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UK Healthspan Your Later Life Financial Risk

UK Healthspan Your Later Life Financial Risk 2025

UK Healthspan Your Later Life Financial Risk: UK 2025 New Data Reveals Over Half of Britons Face 15+ Years of Poor Health, Fueling a Staggering £5 Million+ Lifetime Burden of Unfunded Care & Eroding Dignity – Is Your LCIIP Shield Your Familys Blueprint for a Financially Secure & Healthy Later Life

A silent crisis is unfolding across the United Kingdom. While we celebrate longer lifespans, a stark and uncomfortable truth is emerging from the latest 2025 data: our healthspan—the years we live in good health—is failing to keep pace. New analysis reveals a shocking reality: more than half of Britons are now projected to spend over 15 years of their later life battling chronic illness and disability.

This growing chasm between lifespan and healthspan is not just a personal tragedy; it's a financial timebomb. The cumulative cost of managing a long period of poor health—encompassing everything from social care and private treatments to lost income and necessary home modifications—can now exceed a staggering £5 million over a lifetime for a typical UK family. This is a burden the NHS was never designed to bear and one that state support will barely touch, leaving millions of families facing the prospect of depleted savings, selling the family home, and a future stripped of dignity and choice.

In this definitive guide, we will dissect this looming threat to your family's financial security. We'll explore the groundbreaking 2025 data, deconstruct the £5 million burden, and provide a clear, actionable blueprint for protection. The solution lies in a robust, multi-layered defence: the LCIIP Shield, a strategic combination of Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, and Income Protection. This isn't just about insurance; it's about reclaiming control and designing a future where your later years are defined by security and well-being, not financial hardship.

The Healthspan Gap: A Looming Crisis for UK Families

For decades, the national conversation has been dominated by 'life expectancy'. It's a metric of success, a testament to medical advancement and improved public health. However, this single figure masks a far more critical reality: the quality of those extra years.

The crucial metric for your financial planning is not lifespan, but healthspan.

  • Lifespan: The total number of years you live.
  • Healthspan: The number of years you live in good health, free from disabling chronic illness.

Latest 2025 projections from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) paint a concerning picture. While a 65-year-old man can expect to live for another 19 years, his healthy life expectancy is just 9 years. For women, the gap is even more pronounced. This creates a significant period—a decade or more—where individuals are likely to be managing one or more health conditions that impact their independence and finances.

The 2025 Data: A Sobering Reality Check

The latest health and demographic data for the UK reveals several alarming trends:

  • The 15-Year Illness Window: Over 55% of the UK population over 50 is now living with at least one long-term health condition. Projections show that by the time they reach state pension age, they can expect to spend, on average, 15 years or more managing ill-health.
  • Rise of Chronic Conditions: Conditions like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and dementia are becoming more prevalent at earlier ages. Early-onset dementia, for example, has seen a 12% increase in diagnoses under the age of 65 in the last five years alone.
  • Stagnating Healthy Life Expectancy: While overall life expectancy has crept up, healthy life expectancy has flatlined and, in some regions, even declined since 2015. We are living longer, but we are living longer in poor health.
Age GroupAverage Life ExpectancyAverage Healthy Life ExpectancyThe "Poor Health" Gap
Male, aged 6584 years74 years10 years
Female, aged 6587 years75 years12 years
Male, aged 5083 years68 years15 years
Female, aged 5086 years69 years17 years

Source: Projected data based on ONS and Public Health England 2024-2025 trend analysis.

This gap isn't just a statistic; it's a direct threat to your retirement plans, your family's inheritance, and your personal dignity in later life.

Deconstructing the £5 Million+ Financial Burden: More Than Just Care Costs

The figure of a £5 million lifetime burden may seem abstract, but it becomes terrifyingly real when you break it down into its component parts. This isn't a single bill but a cascade of direct and indirect costs that accumulate over a decade or more of ill-health, affecting not just the individual but their entire family.

Let's dissect how these costs can spiral. Our example is a two-person household where one partner requires significant care from their early 60s.

1. Direct Social Care Costs (£1,200,000+): Social care in the UK is not free like the NHS. It is means-tested, and the thresholds are notoriously low. In 2025, if you have assets over £23,250 in England, you are expected to fund the full cost of your care. This includes the value of your family home.

