For customers Friends Life Individual Protection Critical Illness Cover. Critical Illness Cover. It s critical illness. And more.

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1 For customers Friends Life Individual Protection Critical Illness Cover Critical Illness Cover It s critical illness. And more.

2 It s critical illness. And 2

3 it s designed with your needs in mind. it covers a comprehensive list of conditions. it covers conditions for reassurance. it gives you access to health related support. it provides childcover benefit. it provides an advance payment for certain types of surgery. it offers a range of additional options. it s adaptable to your circumstances. 3

4 It s designed with your needs in mind. We place great value on health and we understand the worry that health concerns cause. Our critical illness cover is designed to help if you suffer a specified serious illness or undergo a certain type of operation. It pays a one-off lump sum or an annual benefit if you choose our family income benefit option. You can see a list of the specified critical illnesses and operations it covers on pages 5 and 6. We strongly believe that critical illness cover can help bring financial peace of mind and so we ve developed a comprehensive product which could really help you and your family during a most difficult time. You may need to review and update your cover from time to time to make sure that it remains adequate for your needs. If you stopped paying your premiums your cover would stop. Friends Life Critical Illness Cover pays out for the specified covers only it has no cash-in value. You can also add life cover to your critical illness product. In this case we would pay the benefit if a person covered dies or suffers a terminal illness. Our critical illness cover offers a variety of terms and optional benefits. It includes health services, exclusion-based premium discounts and it comprises of conditions and operations that we believe are important to you such as cancer, stroke and heart attack as well as illnesses that are becoming increasingly common like diabetes, ulcerative colitis and Crohn s disease. 4

5 It covers a comprehensive list of conditions. Our critical illness cover includes a comprehensive list of conditions and operations. And we don t add any conditions just to make our list longer - we add meaningful conditions to offer wider cover for you. Terms and conditions apply. ABI* standard conditions Deafness permanent and irreversible Kidney failure requiring permanent dialysis Loss of speech permanent and irreversible Motor neurone disease resulting in permanent symptoms Traumatic brain injury resulting in permanent symptoms Terminal illness *The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is the industry body for the UK s insurance, investment and long-term savings industry. ABI* enhanced conditions Aorta graft surgery Benign brain tumour with permanent symptoms or undergoing defined treatments Blindness permanent and irreversible Cancer excluding less advanced cases Coma with associated permanent symptoms Coronary artery by-pass grafts Heart attack of specified severity Heart valve replacement or repair HIV infection caught from a blood transfusion, a physical assault or at work in an eligible occupation Loss of hand or foot permanent physical severance Major organ transplant from another donor Multiple sclerosis of specified severity Paralysis of limb total and irreversible Parkinson s disease resulting in permanent symptoms Stroke of specified severity Third degree burns covering 20 per cent of the body s surface area or 20 per cent loss of surface area of the face 5

6 Additional conditions Aplastic anaemia - of specified severity Bacterial meningitis - resulting in permanent symptoms Benign spinal cord tumour - resulting in permanent symptoms Cardiac arrest - with insertion of a defibrillator Cardiomyopathy - of specified severity Chronic rheumatoid arthritis Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - resulting in permanent symptoms Crohn s disease - of specified severity Dementia including Alzheimer s disease - resulting in permanent symptoms Diabetes mellitus type 1 - first diagnosis over age 40 and requiring permanent insulin injections Liver failure Loss of independence Open heart surgery Progressive supra-nuclear palsy - resulting in permanent symptoms Respiratory failure - severe lung disease - of specified severity Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) - of specified severity Ulcerative colitis - treated with total colectomy Additional payment conditions These are conditions where we would make an additional payment of your total cover. This payment would be in addition to your main benefit and you would still be able to make a further claim. For each of these conditions, we will pay the lower of 25 per cent of the benefit or 25,000. Cerebral aneurysm - with surgical repair Cerebral arteriovenous malformation - with surgical repair Coronary angioplasty Crohn s disease - treated with surgical intestinal resection Less advanced cancers - of named sites and specified severity Non-malignant pituitary adenoma - with specified treatment Removal of one or more lobe(s) of the lungs - for disease or trauma Severe hearing loss - permanent and irreversible Significant visual loss - permanent and irreversible 6

7 It covers conditions for reassurance. Conditions to provide further reassurance In addition to the conditions recommended by the ABI, our cover includes a wide range of extra conditions. We ve added these based on our research into what offers most reassurance for our customers and it all means improved cover for you. We cover all invasive forms of cancer and the majority of all less advanced cancers, allowing you to benefit even in the early stages of cancer should you need to make a claim. Stroke, heart attack and multiple sclerosis are also some of our most commonly claimed for conditions. And so, our definitions provide cover on diagnosis of any of these illnesses. We are also one of the few providers to cover diabetes mellitus type 1. Terms and conditions apply. We use our claims experience and expertise to continually evolve our cover to offer you quality cover providing real benefits. We aim to make our conditions more relevant and up-to-date by looking at medical advancements. We understand that cancer is still the number one health worry for many people. In fact, in 2014 cancer was by far the most common reason for our customers to claim*. * Friends Life Claims Department claims statistics. 7

