Canada Life Limited, registered in England no. 973271. Registered office: Canada Life Place, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 5BA. Member of the Association of British Insurers. Canada Life Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Canada Life Asset Management is the brand for investment management activities undertaken by Canada Life Asset Management Limited, Canada Life Limited and Canada Life European Real Estate Limited. Canada Life Asset Management Limited (no. 3846821), Canada Life Limited (no. 973271) and Canada Life European Real Estate Limited (no. 3846823) are all registered in England and the registered office for all three entities is Canada Life Place, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 5BA. Canada Life Asset Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Canada Life Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Canada Life International Limited, registered in the Isle of Man no. 33178 and CLI Institutional Limited, registered in the Isle of Man no. 108017C. Registered office: Canada Life House, Isle of Man Business Park, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM2 2QJ. Canada Life International Limited and CLI Institutional Limited are Isle of Man registered companies authorised and regulated by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority. Canada Life International Assurance (Ireland) DAC. Registered in Ireland with no. 440141. Registered office: Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, Ireland. Authorised and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland with register no. C46547. Category A Insurance Permit holder with the Jersey Financial Services Commission.
Stonehaven UK Limited and Canada Life Platform Limited, trading as Canada Life, are part of The Canada Life Group (U.K.) Limited. Stonehaven UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 05487702. Registered office: Canada Life Place, High Street, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 5BA. Canada Life Platform Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered no. 08395855. Registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Canada Life Place, High Street, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 5BA.
Canada Life and design are trademarks of The Canada Life Assurance Company.
When an insured person is diagnosed with a specific critical illness, they receive a lump-sum cash benefit to use any way they choose, regardless of other insurance they have or actual expenses incurred. This includes expenses such as medical deductibles and copayments, travel costs for medical treatment, child care, lost income of spouse or caregiver, home healthcare needs, and more.
What illnesses are covered?
Our critical illness insurance covers some of the most common serious illnesses like cancer, heart attack, stroke, and more.
When enrolling in employee benefits at work, electing to participate in your company's group critical illness insurance plan is worth serious consideration. Here's why.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
- One person dies every 37 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease
- About 647,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, constituting 1 in every 4 deaths.
These are very telling statistics that attest to the fact that no one is immune from heart disease, which is statistically the leading cause of death in the U.S., followed closely by cancer deaths. These stats also make a pretty good case for critical illness insurance.
In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know about group critical illness insurance, including:
Let's get started.
There are two main types of critical illness insurance policies: individual and group. Whereas an individual policy must be purchased on your own from a private insurance company, a group critical illness insurance plan can be enrolled at little to no cost through an employer or association.
Group critical illness insurance policies are designed to provide lump-sum cash benefits to members of the insured group if they become sick from a wide variety of illnesses. These may include:
- Heart attack
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
- Angioplasty
- Stroke
- Invasive cancer
- Non-invasive cancer
- Kidney (renal) failure
- Major Organ Transplant
- Advanced Alzheimer’s disease
- Paralysis
- Coma
If you’re currently covered or applying for coverage, check the policy for specifics on covered conditions.
If you or a spouse work for a large employer, you very likely are enrolled in their group health insurance program. Many smaller employers also offer group health coverage. And fortunately, an increasing number of companies are offering group critical illness insurance coverage as an employee benefit.
Your health insurance is invaluable when it comes to providing financial protection for you if you fall victim to any of the illnesses listed above. The cost of treating many of these can easily exceed $100,000, an expense that very few families are prepared to absorb. Being enrolled in your company’s group health insurance plan, or having an individual/family health insurance policy, is imperative to protect you from a financial disaster.
Group or individual critical illness insurance doesn’t replace your health insurance; it complements it. While your health insurance provides payments to doctors, hospitals, and specialists, critical illness insurance provides money to you directly, at a time when you need it most.