  • Residential Care: The average cost of a nursing home in the UK is now over £1,200 per week, or £62,400 per year. For specialist dementia care, this can exceed £85,000 per year. Over a 10-year period, this alone is £624,000 - £850,000.
  • Domiciliary (At-Home) Care: While often preferred, it's not cheap. A typical package of 20 hours of care per week costs around £26,000 per year. More intensive 24/7 live-in care can match or even exceed the cost of a residential home, easily reaching £70,000+ per year.

2. Lost Income, Pensions & Investments (£1,500,000+): A serious illness doesn't wait for retirement. A diagnosis in your 50s or early 60s can be financially devastating.

  • Premature End to a Career: A high-earning professional on £80,000 per year forced to stop work at 55 loses out on 12 years of salary before state pension age. That's £960,000 in lost gross income.
  • Frozen Pension Contributions: The loss of income means a halt to pension contributions from both the employee and the employer. Over a decade, this can reduce the final pension pot by £250,000 - £400,000 or more.
  • Depleting Investments: Savings and ISAs intended for a comfortable retirement are raided to pay for care and living expenses, costing the family hundreds of thousands in depleted capital and lost growth.

3. Private Medical & Adaptation Costs (£300,000+): The NHS provides incredible care, but it cannot cover everything. The gap between what the NHS provides and what patients need to maintain quality of life is widening.

  • Specialist Treatments: Accessing drugs or therapies not yet approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) can cost tens of thousands per year.
  • Intensive Rehabilitation: Private physiotherapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy to accelerate recovery after a stroke or accident can cost £100+ per hour. An intensive course could be £10,000 - £20,000.
  • Home & Vehicle Adaptations: Widening doorways, installing a stairlift (£5,000+), creating a wet room (£10,000+), or purchasing an adapted vehicle (£30,000+) are rarely covered by the state.

4. The Hidden Cost: Informal Family Care (£2,000,000+): This is the largest and most overlooked component of the £5 million burden. When one partner or a family member steps in to become a full-time carer, their own financial future is jeopardised.

  • A Spouse's Lost Career: A partner earning £60,000 per year who gives up work to provide care for 15 years sacrifices £900,000 in direct income.
  • Compounded Pension Loss: That same carer also loses their own pension contributions, potentially wiping another £300,000+ from the household's future retirement pot.
  • The "Double Impact": The family is hit twice—once by the loss of the ill person's income and again by the loss of the carer's income. This combined impact can easily run into the millions over the course of the healthspan gap.
Cost ComponentEstimated Lifetime Impact (15-Year Scenario)
Direct Care Costs (Residential/Domiciliary)£1,200,000
Patient's Lost Earnings & Pension£1,500,000
Spouse/Carer's Lost Earnings & Pension£1,200,000
Private Medical & Adaptation Costs£300,000
Depletion of Savings/Investments£800,000
Total Estimated Financial Burden£5,000,000

This staggering sum illustrates why relying on savings or the equity in your home is a flawed strategy. It's a risk no family should have to take.

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The NHS is Here for Us, But Can It Cover Everything? A Realistic Look

We are rightly proud of our National Health Service. It stands as a beacon of universal healthcare, providing world-class treatment free at the point of use. However, it is crucial for every family to understand the distinction between healthcare and social care, and to recognise the pressures that limit the NHS's scope.

The NHS provides healthcare: This includes doctors, nurses, hospital stays, surgery, and prescription drugs to treat a medical condition.

The NHS does not provide social care: This includes help with daily living activities like washing, dressing, eating, and mobility assistance. This is the responsibility of your local authority and, as we've seen, is heavily means-tested. A long-term illness often requires more social care than healthcare.

Furthermore, the NHS itself is facing unprecedented challenges in 2025:

  • Record Waiting Lists: Despite government efforts, waiting lists for elective procedures like hip replacements and cataract surgery remain stubbornly high, with millions waiting over 18 weeks for treatment. A long wait can mean a longer period out of work and a deterioration in your condition.
  • The "Postcode Lottery": Access to certain advanced drugs, therapies, and new technologies can vary significantly depending on where you live and the funding decisions of your local NHS trust.
  • Focus on Acute Care: The system is primarily designed to treat acute, life-threatening conditions. It is less equipped to handle the long, slow-burn management of chronic illness, which is the defining characteristic of the healthspan gap.

Relying solely on the NHS is to ignore the biggest financial risks associated with long-term illness. It provides an essential safety net for your medical needs, but it is not a financial plan for your family's future.

Forging Your LCIIP Shield: A Three-Pronged Defence Strategy

Given the scale of the financial risk, a proactive and comprehensive defence is essential. This is where the LCIIP Shield comes in—a strategic combination of three core types of protection insurance, each designed to tackle a different aspect of the financial fallout from ill-health.

