If you were diagnosed with a
critical illness, what would that
mean for you, your family,
your home or your finances?
Many of us have been impacted by
someone who’s suffered a critical illness
Finding out you have any kind of critical illness can be
devastating news and the emotional and financial impact can
be overwhelming for both you and your family.
But with recent, often ground-breaking advances in medicine, a growing number
of us are now not only surviving these major traumas, but going on to live for many,
many years after diagnosis. That’s not to say that such illnesses won’t change your
life dramatically.
You may not be well enough to return to work and yet the household bills and
everyday expenses will mount up. All the more reason, to make sure that, should the
worst happen, you can cope with the impact on you and your family and that your
recovery isn’t beset by financial worries.
How could critical illness cover help?
Having critical illness cover
may help to secure your
financial future in the wake
of an illness. Our critical
illness will pay a cash sum
when you are diagnosed
that you could use to:
• Pay towards your mortgage or other debts
• Replace some of the income you may lose while
unable to work
• Pay for home alterations or specialist equipment to
help you recover or cope with any lasting effects.
Financial protection you can rely on
– what does Zurich’s critical illness plan cover?
352,197
When taking out critical illness
cover with Zurich you’ll be
provided with comprehensive
cover which has been designed
to help and support you and
your family during a most
difficult time. It doesn’t just
include conditions that see
a small percentage of
occurrences; we’ve included
meaningful conditions to
provide you with protection
you can truly rely on.
In 2013 there
were 352,197
recorded new
cases of cancer
in the UK.*
IMPROVEMENT
24% ➡ 50%
But with earlier
detection and
medical advances
survival rates are
improving and cancer
survival has doubled
in the UK during the
last 40 years.*
Cancer is the most likely illness
that springs to mind when
thinking about critical illness.
And for good reason too,
cancer is consistently our most
common reason for claim in
2015. In 2015 it accounted for
59% of all the claims we paid.
With our critical illness plan
you’ll be reassured to know
we cover all invasive forms of
cancer and the majority of all
less advanced cancers, allowing
you to benefit even in the early
stages of cancer should you
need to make a claim.
Stroke, heart attack and
multiple sclerosis are the
next most commonly claimed
for conditions. And so, our
definitions provide cover
on diagnosis of any of
these illnesses.
In total you’ll be covered
against 85 conditions, 32 of
these definitions are Additional
Payment Conditions. While
these conditions may not be
as severe as some of the main
ones covered by a critical illness
plan, they are still traumatic and
can have a financial impact.
So if you suffer from one of
those conditions, we will pay
out the lower of £15,000 or
20% of your total benefit.
There is no limit to the number
of times you can claim for
different additional payment
conditions, and this benefit is
on top of the main benefit
which will remain unchanged.
Please refer to T&C’s for
full breakdown on the
conditions covered.
Our most common reasons for claims in 2015
Cancer
59%
Heart attack
13%
Multiple
sclerosis
Stroke
7%
*http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics
5%
Childrens cover
Our critical illness plan also provides cover for your children from 3 months
to 18 years old. If they suffer one of the 85 conditions covered, we will pay
either 50% of the sum assured or £25,000, whichever is the lower; or for
the definitions under the additional payments conditions we will pay either
20% of the sum assured or £15,000, whichever is the lower, providing
financial support to you at a difficult time. Please refer to the full T&C’s
for a full breakdown.
Feel confident in our claims service
...we paid out
92%
of our critical
illness claims,
making total
payments of
£65.4
788
million to
customers.
The rise in survival rates
for those diagnosed with
a critical illness may be
extremely encouraging, but
when you are faced with
having to live with the effects
of your ill health and the often
sudden and dramatic change
in your lifestyle, you want to
be confident that your critical
illness plan will pay out when
you need it most.
We pride ourselves on
looking for reasons to pay
claims rather than reasons
not to. The facts speak for
themselves. In 2015, we
paid out 92% of our critical
illness claims, making total
payments of £65.4 million
to 788 customers.
Our aim is to make sure all
valid claims are paid as quickly
and efficiently as possible and
we settled over half of all
claims within 21 days, with
the fastest taking just one day
to process. There are no
lengthy forms to complete
and we can take details of
claims over the phone. We
will also give you and your
immediate family members
access to a free, professional
and confidential counselling
support service, which you
can use as many times as
you need.
Support for you and your
family throughout the
lifetime of the plan
When taking out a Zurich
protection policy you’ll also
have access to Zurich Support
Services. It’s a free, professional
and confidential counselling/
advice service that you and
your immediate family can use
as many times as you need, to
help through life’s difficulties.
It can help you find things you
need and want to know about,
for example:
• whether your mortgage
payments are covered
• can your family pay
the bills?
• how to get the best from
the NHS
• putting you in touch with
medical advisers, who in
turn can help answer
your concerns about an
illness, treatment and
support services available
... and much, much more.
This is a completely independent and confidential service available at no extra cost.
Speak to your financial adviser today to find out more about how Zurich’s protection plans
could help look after your financial future.
Zurich Assurance Ltd.
Registered in England and Wales under company number 02456671.
Registered Office: The Grange, Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, GL52 8XX.
PW719213001 (06/16) RRD