8 How we enhanced the ABI conditions: Aorta graft surgery We have enhanced this definition by removing Surgery following traumatic injury to the aorta. Benign brain tumour We have enhanced this definition so that the requirement for permanent neurological deficit with persisting clinical symptoms will be waived if the benign brain tumour is surgically removed or if stereotactic radiosurgery or chemotherapy is performed. Blindness We have enhanced this definition so that when tested with the use of visual aids vision must be measured at 6/60 or worse in the better eye or the visual field is reduced to 20 degrees or less of an arc. Cancer We cover non melanoma skin cancers that have become invasive and we have removed the chronic lymphocytic leukaemia exclusion. Coma Our coma definition does not have a time constraint. Coronary artery heart bypass We have enhanced this definition so that it covers keyhole surgery. Heart attack We have removed Typical clinical symptoms (for example, characteristic chest pain) from the definition. We do not require you to have these symptoms in order to meet our heart attack definition. We have also removed the requirement for a specific troponin level to be met as well as including other diagnostic imaging tests. Heart valve replacement or repair We have enhanced this definition so that it covers all types of surgery. 8 HIV infection We have removed the requirement for this to occur in the UK. Loss of hand or foot We only require loss of one hand or foot and not two. Major organ transplant We have enhanced this definition so that it includes the transplant of a lobe of liver or transplant of a lobe of lung. Multiple sclerosis We have enhanced this definition by removing the requirement of motor sensory function impairment persisting continuously for six months. We now provide cover from the date of diagnosis without the need for current symptoms. Paralysis of limb We only require total and irreversible loss of muscle function to the whole of any limb. Parkinson s disease We have enhanced this definition by requiring only one of either, tremor or muscle rigidity associated with permanent clinical impairment of motor function. Stroke We have extended this definition to include instances where clear medical evidence proves a stroke without the need to establish the permanency of neurological deficit. We also do not exclude traumatic injury to brain tissue or blood vessels. Third degree burns We have enhanced this definition so that it includes 20 per cent loss of surface area of the face.

9 It gives you access to health related support. We provide a range of health related services designed to offer help when you need it. Bupa HealthLine Bupa HealthLine is a team of skilled and experienced nurses, with a wealth of up-to-date health information at their fingertips. You can speak to a fully qualified Bupa nurse about any type of health query, day or night, on any day of the year. Bupa HealthLine is also available to your partner and dependent children all you have to do is call. Second Opinion Second Opinion by Best Doctors provides a second medical opinion service that is there for you, your partner and your children, up to age 18 or age 23 if in full time education. It can be used from the very first day of cover, and at any time during the term of your policy. Best Doctors is a network of over 53,000 leading medical experts who can give you peace of mind that you have the right information to make important medical decisions with confidence. They offer a second opinion from one of the best experts in the world, giving confirmation of diagnosis and the recommended course of treatment. Short-term counselling This service provides up to six, 50 minute counselling sessions, providing help with any type of mental wellness issue, such as bereavement or relationship breakdown. It offers either face to face or telephone based counselling and can be used by you, your partner or your children over age 18. Carer support service If you are a carer and facing the challenges of caring for a loved one, this service can provide you with help and information on all aspects of caring. Bupa HealthLine, Second Opinion and our counselling and carer support services are discretionary benefits that may be withdrawn by Friends Life at any time. Bupa HealthLine is provided by or through subsidiary companies of the Bupa Group. Best Doctors is a registered trademark of Best Doctors, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used with permission. Counselling and carer support services are provided by Workplace Options. 9

10 It provides childcover benefit. The prospect of our children falling ill is a highly sensitive subject. We don t want you to think about it we just want you to be assured that your children are covered by our critical illness cover. If you don t have children when you take out your critical illness cover, and then go on to have them, they will be covered at no additional cost and with no need for underwriting. Our childcover benefit means we will cover children for all but one of the conditions listed on pages 5 and 6, even if they are of a congenital or familial nature. So, if your child was diagnosed with one of these conditions after the policy has started, they will be eligible for childcover benefit. The condition not included is diabetes mellitus type 1. As well as these conditions, we also cover: cerebral palsy cystic fibrosis hydrocephalus - treated with insertion of a shunt muscular dystrophy spina bifida - of specified severity We also provide cover if your child requires intensive care for seven consecutive days due to sickness or injury. Children are covered for acceleration payment benefit for specified surgical treatments, So, your child won t have to wait for their operation. Children are eligible for childcover from birth until their 18th birthday, or up to their 21st birthday if not in full time employment. To make a claim, the condition must be diagnosed or the symptoms must have arisen after the policy starts. A childcover benefit claim will not affect your overall benefit. We will pay up to 50 per cent of your benefit, or 25,000 which ever is lower. Or if your claim is for an additional payment condition, we will pay up to 25 per cent of your benefit or 25,000. And in case the very worst were to happen, our critical illness cover also includes child funeral benefit which is paid in addition to childcover benefit. 10