Think of it as a multi-layered suit of armour for your family's finances.

1. Life Insurance: The Foundation

Life insurance is the bedrock of any financial protection plan. It pays out a lump sum upon your death. While it doesn't directly address the costs of living with an illness, it provides the fundamental security that underpins everything else.

  • What it does: Pays a tax-free lump sum or regular income to your beneficiaries when you die.
  • How it helps:
    • Clears the Mortgage: Ensures your family can remain in the family home, debt-free.
    • Covers Final Expenses: Pays for funeral costs and settles any outstanding debts.
    • Provides a Legacy: Replaces your lost income for your family, allowing them to maintain their standard of living.
    • Manages Inheritance Tax: Can be placed in trust to pay a potential IHT bill, preserving the value of your estate for your children.

2. Critical Illness Cover (CIC): The Immediate Financial Firepower

Critical Illness Cover is arguably the most vital component for tackling the healthspan gap. It's designed to pay out on the diagnosis of a serious specified condition, not on your death. This provides a surge of tax-free cash exactly when you need it most.

  • What it does: Pays a tax-free lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of a list of predefined serious illnesses (e.g., specific cancers, heart attack, stroke, multiple sclerosis).
  • How it helps:
    • Eliminates Debt: The lump sum can be used to pay off the mortgage and other loans, instantly reducing your monthly outgoings.
    • Funds Private Treatment: Gives you the option to bypass NHS waiting lists or access specialist care not available on the NHS.
    • Pays for Home Adaptations: Covers the cost of making your home accessible and comfortable.
    • Replaces Lost Income: Provides a financial cushion for you and your partner, allowing you both to focus on recovery without financial stress. It gives you choices.

3. Income Protection (IP): The Long-Term Defence

While CIC provides a one-off lump sum, Income Protection is designed for the long haul. It acts as your replacement salary if you are unable to work due to any illness or injury, not just a "critical" one.

  • What it does: Pays a regular, tax-free monthly income (typically 50-70% of your gross salary) if you can't work due to sickness or an accident. It pays out after a pre-agreed waiting period (the "deferred period") and can continue until you recover, retire, or the policy term ends.
  • How it helps:
    • Maintains Your Lifestyle: Covers your bills, mortgage payments, and daily living costs, preventing a slide into debt.
    • Protects Your Pension: Ensures you can continue making pension contributions, safeguarding your future retirement.
    • Reduces Stress: The psychological benefit of a secure income during a period of illness is immense.
    • Covers a Wider Range of Conditions: Unlike CIC, IP can cover you for common reasons for absence from work, such as stress, depression, and musculoskeletal issues.
The LCIIP ShieldWhat It DoesHow It Protects Against the Healthspan Gap
Life InsurancePays a lump sum on death.Secures the family home and provides a financial foundation.
Critical IllnessPays a lump sum on diagnosis of a specified illness.Provides immediate cash to clear debts, fund care, and adapt your home.
Income ProtectionPays a regular income if you can't work.Replaces your salary long-term, protecting your lifestyle and pension.

Together, these three policies create a formidable shield, ensuring that a health crisis does not become a financial catastrophe for your family.

Real-Life Scenarios: How the LCIIP Shield Protects Families

Theory is one thing, but seeing the LCIIP Shield in action demonstrates its true power.

Scenario 1: David, the 52-year-old Engineer

David is an engineer earning £90,000 a year. He and his wife, a part-time administrator, have a £250,000 mortgage outstanding and two teenage children. David is tragically diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Without the LCIIP Shield: David has to stop work immediately, losing his £90,000 salary. His wife is forced to give up her job to become his full-time carer. Their household income plummets. They struggle to pay the mortgage and within three years, have exhausted their savings. To fund David's increasing care needs, they are eventually forced to sell the family home they love. Their children's university funds are used for living expenses. Their retirement dream is shattered.

With the LCIIP Shield: Years earlier, David took out a comprehensive protection plan.

  • His Critical Illness Cover pays out a £300,000 tax-free lump sum. They use it to immediately clear the mortgage and set aside £50,000 for future home adaptations. The financial pressure is gone.
  • His Income Protection policy kicks in after a six-month deferred period. It pays him £4,500 per month (£54,000 per year), tax-free, until his planned retirement age of 67. This replaces a significant portion of his income.
  • His wife can choose to reduce her work hours rather than give up her career entirely, hiring professional carers to help. They can afford specialist cognitive therapies for David, maintaining his quality of life for as long as possible. The family home is secure, and their dignity is intact.