People enroll in critical illness insurance plans because they provide financial benefits paid directly to you in the form of a lump sum payment. If you have a covered illness, benefit amounts range from $5,000 to $500,000. This can help you:
- Pay insurance deductibles and co-pays
- Replace lost income from work you missed
- Cover mortgage payments, utilities, childcare costs, etc.
- Pay for experimental medical treatments and medications
- Pay for providers not covered by your health insurance plan
- Have funds for travel and lodging when seeking treatment away from home
- Replace a spouse’s income as they stay with you as you convalesce
Critical illness insurance can make all the difference between staying current with your monthly expenses or falling behind as debt accumulates. Most people are simply not prepared for the financial burden that can adversely affect their lifestyle, as well as their financial security.
Emerging from your illness financially sound is the primary benefit of your critical illness coverage.
One of the most affordable benefits an employer can offer employees is critical illness coverage. Typically for less than a dollar per day, you can have the security of knowing that you’ve protected yourself and your family.
That said, enrolling in your employer's group critical illness insurance plan may be worth it if:
- Your health insurance plan has a high deductible
- The savings you have set aside for emergencies is limited
- You have a history of critical illnesses in your family
- You don’t have an individual critical insurance policy
When enrolling in employee benefits when you start a new job or selecting benefits during your company’s open enrollment period for existing employees, electing to participate in the critical illness option is worth serious consideration if any of the above conditions apply to you.
Although the number is increasing, many companies still don’t offer group critical insurance illness coverage. This means that you’ll need to look into purchasing an individual critical illness insurance policy. Premiums may be higher for individual plans, but most people find them very affordable and well worth the investment.
The conditions covered and the benefit amounts do not vary widely between group and individual coverage. However, getting individual coverage does have a key difference. To get started, you will need to compare rates by running some personalized critical illness insurance quotes online.
As it is with any insurance coverage, the benefit outweighs the cost when there is a medical condition requiring expensive treatment and causing lost time at work for you or your spouse. It’s costly to have a critical illness, both in terms of financial and personal costs. A group critical illness insurance policy is a benefit you’ll want to take advantage of if it’s offered to you.
The information and content provided herein is for educational purposes only, and should not be considered legal, tax, investment, or financial advice, recommendation, or endorsement. Breeze does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability or usefulness of any testimonials, opinions, advice, product or service offers, or other information provided here by third parties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel.
You can decide what type of cover and the level of benefit you want to provide your employees. With standard and extended options, we offer cover for a wide range of serious conditions. We also offer ongoing cancer cover as standard, meaning we'll support your employees if it's their second or subsequent diagnosis of cancer as defined under the policy.
We also provide cover for children for 7 child-specific conditions, as well as the wide range of adult conditions included in the policy. This comes as standard with any Group Critical Illness policy and pays up to a maximum benefit of £20,000.
Watch our short video to find out how the Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace app can put valuable health and wellbeing benefits at employees' fingertips.
This video is suitable for financial adviser and employer use.
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People make businesses work. So, if employees aren’t in good health, neither is the business. The Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace app offers a range of health-related benefits, to help make a difference to employees and businesses, giving access to medical specialists from one of the UK’s largest networks of medical professionals The smartphone app and services are available to employees insured under Group Income Protection and Group Critical Illness policies and are provided by Square Health. They are non-contractual benefits that Aviva can withdraw at any time.
Privacy policy and terms and conditions apply and can be accessed within the app and must be agreed to before use.
Health Check
We all know how important it is to keep on top of our health, but we don’t always give it the attention it needs. Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace offers employees a yearly health assessment through a quick, self-administered pin-prick blood test which can be taken at home and posted back to Square Health for analysis. The test looks at 20 different health markers to help spot problems early on, including the risk of diabetes, cholesterol status and liver health. Test results are received in a personalised health report which will include any recommended courses of action.
A regular health check can help keep on top of health concerns, detect issues early and prevent future health problems.
