freedom


Best critical
illness insurance


14 July 2021

 

You will rely on your critical illness cover should you be diagnosed with a serious illness which will have a severe impact on your life. Serious illnesses can prevent you from working and are likely to require a significant amount of time to recover from. It is vital to choose critical illness insurance that is right for you.

We will explore some of the serious illnesses covered by our critical illness insurance and why it may be the best option for you, particularly if you are an expat. 

Our Avenue critical illness policies break conditions covered into three categories:
 

  1. Adults and children
  2. Adults (aged over 18) only 
  3. Children (aged under 18) only

Our policy covers specific conditions within each category. Should you receive a diagnosis of one of these serious illnesses you can rest assured that the cost of your treatment is covered in one of our approved medical centres. 

Cancer including all solid organ cancers, lymphomas and leukaemia: the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate almost 20million adults received a cancer diagnosis in 2020. The good news is the majority of cancers are treatable and the medical industry’s ability to treat more complex cancers is improving all the time. Unfortunately, it is not only adults who receive a cancer diagnosis, each year about 300,000 children and their families are given that awful news. Should your family be one of them, having Avenue critical illness insurance will offer the peace of mind that medical expenses incurred will be covered. Your family will receive additional support during a very difficult time in the form of second opinions and counselling, should it be required. 

Bone Marrow Transplants: some serious illnesses like leukaemia or aplastic anaemia cause bone marrow to stop functioning correctly. A bone marrow transplant replaces unhealthy bone marrow with a healthy version with the goal of curing the illness.

Heart valve replacement or repair: There are several reasons why a heart valve may need to be replaced or repaired including disease or a leak in the valve caused by aging or infection. In children, Avenue only covers this treatment if it is because of rheumatoid fever. 

Neurosurgery: should you require surgery on your brain, the cost of your treatment will be covered. There may be a range of reasons why you or a loved one may require neurosurgery. It is required to remove brain or skull-based tumours or as a result brain trauma from a serious accident. Occasionally it is also required following a stroke or to improve serious epilepsy. 

Serious epilepsy: The World Health Organisation estimates about 50 million people around the world have epilepsy making it one of the most common neurological conditions globally. The cause of epilepsy remains unknown in about half of cases.

The severity of epilepsy varies significantly. For some it can be a mild condition, easily managed with medication whereas others have a more severe form that is more challenging to manage. Avenue will cover the treatment of severe epilepsy once the diagnosis is verified by our medical team. 

We cover a range of conditions that relate to adults only:

Coronary artery angioplasty/stenting: cardiovascular disease remains stubbornly in the top of the leading causes of death globally. Thankfully preventative treatments for those with heart disease have improved significantly. One of the best medical interventions when it comes to the prevention of heart attacks is angioplasty or the process of widening partially blocked arteries using stents. 

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: should cardiovascular disease be more advanced our serious illness policy also covers bypass surgery which restores blood to your heart using a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body. Although very effective, bypass surgery is a serious procedure, knowing medical bills are covered will provide a level of comfort at a difficult time. 

Living Organ Transplant: It is thought 37 million people in the US alone have kidney disease. There are a number of ways in which people’s kidneys become damaged, some are genetic, for others it may be as a result of high blood pressure or diabetes. Should you require an organ transplant in the form of a kidney or liver from a living doner, this procedure will be covered under our critical illness insurance.

Major vascular surgery: you can rest assured that Avenue critical illness policies cover major vascular surgery should you require it. 

Similarly, Avenue covers some serious conditions in children only. While we sincerely hope you and your family never require any of them, it is good to know there is financial and emotional support there when you need it:

Artificial limbs needed after a limb loss in an accident: should your child lose a limb through an accident; the cost of artificial limbs will be covered as they grow.

Kawasaki syndrome: the cause of this form of vasculitis, most often in children under 5, is largely unknown. Although it is a serious illness, the good news is the majority of children recover without any serious issues.

Meningitis/encephalitis: this very serious illness in children can be bacterial or viral and can cause a child to become critically ill very quickly. There are about 1.2milion cases of meningitis amongst children and adults around the world each year. Without prompt medical treatment fatality rates can be extremely high.    

Our Avenue product stands out as one of the best critical illness insurance products for expats or those who work or live away from their home country because we offer levels of cover in their home country, country of residence as well as overseas.

If the illnesses listed match your criteria and you want to find out more about why Avenue might be the right option for you or members of your family, get in touch with our expert team to find out more.