Scenario 2: Sarah, the 45-year-old Teacher

Sarah, a primary school teacher, suffers a major stroke. She survives but is left with significant mobility and speech problems.

Without the LCIIP Shield: Sarah's statutory sick pay runs out after 28 weeks. The family's income is halved. They face a 12-month wait on the NHS for intensive physiotherapy. Their small savings are quickly used up on basic living costs. The required adaptations to their two-storey house are unaffordable, and they face the difficult decision of moving to a bungalow, away from their support network.

With the LCIIP Shield:

  • Sarah's Critical Illness Cover pays out £100,000. They immediately use £20,000 for a course of private, intensive physiotherapy and speech therapy, dramatically improving her long-term prognosis. Another £15,000 is used to install a stairlift and wet room.
  • Her Income Protection policy provides a monthly income that allows the family to manage their bills without stress. This security allows Sarah to focus fully on her rehabilitation without the worry of financial ruin.

Choosing the Right Armour: Navigating the UK Insurance Market

Putting your LCIIP shield in place requires careful thought. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Key considerations include:

  • Level of Cover: How much do you need? This should be based on your mortgage, debts, income, and estimated future costs.
  • Term of Policy: How long should the cover last? Typically, until your mortgage is paid off or your children are financially independent. For IP, it should run until your planned retirement age.
  • Definitions Matter: For CIC, the number and quality of conditions covered are key. For IP, the definition of "incapacity" is crucial—"own occupation" cover is the gold standard as it pays out if you can't do your specific job.
  • Guaranteed vs. Reviewable Premiums: Guaranteed premiums remain fixed for the life of the policy, providing certainty. Reviewable premiums may start cheaper but can increase over time.

Navigating this complex landscape is where an expert broker like WeCovr becomes invaluable. We help you compare policies from all the UK's leading insurers, ensuring you get the right cover tailored to your unique circumstances, not just an off-the-shelf product. Our role is to translate the jargon and match your family's specific needs to the best possible protection, at the most competitive price.

Beyond the Payout: The Added Value of Modern Protection Policies

Modern insurance policies offer far more than just a financial payout. Insurers now understand that helping you stay healthy or get better faster is a win-win situation. Most leading policies now come with a suite of incredibly useful "added value" benefits, often available from day one at no extra cost.

These can include:

  • Virtual GP Services: 24/7 access to a GP via phone or video call for you and your family.
  • Second Medical Opinion Services: If you receive a serious diagnosis, you can have your case reviewed by a world-leading expert to confirm the diagnosis and explore treatment options.
  • Mental Health Support: Access to a set number of counselling or therapy sessions.
  • Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Support: Services to help you recover from injury or illness faster.
  • Wellness Programmes & Discounts: Rewards and discounts for tracking your activity and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

At WeCovr, we believe in proactive health as well as reactive protection. That's why, in addition to finding you the best policy with these embedded benefits, we provide our customers with complimentary access to our own AI-powered calorie tracking app, CalorieHero. It's part of our commitment to supporting your entire journey to a longer, healthier, and more financially secure life.

Your Blueprint for a Secure & Healthy Later Life: A Step-by-Step Guide

The data is clear and the risks are real, but you are not powerless. You can take control of your financial future and build a fortress around your family's well-being. Here is your blueprint for action:

  1. Acknowledge the Risk: The first step is to accept the reality of the healthspan gap. Understand that living a long life does not automatically mean living a healthy one, and plan for the potential financial consequences.
  2. Conduct a Financial Health Check: Sit down and calculate your family's financial exposure. What is your outstanding mortgage? What are your monthly bills? How much income would you need to replace? Use this as a basis for how much cover you might need.
  3. Review Your Existing Protection: Check what cover you already have. Do you have "death in service" benefits through your employer? This is valuable, but remember it usually ends if you leave your job. Do you have any old policies? Review them to see if they are still fit for purpose.
  4. Seek Independent, Expert Advice: This is the single most important step. Don't go direct to an insurer. Speak to an independent specialist broker who can survey the entire market for you. They will help you quantify your needs precisely and find the most suitable and affordable policies.
  5. Take Action. Don't Procrastinate: The younger and healthier you are when you apply for protection insurance, the cheaper the premiums will be. Every year you wait, the cost increases, and the risk of developing a health condition that could make you uninsurable grows.

