Our Critical Illness Proposition Just Got Stronger
We pride ourselves on listening to feedback from advisers and experts and following customer testing we’ve put together a series of meaningful Critical Illness policy enhancements that will mean we are there to financially assist more people who are facing difficult health diagnoses. This will offer new customers the flexibility to deal with their situation in their own way with less pressure on paying the bills or getting back to work.
We’ve made improvements to both our Plus and Core Critical Illness Policies. View the table below for further details:
| Enhancement | Eligibility | Benefits to client |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction of top up payments We will now make ‘Top Up Payments’ of £200,000 or the sum assured (whichever is lower) if the customer makes a valid claim before the age of 60 for one of the 9 conditions. | New customers only CI Plus only | Additional payouts that reflect the financial obligations of working-age clients. Claimants could use the money for whatever they want, including private treatment, to pay bills, home adaptations or to cross off bucket list experiences. Essentially to provide a better quality of life. |
| Enhanced definitions We have enhanced the definitions of the following conditions: – Parkinson’s Disease – Less Advanced Prostate Cancer – Blindness – Liver Failure – Traumatic Brain Injury – Intensive Care – Coronary Angioplasty In addition we have amended the Accidental Hospitalisation payout on the plus product from £5,000 to £50,000 or 50% of the sum assured (whichever is lower). | New customers only CI Core & Plus CI Core & Plus CI Core & Plus CI Core & Plus CI Core & Plus CI Core & Plus CI Plus only CI Plus only | By enhancing the definitions and increasing the accidental hospitalisation payout, we’re making it clearer what people are covered for and at the same time are providing broader, improved coverage. |
| Introduction of pregnancy complications cover If a customer or their partner* receive a definite diagnosis by a consultant obstetrician of one of the 7 covered conditions they could receive a payout of £5,000 if their policy has been live for at least 9 months. *Partner: Someone the policyholder is married to or in a civil partnership with, or someone they have been living with for a minimum of two years as if they were married or in a civil partnership. | New customers only CI Plus only | A lump sum payment could provide valuable financial support at an incredibly difficult time, allowing claimants to fund time off work, private counselling or a break to recuperate. This cover pays out once per policy per pregnancy. Multiple claims could be made if more than one pregnancy resulted in one of the covered conditions. If the customer and their partner both have a single policy (1 each) they would both be eligible to claim per pregnancy. |
| NHS Waiting List Advance Payment Customers can claim when they are placed on an NHS waiting list for surgery for qualifying conditions. | New customers only Cover dependent on condition – please refer to the CI Policy Booklet. | Giving customers the flexibility to claim earlier gives them a wider range of options including paying for private surgery to get treatment sooner. Customers don’t have to wait for the surgery to take place to receive their payout*. *If the client has standalone CI cover, they would need to survive at least 10 days from either the date of diagnosis of one of the specified critical illnesses or the date of one of the specified surgical procedures or, where applicable, the date they are placed on the NHS waiting list for surgery. |
For full terms and conditions, including exceptions please refer to the CI policy documents in our resource library. We also have a variety of resources and FAQs to support your client conversations which can be found on our dedicated CI page.
Join our webinar to find out more
Register to join one of our webinars where our BDM team will explain everything you need to know about the product enhancements.
If you’d like bespoke training for your team, please contact your local BDM who will be happy to help.
Need support with your agency setup?
Contact our Protection Adviser Support Team who will help you with everything from general queries to agency setup. Call them on 0345 587 3877 or email protectionteam@hsbc.com.