Royal London Critical Illness Cover
Royal London has made a number of changes to its CI plan, after a last major update just over a year ago (reviewed January 2019). The changes include:
• Adding one new condition – removal of an eyeball.
• Removing AIDS/HIV as a condition (as have many CI insurers now).
• The following new additional payment conditions have been added:
- Carotid artery stenosis.
- Cerebral or spinal aneurysm.
- Cerebral or spinal arteriovenous malformation.
- Non-malignant tumour of the pituitary gland.
• Changes have been made to the following existing condition definitions:
- Accidental hospitalisation. Removal of the drug and alcohol abuse exclusion.
- Benign brain and spinal cord tumour. Removal of the drug and alcohol abuse exclusion.
- Brain injury due to trauma, anoxia or hypoxia. Two conditions now consolidated into one.
- Coma. Removal of the drug and alcohol abuse exclusion.
- Dementia. The previous dementia and Alzheimer’s disease conditions have been consolidated into one definition.
- Intensive care. Removal of the drug and alcohol abuse exclusion.
- Liver failure. Removal of the drug and alcohol abuse exclusion.
- Pulmonary hypertension. Secondary pulmonary hypertension (due to other causes) is now included.
• On Children’s Cover, the age range is increased to up to their 23rd birthday if in full-time education or 21st birthday if not. On Enhanced Children’s Cover, an insured child can now take up a conversion option to have their own plan up to £50K with no medical information. This option is triggered when their own cover stops, and they must exercise the option within six months.
• Adding an advanced payment for 11 additional conditions requiring surgery on joining an NHS waiting list. The 11 are aorta graft surgery; benign brain or spinal cord tumour; cardiac arrest; cardiomyopathy; coronary artery by-pass grafts; heart valve repair or replacement; peripheral vascular disease; pneumonectomy; pulmonary artery graft surgery; structural heart surgery, and ulcerative colitis.
Comment: This is a pretty wide-ranging update by Royal London. One full condition has been added (and one – HIV/AIDS removed) but it’s the smaller points that add up to a better package overall.
So, a number of definitions have been improved and going from one to 12 advanced payment conditions is a nice practical step that will help many.
Overall, more people who suffer a critical illness will be able to claim. The only slight disappointment is that more has not been done to simplify the proposition. Perhaps that’s one for the next update?
Plus points: Some new conditions added; Advanced payments have gone from one to 12; Some definitions improved; Overall more serious conditions will now be claimable.
Not so plus points: One condition removed (AIDS/HIV, as have many other CI insurers); Relatively little on simplifying the proposition – an important trend as CI is perceived as being over-complex; Children’s conversion option has limits.
Website:www.royallondon.com.
Rating (max 10): Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: CI; Royal London