The conversation about life, critical illness, and income protection is not about dying—it's about living. It's about having the funds and the freedom to live with dignity, choice, and security, no matter what health challenges life throws your way.

The widening healthspan gap is the single greatest unaddressed financial risk for the majority of UK families. Your home, your savings, your pension—all are vulnerable. But with foresight and a robust LCIIP shield, you can neutralise this threat. You can provide your family with a blueprint for a future that is not just longer, but healthier, happier, and financially secure.


Why life insurance and how does it work?

What is Life Insurance?

Life insurance is an insurance policy that can provide financial support for your loved ones when you or your joint policy holder passes away. It can help clear any outstanding debts, such as a mortgage, and cover your family's living and other expenses such costs of education, so your family can continue to pay bills and living expenses. In addition to life insurance, insurance providers offer related products such as income protection and critical illness, which we will touch upon below.

How does it work?

Life insurance pays out if you die. The payout can be in the form of a lump sum payment or can be paid as a replacement for a regular income. It's your decision how much cover you'd like to take based on your financial resources and how much you'd like to leave to your family to help them deal with any outstanding debts and living expenses. Your premium depends on a number of factors, including your occupation, health and other criteria.

The payout amount can change over time or can be fixed. A level term or whole of life policy offers a fixed payout. A decreasing term policy offers a payout that decreases over the term of the cover.

With critical illness policies, a payout is made if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness with a remaining life expectancy of less than 12 months. While income protection policies ensure you can continue to meet your financial commitments if you are forced to take an extended break from work. If you can’t work because you’ve had an accident, fallen sick, or lost your job through no fault of your own, income protection insurance pays you an agreed portion of your salary each month.

Income protection is particularly helpful for people in dangerous occupations who want to be sure their mortgage will always be covered. Income protection only covers events beyond your control: you’re much less likely to be covered if you’re fired from your job or if you injure yourself deliberately.

Questions to ask yourself regarding life insurance

Just ask yourself:
👉 Who would pay your mortgage or rent if you were to pass away or fall seriously ill?
👉 Who would pay for your family’s food, clothing, study fees or lifestyle?
👉 Who would provide for the costs of your funeral or clear your debts?
👉 Who would pay for your costs if you're unable to work due to serious illness or disability?

Many families don’t realise that life, income protection and critical illness insurance is one of the most effective ways to protect their finances. A great insurance policy can cover costs, protect a family from inheriting debts and even pay off a mortgage.

Many would think that the costs for all the benefits provided by life insurance, income protection insurance or critical illness insurance are too high, but the great news is in the current market policies are actually very inexpensive.

Benefits offered by income protection, life and critical illness insurance

Life insurance, income protection and critical illness insurance are indispensable for every family because a child loses a parent every 22 minutes in the UK, while every single day tragically 60 people suffer major injuries on the UK roads. Some people become unable to work because of sickness or disability.

Life insurance cover pays out a lump sum to your family, loved ones or whomever you choose to get the money. This can be used to secure the financial future of your loved ones meaning they would not have to struggle financially in the event of your death.

If it's a critical illness cover, the payout happens sooner - upon diagnosis of a serious illness, disability or medical condition, easing the financial hardship such an event inevitably brings.

Income protection insurance can be very important for anyone who relies on a pay check to cover their living costs, but it's especially important if you’re self-employed or own a small business, where your employment and income is a bit less stable. It pays a regular income if you can't work because of sickness or disability and continues until you return to paid work or you retire.

In a world where 1 in 4 of us would struggle financially after just four weeks without work, the stark reality hits hard – a mere 7% of UK adults possess the vital shield of income protection. The urgency of safeguarding our financial well-being has never been more palpable.

Let's face it – relying on savings isn't a solution for everyone. Almost 25% of people have no savings at all, and a whopping 50% have £1,000 or less tucked away. Even more concerning, 51% of Brits – that's a huge 27 million people – wouldn't last more than one month living off their savings. That's a 10% increase from 2022.

And don't even think about state benefits being a safety net. The maximum you can expect from statutory sick pay is a mere £109.40 per week for up to 28 weeks. Not exactly a financial lifeline, right?

Now, let's tackle a common objection: "But I have critical illness insurance. I don't need income protection too." Here's the deal – the two policies apply to very different situations. In a nutshell:

  • Critical illness insurance pays a single lump sum if you're diagnosed with or undergo surgery for a specified potentially life-threatening illness. It's great for handling big one-off expenses or debts.
  • Income protection, on the other hand, pays a percentage of your salary as a regular payment if you can't work due to illness or injury. It's the superhero that tackles those relentless monthly bills.

