Children's critical illness cover - explained

As parents, even when your little one is poorly with the common cold or chickenpox it can be hard to see. Not only is it difficult to see them suffering but in some instances, you may need to take time off work to look after them. Of course, this is all part and parcel of being a parent, however, if things took a turn for the worst - this could be your everyday reality.

No one wants to think about what could happen if your child/children were to become critically ill, however, sadly this is a reality that many are facing every day. Last year, leading life insurance provider Legal and General paid out a total of £2,734,193 in children’s critical illness claims.*

If the worst were to happen and your family was to find themselves in this position, not only would this be an emotionally difficult time but without the right protection in place, it could also be a financially detrimental time. Children’s critical illness cover could ensure that you would not have to worry about your finances during this tough time.

How does children's critical illness cover work?

Critical illness for your child/children is an uncomfortable subject to talk about but it is useful to be clued up on what may be included if you are considering this type of cover.

Children’s critical illness is not a standalone product, but some major life insurance providers include children’s critical illness as standard when arranging your own critical illness policy with them.

Also, did you know that your own critical illness policy will not be affected by any claim you were to make on the children's critical illness benefit?

How much children’s critical illness insurance can you get?

The amount of children’s critical illness cover you can get will vary depending on which provider your critical illness policy is with.

For example, leading insurer AIG Life, may pay up to £50,000 or 50% depending on the type and severity of the condition covered, whereas Scottish Widows will offer 50% of your cover amount or £30,000, whichever is lower.

What conditions could children’s critical illness cover?

The illnesses covered under this type of cover is likely to vary from provider to provider. Leading insurer Royal London covers child specific conditions such as:

• Down’s syndrome
• Type 1 diabetes
• Cystic fibrosis
• Cerebral palsy 

We always highly recommend reading your policy terms and conditions to fully understand what is covered with your provider.

Did you know?

Although it’s something no parent wants to think about, many children’s critical illness policies also offer additional financial benefits as part of their policy. For example, AIG Life offers:

• A child death benefit of £10,000
• Hospitalisation benefit of £100
• A birth defect cover of £5,000

Another benefit, offered this time by Legal & General, is a child care benefit that will provide up to £1,000 towards childcare costs in the event of a successful claim.

How do I claim?

To claim on your children’s critical illness policy, it would work in the same way as it would to claim on your own cover. If your child becomes diagnosed with a critical illness as stated in your policy terms and conditions, then you would be able to make a claim.

At Busy Bee, we don’t just arrange your policy for you, we are with you every step of the way. We are proud to say we have a dedicated trust team, customer service team and also if the worst happens we have our dedicated claims service at your disposal.

Everyone who takes out a life insurance policy dreads the day they or their loved ones may have to make a claim on it, which is why we created our claims support service to help you in any way we can. Whether it be to speak to your insurer on your behalf or even if it's just to hear a friendly voice over the phone.

Qualifying

Some providers automatically include children’s cover as standard within their policies, even if you don’t currently have any children!

It’s worth noting that legally adopted children, natural children, and stepchildren are generally considered eligible for cover, typically from birth or age 30 days, but again this may change from provider to provider.

Free additional benefits

If you hadn’t heard, most of the UK’s leading life insurance providers offer free additional benefits with their policies! Plus, most of these benefits include your children and are of no extra cost to you.

For example, AIG Life offers their SmartHealth app which offers nutritional consultations, fitness plans and mental health advice, just to name a few! These services are available to you, your immediate family and your children upto the age of 21.

Since January 2022, Royal London provides new customers with full access to their wellbeing and helping hand services which are available to you, your partner and your children. One of these services is Thrive which is an NHS-approved mental wellbeing app that provides personalised recommendations to help prevent, detect, and self-manage mental health conditions, such as stress and anxiety. Thrive also has a range of techniques that can help improve overall mental wellbeing.

Scottish Widows provide Clinic in a Pocket and RedArc services to you, your partner, and your children. The RedArc services can offer support in situations such as bereavement, trauma, long-term illness, disability, and support for your recovery if you have been recently discharged from the hospital. You will also have access to dedicated personal nurses, who have a wide range of specialised and general medical knowledge. They can provide support for long-term illnesses such as depression and anxiety and they can also provide a course of therapy, where appropriate.

Sadly, critical illness can strike at any time and any age but it is reassuring to know that life insurance providers regularly review the conditions covered within their policies. So if you’re thinking about getting critical illness cover, ask yourself, is it worth adding children’s critical illness cover on to your policy (if it doesn’t come included already)!

 *legalandgeneral.com