Critical Illness Insurance: Buy Best Critical Illness Cover Policy

Given the increasing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases and the need for advanced medical care, critical illness cover ensures that you can manage the cost of treatment, recovery, and daily expenses without financial strain.

What is Critical Illness Cover?

A critical illness protection plan is a financial safety net. It covers you if you are diagnosed with a major critical illness. This can be cancer, renal failure, stroke, and so on.

This plan pays out a lump sum on the detection of any such critical illness. You can use this amount to cover your medical treatment, daily expenses, loans or liabilities (if any), and more. This allows you to focus on recovery rather than worrying about the economic burden of serious illnesses.

Buy Critical Illness Insurance Plans In UAE

*The monthly premium is for an 18-year-old non-smoker seeking a 5-year term Critical Illness insurance policy with a sum assured of 100,000 AED.

What are the Benefits of Critical Illness Cover?

You may not think you need critical illness insurance today. But if the unexpected happens, you’ll be grateful you have it. No one wishes to face a life-threatening illness, yet the financial impact of such an event can be devastating without proper protection.
Discussed in detail below are critical illness cover’s benefits —

Financial Protection for Life-threatening Diseases - A critical illness protection plan offers a financial safety net in case you (the life assured) get diagnosed with any of the critical illnesses mentioned in the plan.
A Lump Sum Amount for Treatment - When you are diagnosed with a critical illness, the insurance provider pays out a lump sum amount. This amount can be used to cover the treatment costs as you deem fit.
Shorter Waiting Periods - Unlike regular term plans, critical illness insurance plans have shorter waiting times. This helps you get the necessary financial assistance without any delays.
Funding for Expensive Treatments - The lump sum amount you get can help in covering even expensive treatments. In fact, considering the high sum of critical illness plans, you can get financial assistance for all kinds of treatments be it experimental treatments, alternative medicine, or specialist pharmaceuticals.
Safeguarding Your Family’s Quality of Life - Without coverage, you may have to empty your savings, sell property, or borrow from friends. A critical illness settlement ensures your treatment costs are covered, keeping your family debt-free and secure.
Peace of Mind When You Need It Most - Without insurance, you might choose to skip life-saving treatments just to avoid burdening your family with bills. With critical illness insurance cover, you can focus on recovery instead of worrying about money, knowing your insurance will take care of the expenses.

What are the Features of Critical Illness Cover?

Discussed below are the key features of critical illness coverage —

Critical Illness Coverage - Critical illness insurance covers major medical conditions like cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and organ failure. These plans provide financial security by covering the costs of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from severe health issues.
Lump-sum Payment - If diagnosed with a covered critical illness, you get a lump sum payment. Unlike other insurance types, this amount is fixed, regardless of actual treatment costs.
This means how you use the lump sum totally depends on you. The amount, for instance, can be used for medical expenses, alternative treatments, household expenses, or lifestyle adjustments during recovery.
Affordable Premiums - Critical illness insurance offers coverage at a lower premium compared to other insurance types, like disability or comprehensive health insurance. Its affordability makes it easier for people to protect themselves from high medical costs.
Easy Claim Process - The leading insurance companies streamline the claim process for critical illness coverage, ensuring minimal paperwork and quick access to funds. This simplified approach helps policyholders during tough times.
Waiting Period - Critical illness plans usually have a waiting period before you can file a claim. While this duration is usually shorter than that of other plans, it’s still advisable to look for a plan with a shorter waiting period.
Loss of Income - In case of a critical illness diagnosis, the lump sum payout can be used for treatment and to compensate for income loss during recovery.

Top Critical Illness Protection Plans in UAE

Here are the top critical illness protection plans in the UAE —

1. Zurich Critical Illness Protection

The Critical illness protection plan by Zurich Insurance offers financial security if you’re diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, heart attack, or organ failure. This plan ensures you can focus on recovery without worrying about expenses. It comes with worldwide protection, flexible policy terms, and even additional benefits for children’s illness and funeral expenses.

Key Highlights:

Feature	Details
Claim Settlement Ratio	98%
Sum Assured	AED 200,000
Policy Term	5 to 35 years (flexible)
Entry Age	18 to 74 years
Plan Type	Critical Illness
Coverage	34 illnesses including cancer, heart attack, organ failure (worldwide)
Special Coverage Option	Cancer-only cover for 3 types of cancer
Child Cover	USD 15,000 per child (up to 3 children, age 1–18 years)
Funeral Benefit	USD 5,000

Conditions & Waiting Period:

Claims accepted only if illness occurs 90 days after policy start, reinstatement, or sum assured increase
Premiums must be paid regularly to maintain cover
No payout for illnesses diagnosed outside the policy term or for conditions excluded in policy terms
Full disclosure of health and lifestyle details is required at the time of application

2. Arabia Insurance

Arabia Insurance offers three plan levels—Basic, Plus, and Premium—all providing worldwide coverage for GCC residents aged 18–59. Each plan has a 90-day waiting period and requires the illness to occur before age 65.