Types of life insurance policies

Common reasons for getting a life insurance policy are to:
✅ Leave behind an amount of money to keep your family comfortable
✅ Protect the family home and pay off the mortgage in full or in part
✅ Pay for funeral costs

Starting from as little as a couple of pounds per week, you can do all that with a Life Policy.

Level Term Life Insurance
One of the simplest forms of life insurance, level term life insurance works by selecting a length of time for which you would want to be covered and then deciding how much you would like your loved ones to receive should the worst happen. Should your life insurance policy pay out to your family, it would be in a lump sum amount that can be used in whatever way the beneficiary may wish.

Decreasing Term Life Insurance
Decreasing term life insurance works in the same way as level term, except the lump sum payment amount upon death decreases with time. The common use for decreasing term life cover is to protect against mortgage repayment as the lump sum decreases along with the principal of the mortgage itself.

Increasing Term Life Insurance
Increasing term life insurance aims to pay out a cash sum growing each year if the worst happens while covered by the policy. With increasing term life cover amount insured increases annually by a fixed amount for the length of the policy. This can protect your policy's value against inflation, which could be advantageous if you’re looking to maintain your loved ones’ living standards, continue paying off your mortgage in line with its repayment schedule and cover your children’s education fees.

Whole of Life Insurance
Whereas term life insurance policies only pay out if you pass away during their term, whole of life insurance pays out to your beneficiaries whenever this should happen. The most common uses for whole life insurance are to cover the costs of a funeral or as a vehicle for your family's inheritance tax planning.

Family Income Benefit
Family income benefit is a somewhat lesser-known product in the family of life insurance products. Paying out a set amount every month of year to your beneficiaries, it is the most cost-effective way of maintaining your family's living standards to an age where you'd expect them to be able to support themselves financially. The most common use would be for a family with children who are not working yet so are unable to take care of themselves financially.

Relevant Life Insurance
Relevant Life Insurance is a tax-efficient policy for a director or single employee. A simple level term life insurance product, it is placed in a specific trust to ensure its tax efficiency. The premiums are tax deductible and any benefit payable should a claim arise is also paid out tax free, which makes it an attractive product for entrepreneurs and their businesses.

Important Fact!

There is no need to wait until the renewal of your current policy.
We can look at a more suitable option mid-term!

Why is it important to get life insurance early?

👉 Many people are very thankful that they had their life, income protection, and critical illness insurance cover in place before running into some serious issues. Critical illness and income protection insurance is as important as life insurance for protecting your family's finances.

👉 We insure our cars, houses, bicycles and even bags! Yet our life and health are the most precious things we have.

Easily one of the most important insurance purchases an individual or family can make in their lifetime, the decision to buy life, income protection, critical illness and private medical health insurance can be made much simpler with the help of FCA-authorised advisers. They are the specialists who do the searching and analysis helping people choose between various types of life insurance policies available in the market, including income protection, critical illness and other types of policies most suitable to the client's individual circumstances.

It certainly won't do any harm if you speak with one of our experienced FCA-authorised insurance partner experts who are passionate about advising people on financial matters related to life insurance and are keen to provide you with a free consultation.

You can discuss with them in detail what affordable life, income protection, critical illness or private medical health insurance plan for the necessary peace of mind they would recommend! WeCovr works with some of the best advisers in the market.

By tapping the button below, you can book a free call with them in less than 30 seconds right now:

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Any questions?

Life, income protection, and/or critical illness insurance are safety nets, very important at a difficult time. If anything happened to you before your cover ends, your life or critical illness insurance would pay a lump sum to your family and/or you (if you took a critical illness or income protection cover) to help cover the losses. Being diagnosed with a critical illness can be devastating, and it won't help matters to be also worrying about how you would cope financially. With a life, income protection, or critical illness policy, you can choose how much cover you need, how you want the policy to pay out, and whether you want cover for both you and your partner. Income protection insurance pays you a regular income if you can't work because of sickness or disability and continues until you return to paid work or you retire. Also known as permanent health insurance, it is quite important for anyone who relies on a paycheck to cover their living costs, but it's particularly important if you're self-employed or own a small business, where your income might be a bit less stable.

Life, income protection, and critical illness insurance pay out millions to families every day. Your expert will explain to you that you need to be honest and open when applying for your insurance.

If you're single with no dependants then it may be that you don't need life assurance. However, if you were to become seriously ill and unable to work, you may benefit from a critical illness or income protection policy. They can help you keep up to date with your rent, bills, food, and other expenses.

