What Do You Do If You Can’t Work Due to Illness?

It is all too easy to think that a critical illness or sudden injury will not happen to you, but if it does, what do you do next?

If you are diagnosed with a critical illness or incur an injury where you need surgery, it is likely you will have to take an extended period of time off work whether for treatment or recovery. If this was to happen, your first thought probably goes to your family and how they would cope if you had to stop work.

If you provide the bulk of the income for your home, your family could struggle without your salary if you were to take a break from work due to illness. Luckily, there are insurance policies out there that can help with this type of scenario.

Critical illness cover

Critical illness cover is a type of policy that can offer protection for you and your family, in the event of a serious illness or injury. Your critical illness policy will identify which illnesses and conditions are covered; this usually includes conditions like a stroke, heart attack and certain stages of cancer.

Taking out critical illness cover can provide a back-up plan for your family if you are suddenly unable to work, and alleviate some of the financial stress if you are unable to earn.

Who is critical illness cover for?

Critical illness cover is an ideal solution to replace your income, if you do not have sufficient savings or other spare money to see you through your time off work. Additionally, if you do not have an employee benefits package that helps to take care of time off work due to illness, then taking out critical illness cover can help.

If your household would suffer financially without your income, you should look into critical illness cover.

How can critical illness cover help?

Critical illness cover will pay out one, tax-free lump sum of money when you claim, in order to help support your family financially. This can be priceless in helping you while you deal with diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

You can use the pay-out from the policy towards childcare costs, household bills, general living expenses and also medical treatment if necessary. For some families, this can provide a lifeline.

When you take out critical illness cover, familiarise yourself with your policy documents. Not all illnesses or conditions will be covered, so you should ensure that you understand what is covered.

Critical illness cover is usually bought with life insurance, but you can take out the cover separately if you wish.

To help you understand the best cover to suit your needs, get in touch with our friendly and knowledgeable advisors.