Key idea
A different kind of health protection: a lump sum paid on diagnosis of a listed serious illness, to spend however you need.
Critical-illness (CI) cover pays a fixed lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of a defined list of serious conditions (cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and others). Unlike regular health insurance, it does not reimburse hospital bills. It hands you a cash sum on diagnosis.
How it differs from health cover
Health insurance
- Reimburses actual hospital bills
- Pays the hospital or you
- Covers most treatments
- Tied to admission and bills
Critical-illness cover
- Pays a fixed lump sum
- On diagnosis of a listed illness
- Yours to use freely
- Covers income loss, not just bills
Why it exists
A serious illness costs more than the hospital bill. There is lost income during recovery, home care, travel, and lifestyle changes, none of which a normal health policy covers. A CI payout fills that gap: it replaces income and funds the surrounding costs while you focus on recovering.
CI cover complements health insurance rather than replacing it. Read the list of covered illnesses and the survival period (the days you must survive after diagnosis to claim), as these vary by plan.
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