Digital GP
It’s not always easy to get to a doctor’s appointment, so the Digital GP service provides a solution for non-emergency health matters. Available 8am-8pm, seven days a week, it offers up to three 20-minute video consultations a year with a registered GP. Available to insured employees and their immediate family, it offers medical advice and guidance, and the peace of mind of being able to speak to a doctor quickly. There’s an option to view GP biographies before booking a consultation and to keep the same GP for multiple appointments. Simply complete a short section within the app to give some health background, then book the appointment. With appointments usually available within 3 hours it offers fast, flexible access to medical advice. Medication costs apply, along with fit note and referral letter charges.
This service is useful for every day medical issues which normally mean a visit to the GP.
Second Medical Opinion
An initial diagnosis can come as a huge shock, so a second opinion could offer new information, and give some peace of mind. The second medical opinion service gives access to a network of UK-based clinical experts covering physical and mental health conditions. They can provide their medical opinion on a diagnosis originally given by a primary UK treating consultant. Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace allows up to two second medical opinions a year, shared between the employee and their immediate family. It offers face-to-face, telephone or in app consultations. A medical expert is then chosen based on their field of expertise or location. Once the necessary medical records are gathered, the expert will review the case, and issue a report, detailing their diagnosis and recommended treatment plan.
A second medical opinion could offer the confidence to go ahead and make important decisions about health and treatment paths.
Mental Health Consultation
Mental health is as important as physical health. Acting quickly to prevent and detect mental wellbeing issues and getting help as early as possible can make a big difference. Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace mental health consultations offers employees and their immediate family quick access to tailored advice from qualified therapists, up to six times a year. Whether it’s workplace stress, money worries, big changes in life or other events that can affect our mental wellbeing, this confidential service can help. Generally, within 48 hours, patients can get advice from a psychotherapist or cognitive behavioural therapist by video or phone from the privacy of their own home. It could help avoid potential NHS waiting times and private treatment costs. Therapists provide advice and devise a personal treatment plan, and, if needed, can signpost to further support.
It also provides emotional support if faced with bereavement.
Nutritional Consultation
It makes good sense to establish a healthy relationship with food. Nutrition affects our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Understanding more about it can help reset relationships with food and encourage long-term lifestyle changes. Through Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace, nutritionists offer advice on healthy eating plans, encourage accountability for food choices and help to break bad habits. Up to six 30 -minute consultations are available each year, which are shared between the employee and their immediate family. The nutritionist will develop a tailored, personalised plan based around lifestyle factors such as sleep and stress.
The advice aims to help establish relevant and achievable goals focussed around nutrition and lifestyle strategies.
More Information
For more information about our products and Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace, please speak to your usual Aviva contact or visit us online
What's included
- Standard cover
Covers 15 critical illnesses and operations, including cancer (excluding less advanced cases), cancer (second and subsequent), heart attack, stroke and major organ transplant. - Extended cover
Covers everything in Standard, as well as 26 other critical illnesses and operations, including aorta graft surgery, blindness, heart valve replacement or repair, liver failure and terminal illness.
For a full list of what's covered, please read our Group Critical Illness Technical Guide (PDF 337KB). - Child cover
Cover for children is automatically included and covers the following child-specific conditions, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, hydrocephalus, muscular dystrophy and spina bifida. Cover is for employees children (included adopted and step-children) from birth until their 18th birthday, or until their 21st birthday if they are in full time education. This benefit also provides cover for children's intensive care benefit requiring mechanical ventilation for 7 days and loss of independent existence. The adult conditions that the child is covered for are determined by the type of cover held by the employee (either standard or extended cover).For full details of what's covered, please read our Child cover brochure (PDF 2.95MB).
- Tailor your cover
You can boost your cover with these optional extras:Cancer drugs fund
This gives your employees access to a fund of up to £100,000 to pay for cancer drugs and follow-up expenses. They can only use this if the NHS Trust won't pay for their treatment.Partner cover
You can choose to extend cover to protect your employees' partners, up to £250,000.Total Permanent Disability
You can protect your employees even if they're diagnosed as totally and permanently disabled.
