Critical illness cover could pay out a cash sum if you get one a specified critical illnesses, as defined by the insurer, during the length of your policy, such as heart attack, cancer or stroke.  The full list varies from depending on the insurance company, but typically will cover between 50-60 core conditions, and often more depending on additional coverage/less severe conditions.

Critical illness cover can often be added for an extra cost when you take out a standard life insurance policy and extra benefits such as terminal illness cover, and accidental death benefit can also be explored. Furthermore, if you are concerned about protecting your children from critical illness, some policies can also accommodate this within the main policy. Setting out to find the right policy for you will depend on your particular circumstances, and what is most important to you.