11 It provides an advance payment for certain types of surgery. There are some instances where you will be put on an NHS waiting list for certain types of surgery. We will pay the lower of 25 per cent of your benefit or up to 25,000. When an advance payment is made your benefit will be reduced by the amount of the advance payment we make to you. Once you have undergone the surgery, we will then pay the remaining balance of your benefit - or, if you prefer, you can continue with your cover to protect you against further potential critical illness. Terms and conditions apply. We don t want you to have to wait for operations for potentially life-threatening conditions. We want to give you the option to pay for your operation if this will help speed the process up. So, we will make an advance payment if you are on the relevant NHS waiting list for the hospital where it is proposed the surgical treatment is to take place for one of the following types of surgery: aorta graft surgery coronary artery by-pass grafts heart valve replacement or repair open heart surgery 11

12 It offers you a range of additional options. You can choose to add these additional options to your critical illness cover: Fracture cover A sudden break could be hard on finances. If you suffer one of 18 specified fractures, we will pay a lump sum of up to 2,100. This option is available for an additional cost of 2 a month. Fracture cover does not cover children. Global Treatment Friends Life is the only UK protection provider to team up with Best Doctors to exclusively offer Global Treatment, as an additional option with any of our Protect+ covers giving you access to top medical minds and leading overseas treatment. Serious illnesses like cancer and heart conditions are all too common. But while our country s healthcare system is advanced, sometimes the very latest or leading treatment options may not always be available in the UK, even privately. With Global Treatment you can access treatment, wherever it s provided allowing you to explore all avenues to find the best solution. For 4 a month, on diagnosis of one of the most common serious illnesses or if you require certain medical procedures, you or your child could be treated at a world-renowned hospital overseas. Global Treatment also pays travel and accommodation costs for you and a companion (both parents, or a parent and companion, if your child is ill). Global Treatment could open doors to more treatment options. It s a small price to pay for the peace of mind this can provide. For more information on our Global Treatment option, please visit Terms and conditions apply. Best Doctors is a registered trademark of Best Doctors, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Used with permission. 12

13 Indexation We will increase your amount of cover on your policy anniversary. The amount your cover increases by will depend on the indexation option you select at the application stage. The yearly increase levels you can choose from are: Retail Prices Index (RPI), Average Weekly Earnings (AWE), or by set levels of three per cent or five per cent. Indexation will result in an increased premium and if you cancel the indexation option at any time, no further increases will be made. Reinstatement The reinstatement option provides additional cover that will allow you to take out a new policy after a claim has been paid. This would provide limited cover for the people covered. Restrictions and limitations apply and is available at an additional cost. Waiver of premium If you are unable to do your normal paid occupation as a result of illness or injury, then after three months you would not need to pay your premiums for the period you cannot work, provided you are not doing any other paid occupation at that time. This option is available at an additional cost. Total permanent disability The total permanent disability option will provide you with your full benefit if you are totally and permanently unable to carry out either your own occupation or a suited occupation or three activities of daily work - depending on which option you have chosen. This option is available at an additional cost and is not available on childcover benefit. 13

14 It s adaptable to your circumstances. You can increase your cover at any time without providing further medical evidence should you: get married or become a civil partner get divorced or separated obtain a dissolution of a civil partnership have a child (including adopting a child or becoming a legal guardian) You have the option to increase your benefit up to a maximum of 100 per cent of your benefit or 125,000 (or 250,000 if your policy is for business protection). Your premiums will increase if you increase your cover. We will consider other requests at our discretion and may ask for medical, financial, or other information to support your request. Terms and conditions apply. increase your mortgage due to moving house or undertaking home improvements be promoted by your current employer or start a new job with a different employer and your salary increases. In any of these situations, you may write and ask us to change your policy. 14

15 The facts Critical illness cover can help to remove financial worry if the worst does happen. Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer.1 In the UK, 1 in 2 people (born after 1960) will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. Every year over 152,000 people in the UK have a stroke. 2 There are an estimated 100,000 people living with Multiple Sclerosis in the United Kingdom. 3 There are approximately 175,000 heart attacks in the UK every year. 4 1 Cancer Research UK, February Stroke Association - January NHS Choices - April British Heart Foundation - BHF.ORG.UK Simply speak to your adviser for more information. 15

16 Friends Life and Pensions Limited An incorporated company limited by shares and registered in England and Wales, number Registered office: Pixham End, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1QA. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Telephone calls may be recorded. Friends Life is a registered trade mark of the Friends Life group. FLIP/6822/Sep UNI