the coronavirus spreading to the UK, I was wondering if I’d be covered under my insurance if I fell ill with it?
Unfortunately, Critical Illness Cover is unlikely to pay out for a diagnosis of coronavirus. This is because Critical Illness Insurance only pays out on diagnosis of a set number of critical illnesses at a set severity as per the policy’s terms.
Viral infections such as coronavirus don’t tend to be included on these lists of ‘critical’ illnesses and so are unlikely to trigger a payout on the policy. This is regardless of whether you took out a new policy or had an existing one already in place.
Critical Illness Insurance policies sometimes have a total permanent disability (TPD) benefit attached, but even here there’s no current evidence among people who’ve developed the virus that there is any lasting severe and total disability from contracting the disease that would trigger a payout.
If the Critical Illness Insurance policy is in force before you develop coronavirus and has a death benefit attached, however, then assuming you pass away you should be able to make a death claim on the policy.