5* Serious Illness Cover

We cover more conditions than any other insurer¹

What is Serious Illness Cover?

Serious Illness Cover ensures you and your loved ones are protected if you fall ill, paying out a lump sum which can be used to cover expenses and monthly outgoings while you take the time you need to recover.

Our Serious Illness plan covers 178 conditions which is more than any critical illness cover on the market¹.

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Do I need Serious Illness Cover?

Critical illness can strike at any time. One in two people in the UK will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime², every seven minutes someone will have a heart attack and every 12 minutes someone will have a stroke³.

Critical illness can severely impact the way you live your life, especially when you have to consider supporting your family while you are recovering.. A life insurance plan can help give you peace of mind that you and your loved ones will be protected.

How are we different?

Our comprehensive Serious Illness Cover offers you far more cover than a typical critical illness cover.

We cover 178 conditions on our Comprehensive Serious Illness Cover and 145 on Primary Serious Illness Cover
That’s more conditions than any other provider¹
7% of Serious Illness Cover claims paid in 2018 were for conditions unique to Vitality
We payout based on how severe your condition is
We cover the earlier stages of certain conditions
You can claim more than once if you have cover left

Why choose us?

Benefit from award-winning Serious Illness Cover which rewards you for being healthy

A brand you can trust

Over £20 million paid in Serious Illness Cover claims in 2018⁴
Discounts and rewards

Over £81 million given in Vitality benefits and rewards in 2018⁵
Free, no-obligation advice

Our advisers are highly trained and offer free, expert advice
Improve your health

Lower incidence of Life Cover claims in actively involved members⁶

Dementia and FrailCare Cover

Unlike any other provider, our Serious Illness Cover can help you with later life care needs.

Dementia and FrailCare Cover provide protection for conditions relevant to ageing, including dementia, Alzheimer's, stroke and frailty. It starts when your Serious Illness Cover term ends and is available with Vitality Optimiser or Wellness Optimiser at no initial additional cost, you just continue to pay your premium when Dementia and FrailCare Cover begins.

Dementia and FrailCare Cover is capped at £100,000 and applies to a minimum Serious Illness Cover term of 10 years and a maximum age of 60 at entry.
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Serious Illness Cover Booster

Our Serious Illness Cover Booster offers you additional peace of mind that you would receive payments of up to 200% for long-term debilitating illnesses as well as payments from 100% for all the key conditions.

You’ll also receive cover for early stages and less severe illnesses as we recognise that these can still have a deep impact on your life.

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Am I covered for heart attacks or stroke?

We define medical conditions in the same way as the medical profession. So, if your consultant or doctor diagnoses that you’ve had a heart attack or stroke, we pay out. The amount we pay depends on the severity of your condition, which means we can cover all types of heart attack and strokes.

Am I more likely to get a payout with Serious Illness Cover than Critical Illness Cover?

Whether you are more likely to get a payout for Serious Illness Cover over critical illness cover depends on your circumstances and on each individual provider.. Our Serious Illness Cover however covers more conditions than a typical critical illness cover meaning the likelihood you would receive a payout would be greater.

Can I add children to my Serious Illness Cover?

Yes, you can choose a cover amount of between £20,000 and £100,000 for your children. If your child is diagnosed with one of the illnesses we cover, we give you a cash lump sum.

How do severity-based payments work?

We pay out on the severity of your illness or disability meaning that you could receive a payout at an earlier stage or your illness, even if it’s not life threatening. There are seven levels of severity to determine how much money gets paid out when you need to make a claim.

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Important information

¹Defaqto verified Competitor Comparisons, Sep 2018
²Cancer Research UK, 2015
³Heart UK, 2016
⁴The percentage of claims accepted for Serious Illness Cover in 2018 was 91.2% and the total amount paid was £20,393,940
⁵With VitalityLife's Optimisers which are available at an additional monthly cost of £1.75 for Lite or £4.50 for Full. Source: Vitality internal data, May 2019.
⁶According to Vitality internal data (2018), over the past five years members who engaged in the Vitality Healthy Living Programme had a significantly lower incidence of Life Cover claims across all age groups when compared to those who did not engage.