Legal and General (L&G) is enhancing its critical illness (CI) product to incorporate four new illnesses and wider definitions for eleven conditions.
The firm said that the new definitions were targeted at improving clarity for consumers and reducing claims declined for not meeting policy definition. The four new illnesses covered include mastectomy, which is the first time Legal and General has introduced a severity based cover, with an additional 25 per cent of sum assured or £25,000 (whichever is lower) being available.
Policy-holders will also receive a pay-out if they suffer from multiple system atrophy or require open heart surgery (with median sternotomy) or removal of an eyeball due to injury or disease.
Bonnie Burns, protection product and technical director at L&G said: "Last year the life office declined 4.6 per cent of critical illness claims for not meeting policy definitions. The new illness definitions are designed to highlight when a policy will and won't pay out, helping to improve consumer confidence in the industry."