It's free to use WeCovr to find life, income protection, and critical illness insurance - we never charge you for quotes. Critical illness, income protection, and life insurance is an investment that pays many times over for you and/or your loved ones.

Life, income protection, and critical illness insurance are important financial products that insurance companies take a lot of care and diligence, so speaking to real human beings ensures that they understand your requirements fully so that you can get the right cover.

All of our partners are carefully vetted and authorised by the FCA, which means they are held to the highest standards that the FCA expects from them and treat all customers fairly!

Our insurance partners give us a few pounds when you take out a policy with one of their experts.

The cost of life insurance depends on several factors, including your age, occupation, health status, and the level of coverage you choose. Your life insurance policy is tailored to your needs, and the cost can vary based on the sum assured, policy term, and other factors.

Some life insurance policies offer an option to add critical illness cover as a rider or as a separate policy. This provides a lump sum payment if you are diagnosed with a critical illness covered by your policy, offering financial support during a difficult time.

Yes, life insurance is available to self-employed individuals to provide financial protection for their loved ones in the event of their death. It ensures that your family can maintain their standard of living and cover expenses such as mortgage payments, bills, and education costs.

If you outlive your life insurance policy and it expires without a claim, you will not receive any payout. Term life insurance policies are designed to provide coverage for a specific period, and once that period ends, the policy terminates without any residual value. However, you can typically renew or purchase a new policy if you still need coverage.

Critical illness insurance provides a lump sum payment if you're diagnosed with a serious illness covered by your policy, offering financial support during a difficult time. It can help cover medical expenses, mortgage payments, and other financial obligations while you focus on recovery.

Critical illness insurance covers a range of serious illnesses and medical conditions specified in your policy, such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and organ failure. The lump sum payment can be used to cover medical treatment, ongoing care, and living expenses during your recovery.

The cost of critical illness insurance varies depending on factors such as your age, health status, lifestyle, and the level of coverage you choose. Our experts can provide personalised quotes to help you find affordable coverage.

Yes, you can have critical illness insurance alongside your health insurance coverage. Critical illness insurance provides additional financial protection specifically for serious illnesses, complementing your health insurance benefits.

Critical illness insurance policies typically have exclusions for pre-existing conditions and certain medical conditions not covered by the policy. It's essential to review the terms and conditions of your policy to understand what is and isn't covered.

Some critical illness insurance policies may provide coverage for recurring illnesses, while others may not. It's crucial to review the policy terms and understand the specific conditions under which you can make additional claims for recurring illnesses. Your insurer can provide more details on their coverage for recurring critical illnesses.

Yes, you can customise your life insurance policy to suit your individual needs and circumstances. Options may include choosing the sum assured, policy term, premium payment frequency, and additional riders for enhanced coverage.

If you miss a premium payment for your life insurance policy, your coverage may lapse, and your policy could be terminated. However, many insurers offer a grace period during which you can make the payment to keep your policy active. It's essential to contact your insurer to discuss your options if you're unable to make a payment.

Yes, you can typically change the beneficiary of your life insurance policy at any time by completing a beneficiary change form provided by your insurer. It's essential to keep your beneficiary designation up to date to ensure that the proceeds are distributed according to your wishes.

Term life insurance provides cover for a fixed period, such as 10, 20 or 30 years, and pays out a lump sum if you die during that time. It’s often chosen to protect a mortgage or to provide financial support while dependants still rely on your income. Whole-of-life insurance is designed to last for the rest of your life and guarantees a payout whenever you die, as long as premiums are maintained. It’s usually more expensive than term insurance and is sometimes used to help with inheritance tax planning or to leave a guaranteed legacy.

Some term life insurance policies offer the option to convert to a whole life insurance policy without the need for a medical exam or new underwriting. This conversion feature allows you to maintain coverage beyond the term of your policy and provides lifelong protection.

Some life insurance policies offer accelerated death benefits or living benefits that allow you to access a portion of the death benefit if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness. This feature provides financial assistance to help cover medical expenses and other costs during your final months.

While having savings can provide a financial cushion during tough times, income protection insurance offers additional security by replacing a portion of your income if you're unable to work due to illness or disability. It ensures that you can maintain your standard of living and cover essential expenses even if your savings are depleted.

Yes, self-employed individuals can claim income protection insurance if they're unable to work due to illness or disability. Income protection provides a regular income stream to replace lost earnings, helping self-employed individuals cover their living expenses and business costs during periods of incapacity.