Critical Illness Basic Plan

Critical Illness Cover: AED 200,000
Policy Term: 5 years (Renewable)
Coverage Type: Critical Illness Insurance
Available For: Residents of GCC Countries

Key Features

Worldwide Coverage: Yes
Policy Term: 5 years (renewable)
Entry Age: Minimum 18 years, Maximum 59 years
Critical Illness Cover Amount: Up to USD 75,000
Diseases Covered: Includes major cancer and other critical illnesses
Waiting Period: 90 days from policy start or reinstatement date

Important Notes

No benefits are payable if the illness first appears, occurs, or is diagnosed within 90 days from the policy start or reinstatement.
Coverage remains valid until the insured’s 65th birthday, provided the policy is active.
Payout is made upon submission of written proof and medical evidence of the covered illness.
Critical Illness Plus – Arabia Insurance

This critical illness plan in UAE offers up to USD 250,000 cover against life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, stroke, and major heart surgeries. Along with worldwide coverage and renewable 5-year terms for GCC residents.

Feature	Details
Plan Type	Critical Illness Insurance
Critical Illness Cover (AED)	200,000 (up to USD 250,000)
Policy Term	5 years (Renewable)
Coverage Area	Worldwide
Eligible Residents	GCC Countries
Entry Age	18 – 59 years
Maximum Age at Claim	Before 65th birthday
Waiting Period	90 days from policy start or reinstatement
Survival Period	28 days after diagnosis
Diseases Covered	Major Cancer, Stroke, Heart Valve Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Aorta Graft Surgery
Major Cancer Exclusions	Cancer in situ, certain skin cancers, early-stage prostate cancer, early-stage thyroid cancer, early Hodgkin’s/Non-Hodgkin’s disease, non-anaemic leukemia, early-stage gastrointestinal stromal tumour, pre-malignant or borderline malignancies
Stroke Exclusions	Stroke symptoms due to migraine, trauma, hypoxia, or eye/vestibular vascular disease
Additional Notes	Diagnosis must be supported by relevant medical evidence (histology, cytology, CT, MRI)

Arabia Insurance – Critical Illness Premium Plan

This critical illness insurance cover offers up to USD 500,000 coverage for major critical illnesses with worldwide protection.

Feature	Details
Plan Type	Critical Illness Insurance
Sum Assured (AED)	200,000
Sum Assured (USD)	Up to 500,000
Policy Term	5 years (Renewable)
Coverage Area	Worldwide
Eligibility	Residents of GCC countries
Entry Age	18–59 years
Maximum Coverage Age	65 years
Waiting Period	90 days from policy start or reinstatement
Diseases Covered	Major Cancer, Stroke, Heart Valve Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Aorta Graft Surgery, Major Organ Transplant, Terminal Liver Failure, Advanced Dementia (including Alzheimer’s), Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neuron Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Paralysis, End Stage Lung Disease
Special Notes	Payout made upon first-time diagnosis of covered illness after waiting period

How Does Critical Illness Insurance Work?

Critical illness insurance is different from health insurance. Instead of paying your medical bills, it provides a lump sum payout upon diagnosis of a covered illness. This amount is yours to use, whether for treatment, household bills, debt repayments, or other needs.

Critical illness coverage in the UAE can come in three forms —

Stand-alone policy: Purchased separately, offering full critical illness coverage
Built-in benefit: Part of some term life insurance plans
Insurance rider: An add-on to life policies, for an extra premium

Many term life insurance policies already include critical illness protection. However, if yours doesn’t, you can add it as a rider. Stand-alone plans are also available if you want exclusive coverage.

Expert Tip

Review existing insurance policies carefully. If your health insurance has high coverage and no critical illness exclusions, you may not need additional critical illness insurance. For broader protection, many in the UAE choose to combine both types. Consider consulting a financial advisor or insurance broker for tailored advice.

What are the Major Critical Illnesses Covered under This Plan?

