How the product works
A single lump sum, in cash, on diagnosis of a condition covered by the contract. The money is unrestricted: income, treatments not covered publicly, home adaptation, paying down debt. It is not a reimbursement of medical expenses.
The number of conditions is not the test
Contracts advertise a number — sometimes four, sometimes more than twenty-five. Three conditions account for the bulk of claims: cancer, heart attack, stroke. A contract covering more conditions is not necessarily better if its definitions are stricter.
The contractual definition governs
Each condition is defined technically: stage, severity, test results, deficits persisting after a set period. An early-stage cancer, or certain skin conditions, may be excluded or pay only a partial benefit.
The survival period
Most contracts require the insured to survive a number of days after diagnosis — often thirty — for the benefit to be payable. A death within that period falls to life insurance, not to this contract.
The cancer waiting period
A cancer diagnosed in the first months after the policy takes effect is generally excluded, and may in addition end the cancer coverage going forward. This clause is standard and poorly known.
Return of premium
Some contracts offer, as an option, a refund of premiums at maturity or on death if no claim was made. The option has a cost: weigh it against insuring a larger benefit for the same premium.
No rate, price, or recommendation on this page. Amounts and limits change: verify them with official sources before deciding.