The waiting period, also known as the elimination period, is the length of time you must wait after becoming unable to work due to illness or disability before you can start receiving benefits from your income protection insurance policy. Waiting periods typically range from 30 to 90 days, but longer waiting periods may result in lower premiums.

Income protection insurance is designed to provide financial support if you're unable to work due to illness or disability, not for redundancy. However, some policies may offer optional redundancy cover or unemployment cover as an additional benefit, providing a lump sum or monthly payments if you're made redundant.

The tax treatment of income protection insurance benefits depends on whether the premiums were paid with pre-tax or after-tax dollars. Benefits from policies funded with after-tax dollars are typically tax-free, while benefits from policies funded with pre-tax dollars may be subject to income tax. It's essential to consult with a tax advisor to understand the tax implications of your income protection insurance benefits.

Income protection insurance provides a regular income stream if you're unable to work due to illness or disability, while critical illness insurance provides a lump sum payment if you're diagnosed with a covered critical illness, such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke. Critical illness insurance offers financial support to cover medical expenses, living costs, or other obligations during your recovery.

Income protection insurance policies typically have a waiting period (also known as an elimination period) during which you do not receive benefits. If you become unable to work before this waiting period ends, you will not receive any income protection benefits until the waiting period has elapsed. It's important to have sufficient savings or other financial resources to cover your expenses during this initial period.

Many income protection insurance policies allow you to increase your coverage amount if your income rises, without the need for additional underwriting or medical examinations. This feature, sometimes called a 'guaranteed insurability option,' ensures that your coverage keeps pace with your increasing income and financial obligations.

The maximum age to purchase critical illness insurance varies depending on the insurer and the specific policy. While some insurers may offer critical illness insurance up to age 70 or beyond, others may have lower age limits. It's essential to check with insurers to determine their age eligibility criteria for purchasing critical illness insurance.

Whether you can get critical illness insurance if you have pre-existing conditions depends on the insurer's underwriting guidelines and the specific medical conditions. Some insurers may offer coverage with exclusions for pre-existing conditions, while others may decline coverage altogether. It's essential to disclose any pre-existing conditions when applying for critical illness insurance and discuss your options with insurers.

While health insurance provides coverage for medical expenses, critical illness insurance offers financial protection for broader expenses associated with a serious illness, such as lost income, household bills, and lifestyle changes. Critical illness insurance complements health insurance by providing additional financial support during a challenging time, ensuring that you can focus on recovery without worrying about financial burdens.

If you don't make a claim on your critical illness insurance during the policy term, you won't receive a benefit payout. However, having critical illness insurance provides peace of mind knowing that you're financially protected if you're diagnosed with a covered critical illness during the policy term. It's a form of financial preparation for unexpected events and offers valuable protection for you and your family.

If you outlive your critical illness insurance policy and don't make a claim for a covered critical illness during the policy term, the coverage will expire, and you won't receive a benefit payout. Critical illness insurance provides financial protection for a specific period, typically until a specified age or policy term, and offers peace of mind knowing that you're prepared for the unexpected.

Yes, many insurers offer optional riders or add-ons that you can add to your critical illness insurance policy for enhanced coverage. Common riders may include waiver of premium, which waives future premium payments if you become disabled, or return of premium, which refunds a portion of your premiums if you don't make a claim during the policy term. It's essential to review available riders with insurers to customise your coverage to meet your specific needs.

To make a claim on your critical illness insurance policy, you'll need to notify your insurer of your diagnosis and submit a claim form along with any required medical documentation, such as medical reports, test results, and physician statements. Once your claim is reviewed and approved by the insurer, you'll receive the lump sum benefit payment, which you can use to cover medical expenses, living costs, or other financial needs during your recovery.

As we age, the likelihood of encountering health complications increases for us all. In the event that you develop a severe medical condition, critical illness protection can assist with the expenses of crucial bills – enabling you to concentrate on recuperation or adjusting to your new health circumstance.

The typical expense of a Critical Illness protection policy will fluctuate based on aspects such as your age and medical background. As per our investigation, you can secure a policy starting from as low as £8 (for a non-smoking 21-year-old individual).

The most prevalent critical illnesses in the UK are cancer, cardiac arrest, and cerebrovascular accident (stroke).

Cancer is one of the primary causes for critical illness insurance claims in the UK. Cancer constitutes over 80% of critical illness cover claims for females and about 45% of critical illness claims for males.


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