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  1. Life Insurance
  2. Serious illness cover

Serious illness cover

Cover that’s more likely to pay out than any other insurer1 Plus, with a qualifying plan you could get the Apple Watch® Series 6 deal.

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What is serious illness cover?

If you're diagnosed with a serious illness we cover, serious illness cover pays out a lump sum. The payout is tax-free and can cover your expenses while you take time to recover.

How much cover do I need?

Call us on 0161 216 7595 to speak to an adviser, or get a quote.

How does serious illness cover work?

For the duration of your plan, you'll pay monthly premiums. If you're diagnosed with one of the conditions we cover, you'll get a payout. 

Our cover pays out based on the impact that the condition has on your lifestyle. This means you could receive a payout at an earlier stage of your illness, even if it’s not life threatening. We’ll pay out 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 15%, 10% or 5% of your cover depending on the severity of your condition. 

Should your condition get worse, or you suffer with another condition, you can claim again. You can keep doing this until you’ve used up your whole cover amount.
Couple researching

What conditions are covered?

Typical critical illness insurance policies only cover 75 conditions2. Our serious illness cover Plus covers 182. These include:

✓ All heart attacks
✓ All strokes
✓ More cancers than any other provider1
✓ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
✓ Liver disease
✓ Dementia
✓ Coronary artery by-pass surgery
✓ Kidney failure
✓ Major organ transplant
✓ Multiple sclerosis.
father and son read

Do I need serious illness cover?

Illness can impact our lives at any time. On average, people are £570 worse off each month due to cancer diagnosis6. Insurance cover can reduce the financial impact of this. Consider serious illness cover if:
  • You and your family rely on your income
  • You're a single income household, or are the main breadwinner
  • Government benefits wouldn't cover your outgoings, or you're not eligible.

How is Vitality's cover different to critical illness cover?

Vitality's Critical Illness Cover is rated 5-star by Defaqto

  • More conditions covered

    Heart beat icon

    It covers all strokes, all heart attacks, and more cancers than any other insurer1.

  • More likely to get a payout

    Financial care icon

    You’re more likely to get a payout than any other insurer1.

  • Discounts and rewards

    Rewards icon

    Get discounts on Vitality partners and be rewarded for healthy living.

  • You're covered for later life

    older person with walking stick

    We’ll cover you in later life for conditions like Dementia and Alzheimer's.

What's included in serious illness cover?

✓ A tax-free lump sum
Our cover gives you financial support that matches the impact. The more severe your illness, the larger the payment you’ll receive.

✓ Up to 182 conditions covered
There are two levels of cover to choose from. Serious illness cover Plus covers you for 182 conditions. Serious illness cover covers you for 153 illnesses.

✓ Cover for your children
You can choose a cover amount of between £15,000 and £100,000 for your children for an extra monthly fee. If your child is diagnosed with one of the illnesses we cover, we give you a cash lump sum.

✓ Claim more than once
Your cover only stops when it’s all paid out, your term comes to an end or if you cancel it. Your cover will end if you stop paying your monthly premiums.

✓ Cover for later life conditions
Such as dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, stroke and frailty.
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How much cover do I need?

Call us on 01619742513 to speak to an adviser.

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Relevant guides and articles

  • Serious and critical illness cover

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    Serious and critical illness cover pays out a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious condition. The condition may not be life threatening, but it still impacts your life.

    Serious and critical illness cover explained

  • Life insurance for cancer patients

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    Read our comprehensive guide to getting life insurance as a cancer survivor and how to make a claim after a diagnosis.

    Life insurance for cancer patients explained

  • Life insurance and beneficiaries

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    What is a life insurance beneficiary? Find out everything you need to know about beneficiaries, putting life insurance into a trust, and more, in this guide.

    Life insurance and beneficiaries explained

Serious illness cover and critical illness cover FAQs

Can I add children to my serious illness cover?

You can choose a cover amount of between £15,000 and £100,000 for your children. If your child gets diagnosed with one of the illnesses we cover, we give you a cash lump sum. Your child is covered from one month old. If they stay in full-time education, we’ll cover them until the plan anniversary after their 23rd birthday. Your cover will include a children's hospital benefit that pays £100 a day if your child goes to hospital.

What’s the difference between life insurance and serious illness cover?

Life insurance pays a lump sum to your loved ones if you die or develop a terminal illness.

With serious illness cover, if you’re diagnosed with an illness we cover, the payment goes to you.

Can I claim on my serious illness cover more than once?

Most insurers will pay out 100% of the cover amount and then stop your plan. So if you need to claim again, you're not covered. It could be expensive – or impossible – for you to buy the same amount of cover again.

Even after you make a claim, our plans can protect you because we let you claim more than once. You won't get your whole lump sum if you don’t need it. So, if you claim for a condition that’s less severe, we pay out part of the cover amount for that condition. This leaves you the rest to keep protected in the future. 

What cancer is covered by serious illness cover?

Vitality’s cover protects you for:
  • Advanced Cancer
  • Advanced Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
  • Advanced Hodgkin’s disease
  • Advanced Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Borderline Ovarian Cancer
  • Cancer excluding less advanced cases
  • Carcinoma in-situ
  • Carcinoma in-situ - treated with surgery to remove the tumour
  • Carcinoma in-situ of the Oesophagus, requiring surgery
  • Desmoid-type fibromatosis
  • Low Grade Prostate Cancer
  • Lumpectomy for Ductal Carcinoma in-situ of the Breast
  • Mastectomy for Carcinoma in-situ of the Breast
  • Moderately Severe Aplastic Anaemia
  • Multiple Myeloma
  • Myelodysplasia
  • Non Melanoma Skin Cancer
  • Squamous Cell and Basal Cell Carcinomas of specified severity
  • Severe Aplastic Anaemia
See all conditions covered

What are the benefits of serious illness cover?

  • You’re more likely to get a payout
  • Peace of mind for you and your family if you become ill
  • Claim more than once

What is a good amount of serious illness cover?

There's no 'one size fits all' for what a good amount of cover is. The amount of serious illness cover you will need depends on many variables. Consider things like:
  • How much you and your family need to get by
  • Mortgage payments
  • Any savings you already have
  • Any ongoing debts

Why am I more likely to get a payout with serious illness cover than with critical illness cover?

It’s because serious illness cover covers all other conditions in the market (Defaqto 2019).

We also cover early stages of certain conditions. In some cases, you will get a partial payout when you are diagnosed. This means you don't need to wait until you have surgery or develop permanent symptoms to get a payout.

What is the difference between critical illness cover and serious illness cover?

Critical illness cover pays out for a smaller number of conditions, and will end once the plan has paid out in full.

Serious illness cover pays out an amount based on the severity of the condition. It covers a wider number of conditions and can pay out earlier than Critical illness cover.

Take eyesight for example. Critical Illness insurers will typically pay out in full on blindness in both eyes, and the plan will end. Serious illness cover will pay out part of the cover earlier on for blindness in one eye. We'll increase your payout as the condition progresses.
Sources

1VitalityLife conditions comparison tool, independently verified by Defaqto, February 2021
2Defaqto, 2021. Based on the top 5 insurers using ABI sales data.
3Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, 2017 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association. 
4State of the Nation Stroke statistics, February 2018. 
5Cancer Research UK, 2017. 
6Macmillan Cancer Support Research, June 2017

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