Critical Illness Cover Conditions

It can, though this will depend on a range of factors. These include the kind of epilepsy you have (e.g. petit mal, grand mal or nocturnal), how severe your seizures are, how long ago you were diagnosed, how many seizures you’ve had in the last year, and the last time you had a seizure.

In many cases, yes. As an example, less advanced cancer of the gallbladder with surgical removal is not uncommon. However, it’s worth confirming with the policy documentation.

This depends how advanced the lymphoma is.

Like with many cancers, it’s possible to get cover if you’ve been deemed in remission, or if it’s been a long time since you had treatment, though if the condition has advanced quite far, it may be harder to find cover, or you may have to pay a higher premium.

If you take out a policy and subsequently develop the condition, you’re quite likely to be able to make a claim, as it’s a commonly insured cancer. Of course, check your policy documents first.

It depends. This one is usually grouped within ‘cardiomyopathy’ – which not all insurers cover. Check with your provider or speak to an expert to be sure.

In many cases, yes – though this will depend on the kind and severity of lupus you have.

People who experience DLE may find it easier to arrange cover than those with SLE, though it will depend on your individual policy. Clinical symptoms (such as renal function) will tend to be favoured over subjective measurements, such as lethargy or fatigue.

Again, ask an expert or check with your provider.

The vast majority of critical illness cover providers would not offer a policy that includes HIV to anyone currently living with the condition.

It is possible to get critical illness cover for HIV if you don’t currently have it, but whether your policy pays out in the event of a diagnosis will likely depend on how the virus was contracted. Most providers only cover “accidental” contraction, which means caught in a specified list of countries from a blood transfusion, as a result of a physical assault or at work.

Many policies will cover hysterectomy that is carried out as the result of cervical cancer, though you’ll want to check your policy beforehand.

Yes, please see this article’s section on dementia for more information.

Cover for angina is a lot less common, and you may need to upgrade your policy or find a more specialist provider. Get in touch if you’d like some help with this.

If you’d like to know more about cover for other kinds of heart conditions, take a look at our guide on critical illness cover for heart attacks.

It depends. Many providers won’t cover TIA under a basic policy, as the ABI’s definition excludes this from their definition of stroke. So, you’ll want to check with your provider, or ask one of the experts we work with to find a policy that covers TIA.

Take a look at our guide to critical cover for strokes, if you’d like to know more.

Many do, assuming that the blindness is ‘permanent and irreversible’. Check with your provider to be sure.

Hip replacements for arthritis are often covered under the arthritis section of a basic policy. A hip replacement carried out for other reasons may require more specialist cover. Get in touch if you’d like to know more – one of the experts that we work with will be able to advise.

This depends. Many recent policies have been updated to include DCIS as part of their cover – which includes mastectomy, partial mastectomy, segmentectomy and lumpectomy.

However, a number of older policies (often before 2013) don’t pay out for the condition, despite covering a number of other cancers. The reason they usually give is because DCIS is an early-stage cancer.

If in doubt, check with your provider/potential provider.

Take a look at our guide to critical illness cover for cancer if you’d like more detail about how critical illness insurance treats other kinds of cancer

Yes. Many critical illness plans cover cerebral aneurysm (requiring surgical intervention) as a default, though you’ll want to obviously confirm this in your policy.

Often. Plenty of providers offer critical illness insurance for kidney disease as part of their standard coverage, though many of them will require the condition to be ‘advanced’ (eg. requiring permanent dialysis).

It depends. Critical illness cover for ankylosing spondylitis is less common than many other kinds of arthritis – but is often available through specialised providers, or as an upgrade to an existing plan.

Again, the symptoms may have to be severe for a claim to be eligible, and advanced AS may incur a higher premium on a new plan. Get in touch if you’d like one of the experts we work with to help you find the right plan for you.

Alternatively, take a look at our guide to critical illness cover for arthritis, if you’d like to see how coverage for other kinds of arthritis works.

Most policies cover what they deem ‘major’ organ transplants – the heart, the lungs, the liver, pancreas and bone marrow (though some will exclude bone marrow).

As a general rule, the procedure needs to be deemed ‘medically necessary’ by a doctor in order to be eligible for cover.

In many instances, yes, though in some cases a diagnosis needs to be given before the age of 65 for a claim to be valid. In many instances, there will need to be demonstrated evidence that there’s been a permanent effect on the claimant’s ability to reason, remember and perceive.

One thing to bear in mind about critical illness cover for Alzheimer’s is the matter of ‘agency’. Some people choose to put their critical illness insurance in a trust, in the result that any future progression of Alzheimer’s impedes their decision-making ability.