What's not included?
- Pre-existing conditions
We're unable to cover any pre-existing conditions (except Cancer - second and subsequent within defined circumstance). See our Group Critical Illness Technical Guide (PDF 337 KB) for further information. - Terminal illness
We will not be able to pay a claim for terminal illness if the member or child died before you notified us of the claim.
- Optional extras for children
Children are not covered by the cancer drugs fund or total permanent disability optional policy benefits.
- Self-inflicted injury
We don't cover any critical illness or operation that is a direct or indirect result of a self-inflicted injury.
Unfortunately, we can't cover everything. See our terms and conditions for more information.
We’re dedicated to helping people live their best lives.
With Group Critical Illness, your employees get access to expert clinical help when they need it. Alongside that and the financial support it offers, your employees get a suite of wellbeing services to help them make informed, balanced and positive lifestyle choices. And if the going gets tough, we have support services to help them cope, with stress and grief.
These services are non-contractual benefits Aviva can change or withdraw at any time. They are available to employees who are permanent residents of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace
We can help support your insured employees with the Aviva Digicare+ Workplace app, provided by Square Health. it gives them the guidance they need to help detect, manage and prevent physical and mental health problems. It helps your employees stay on top of their health. From a yearly Health Check to clinical help and opinions to consultations with experts, if offers the peace of mind they need to live their best lives. Terms apply.
Aviva Line Manager Toolkit: Mental Health
Developed by mental health professionals, the Aviva Line Manager Toolkit: Mental Health offers video modules and downloadable materials aimed at helping line managers spot the warning signs of poor mental health. It also helps them identify reasonable adjustments and manage professional boundaries.
The toolkit gives your managers more confidence to have supportive conversations with team members, so they can address issues before they become more serious. Terms apply.
Get Active
With Get Active, your insured employees can get discounts at over 3,000 health and fitness clubs, plus great at-home fitness offers and a range of savings on other products and services. It's all designed to help keep them and their families active, healthy and happy. Terms apply.
RedArc
RedArc is a nurse advice and support service available to insured employees who make a claim through Group Critical Illness cover. The service offers employees and their families long-term practical and emotional support over the telephone from a dedicated Personal Nurse. It's completely confidential and RedArc won't pass any information to any third party without the employee's consent.
Stress Helpline
Provided by Care first, the Stress Helpline offers insured employees over the age of 16 the chance to talk in confidence to trained counsellors about issues they feel are causing them stress.
The helpline can be a good place for employees who need help with personal or work-related stress issues. Talking and sharing can be the first step in helping to work through problems and resolve them, aiming to achieve the best outcome for employees and employers.
Wellbeing Library
Stress and worry can take a toll on wellbeing, wherever it comes from. The Wellbeing Library is an online library of useful content, hints and tips – including guides and tools. In the Wellbeing Library, your employees will find sections offering helpful support on all kinds of situations, from family and relationships, money or work, mental or physical health conditions. Whatever's on their mind, they can find information to help them deal with it.
Our Group Critical Illness Wellbeing services page gives more detailed information on all of the services above and how they could help you, your employees and your business.
Our Group Critical Illness Protection Wellbeing services page gives more detailed information on all of the services above and how they could help you, your employees and your business.
Explore our Wellbeing services
1
Either you or your employee should let us know about the illness or operation within three months of diagnosis. Call us on 0800 015 7523 or send the link to this page to your employee, so they can complete the online form.
We’ll ask for some information about your employee or their partner or child. We'll contact them directly for more information about their condition. We may also need their consent to contact the doctors involved in the diagnosis and treatment.
2
Once we've received the consent, we'll get in touch with the doctor or specialist treating your employee for more information.
3
If we’re happy with the details about the illness or operation, we’ll arrange to pay the lump sum.
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