Listed below are the major critical illnesses usually covered under this type of insurance —

Major Cancers
Heart Attack (of a Certain Degree)
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Aplastic Anaemia
End-stage Liver Failure
Deafness
Loss of Speech
Major Organ/Bone Marrow Transplantation
Muscular Dystrophy
Aorta Surgery
Fulminant Hepatitis
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
Benign Brain Tumour
Bacterial Meningitis
Blindness
Paralysis
Progressive Scleroderma
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Lupus Nephritis
Loss of Independent Existence
Stroke
Kidney Failure
End-stage Lung Disease
Coma
Heart Valve Surgery
Major Burns
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease/Severe Dementia
Motor Neuron Disease
HIV due to Blood Transfusion and Occupationally-acquired HIV
Viral Encephalitis
Angioplasty and Other Invasive Treatment for Coronary Artery
Major Head Trauma
Terminal Illness
Apallic Syndrome
Poliomyelitis

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Who Can Buy a Critical Illness Protection Plan?

The financial safety net that critical illness coverage provides to an individual and their family can be invaluable for almost everyone. Nevertheless, for your reference, here’s a list of categories of individuals who can buy a critical illness protection plan —

Individuals with a Family History of Critical Illness – If your family has a critical illness history related to Cancer, Kidney issues, Stroke, and so on, you should consider opting for this plan. In case you get diagnosed with a critical illness, the plan can help you in smart financial planning for the treatment.
Sole Earners – If you are your family's main breadwinner, you handle all the financial responsibilities. Investing in critical illness insurance can help prevent a financial crisis if you or a family member faces a serious health issue.
Individuals with Demanding Jobs – Stress can lead to serious health issues like Heart Attacks, Cancer, and more. If you have a demanding job, consider getting a critical care plan to protect yourself from future financial strain.
Individuals 40 years and above – After turning 40, the risk of serious health issues increases.

To avoid being unprepared, it’s wise to invest in a healthcare plan with critical illness coverage in your 30s. At this age, your finances are typically stable but you are still considered young from insurers’ perspective, making it easier to get affordable premiums.

Things to Consider When Buying a Critical Illness Protection Plan

To ensure comprehensive financial protection, keep in mind a few things when buying a critical illness protection plan —

Things	Description
Sum Assured	The sum assured is crucial in critical insurance plans. If you're diagnosed with a covered critical illness, you receive a lump sum payment, regardless of medical costs. This amount is determined when you buy the policy, so it’s essential to choose the right sum assured.
Standalone Policy vs. Insurance Rider	Choosing between a standalone critical illness policy or a critical illness insurance rider depends on your coverage needs. A standalone policy offers better coverage but comes with a higher premium. In contrast, coverage from a rider is limited to the base plan’s sum assured. For instance, if your base plan is AED 1 million, the rider’s coverage may also be capped at AED 1 million. A standalone plan is generally recommended for more comprehensive coverage.
Sub-limits	Critical illness insurance policies often set sub-limits for tests and surgeries based on the illness, affecting your out-of-pocket expenses. Coverage may be limited by these sub-limits, so understanding this aspect is vital to avoid unexpected costs during claims.
Inclusions and Exclusions	Inclusions and Exclusions
Age	Your age significantly impacts the coverage available under critical illness insurance. Older adults face higher risks for critical illnesses like heart disease and may incur higher premiums compared to younger adults. Choose a plan based on your age group.
Maximum Renewal Age	When buying a plan, consider the maximum renewal age for critical illness coverage. Some policies only offer coverage up to a certain age, while others allow lifelong renewal. Ideally, choose a plan with the highest renewal age.
Waiting Period	Critical illness insurance plans have a waiting period that varies as per the policy, specific conditions, and more. During this time, you cannot file a claim. Select a plan with a shorter waiting period for better benefits.

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Where to Buy the Best Critical Illness Covers in the UAE?

You can easily compare and buy the best critical illness protection plan on Policybazaar.ae. This is a third-party aggregator where you can find and buy the best-suited plan for yourself and your family. It has an easy-to-use interface that makes it possible to get the best critical illness cover in just a few clicks.

When you use Policybazaar.ae, you get the flexibility to select the best plan at an economical rate. Some other benefits include —

Flexibility to compare and select the best plan
Access to free credit score
Assistance from industry experts
24/7 customer care service

Frequently Asked Questions

Serious medical conditions like Strokes, Cancer, Organ Failure, major surgeries, and more are covered under this insurance type.

You need to provide documents like identity proof, address proof, medical records, and other documents requested by the provider to buy a critical illness protection plan.

The factors affecting critical illness cover premiums include your health condition, age, the insurance provider you choose, coverage quantity, and more.

This depends on the underwriting of the plan that you opt for. Read the policy document carefully before making a purchase.