"Through our critical illness cover, we have paid claims on over 60 definitions in the last seven years under adult cover, including all definitions in our core cover."
- Fran Bruce, MD Protection at Aviva
Insurance giant, Aviva has made significant changes to its individual critical illness cover so more customers diagnosed with cancer, dementia, and mental disorders will be able to claim the support they need to “prevent, detect, and manage common health and wellbeing conditions.”
In 2019, prostate cancer was the most diagnosed cancer in males aged 45 years and over in England, according to NHS Digital, Cancer Registration Statistics. However, despite its popular diagnosis, less advanced prostate cancer was previously excluded c.2002. Fortunately, it is now included if treated by prostatectomy, resulting in its removal from ABI’s Less Advanced Cancer of the Prostate definition.
Consequently, Aviva has now extended cover concerning prostate cancer to include a full benefit payment for anyone undergoing surgery to remove the prostate.
Aviva’s DigiCare+ app has also been enhanced to include a cancer care guide in collaboration with MacMillan Cancer Support. This guide will provide advice to help customers and their loved ones with their physical, financial, and emotional well-being throughout their cancer experience.
Additionally, to help support customers and their families financially, Aviva has provided access to a range of Cancer Care discounts on goods and services to assist with daily living adjustments, enhance quality time spent with loved ones and support physical and mental well-being.
Whilst a full cancer payment is already provided for people with non-melanoma skin cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, Aviva has now added an additional benefit definition within the upgraded adult cover that will enable customers to make claims for less aggressive forms of skin cancer.
Furthermore, for customers suffering from Dementia, cover and financial support are now available for “progressive deterioration of cognitive abilities.” This change means more customers can access vital support when the condition is less progressed but is still having a “marked impact.”
Six years ago, Aviva was the first insurance provider to include a mental health definition within critical illness. However, since then, Aviva has seen a change in the treatment for psychosis and bipolar affective disorder.
As a result, Aviva has enhanced its definition of mental health to consider those who are treated at home for these conditions as well as those who are an inpatient. This means Aviva will be able to pay more claims and support more customers.
Additional improvements to Aviva’s critical illness plans include extended cover for pulmonary endarterectomy surgery and the announcement of necrotising fasciitis as a new full payment definition.
Aviva has also made changes to the amount it will pay out under additional benefits within its upgraded adult cover. Aviva will now pay 100% of the insured amount for these benefits and the upper claim limit has increased from £25,000 to £30,000.
Commenting on these improvements, Fran Bruce, MD Protection at Aviva, has said:
"We are really proud of our claims record, paying out over £lbn a year for the last two years across all of our individual protection products. These enhancements to our individual critical illness cover will enable us to pay significantly more claims in the coming years to customers who are diagnosed with these conditions.
"As cancer is the most common reason for claims across our protection products, the new cancer support hub on our DigiCare+ apps will provide additional help to those customers diagnosed with cancer or living with someone with cancer.
“DigiCare+ has been phenomenally successful since we launched it towards the end of 2020, with more than 100,000 protection customers registering with the apps. These new additions are part of our continued work to evolve and enhance our digital support services."
CIExperts has also expressed support for Aviva’s initiative:
“As always, we champion insurers that add conditions or extend wordings which will result in more claims or higher sums being paid. Aviva, which pioneered the twin plan approach, has been at the forefront of CIC innovation and these improvements have improved its position within the CIExpert quality tables.”
