Children’s critical illness cover can be added to an adult’s policy. If your child gets sick and it pays a lump-sum to help your finances should your world get turned upside down.
What is children's critical illness cover?
If your child is diagnosed critically ill with a condition specified if your policy, then your insurer will pay a tax-free lump-sum to help you manage financially.
Policies vary, but usually you can cover a child from a few days after birth right up to adulthood. And for even longer if your child plans further education and will remain financially dependent on you.
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What does a children’s critical illness policy cover?
Children’s critical illness cover is similar to an adult critical illness policy in that it’ll cover many types of cancers, heart conditions and other critical issues children may face.
The conditions insurers cover may differ, provider to provider, so if you’ve something specific you want to talk about, a LifeSearch expert adviser can advise what’s possible.
What doesn’t it cover?
Children’s critical illness policies don’t cover every possible condition or injury. For a sense of scale, one insurer we work with covers over 50 conditions or possibilities. Another covers over 65 conditions or possibilities.
If you have something specific you wish to cover, or want to check what conditions are covered in an existing policy, please just pick up that phone and speak with a LifeSearch expert adviser.
How does money help?
Money isn’t magic. It doesn’t make an awful situation disappear, but it helps at a practical level. There are extra and sometimes hidden costs when anyone gets critically ill, especially children:
Costs of a child's critical illness could include:
Time off work
If a critically ill child needs care and support, and it’s not like a parent will feel much like working anyway, time off work is inevitable and that may mean a significant loss of income.
Medicine / treatment
The NHS may provide core medicine and treatments but the cost of additional, elective or alternative medicines, including new dietary items, pretty much falls on the parent(s).
Private care / therapy
You may opt for private healthcare for your child, which is hugely expensive, but private healthcare can also mean counselling for parents struggling in a new situation.
Plus some more costs to consider...
Equipment costs
Although the NHS will provide some equipment to support a sick child’s new needs, parents may have to cover costs for equipment that make daily life more comfortable.
Transport
If your child’s treatment facility isn’t in the local area, it potentially means of a lot of extra travel. That equals costs and, again, time off work to make space.
Home modifications
It’s very possible that the home you live in will need to be adapted (rooms moved, new facilities installed) for a new situation. That comes with major cost.
What happens when you claim on a children’s critical illness policy?
If your child suffers from an event or illness specified in your policy you can claim. In that instance, let LifeSearch know. We have an in-house claims team who can support you through the claims process. That’s one less thing for you to worry about on your own while there’s important stuff going on at home.
There may be questions and some back-and-forth with doctors but LifeSearch can stay on top of that as we liaise with the insurer and other relevant parties to ensure the swiftest, best resolution possible.
How the claim unfolds, and what happens after, depends on what was agreed when you bought your policy. Where children’s critical illness cover is a bolt-on to an adult’s cover, some insurers pay a percentage of the adult’s total pay-out amount.
How much does critical illness cover cost?
The average cost of a Life + Critical Illness policy, over the term of 25 years
| Starting Age | Cost to cover payout of £75,000 |
|---|---|
| 25 |
£19.14 |
| 30 |
£25.01 |
| 35 |
£31.66 |
| 40 |
£46.31 |
| 45 | £66.70 |
| 50 |
£99.91 |
| 55 |
£154.62 |
*Pricing information obtained 08/06/2023. This data is based on a non-smoker with no medical history.
These prices do not necessarily include children's critical illness cover, as it's dependent on each insurer. Speak to LifeSearch Adviser for more information.
Critical illness cover can be a standalone product but more often than not it is bought alongside life insurance - to cover all bases and because it’s usually more affordable to bundle.
How much you pay for critical illness cover depends on where you’re at now (age, health, circumstances), and how much cover you want – i.e. how much you want your lump sum payout to be.
Critical illness cover cost and cover calculator
Our simple calculator can help you to work out what insurance you need and give you estimated costs for different types of life cover. You can then speak to an adviser or buy online.
It can be. At LifeSearch we help you build the right policy for you. We design policies around what you need to feel OK; as well as your circumstances, budget, and future plans.
It’s very common for adults to take out ‘life and CIC’ (CIC – critical illness cover), so talk with a LifeSearch expert and we can tell you what’s possible to protect the people you love.
Each insurer has a slightly different approach to children’s critical illness cover. In some cases where a child or children are protected as part of an adult’s policy, the policy will continue after claiming on a child.
Speak with an expert LifeSearch adviser who can give you the right advice on which policy is right for you.
To be honest, we’d rather not coldly write up a list of stats. The answer is that it happens. Unfortunately, it happens
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