Have you ever wondered what you would do if you or a loved one became critically ill? With 20% of all adults in the UK becoming seriously ill before reaching retirement age, now is the time to start planning for such an eventuality.

Critical Illness Cover enables people to protect themselves financially in the event that they or a dependent becomes seriously ill. It does this by paying out a tax free lump sum if a policy holder becomes seriously ill whilst they have cover.

This can provide much needed financial security in the event of serious illness. For instance, if a breadwinner has critically ill and cannot work he or she can use their policy payout to support themselves and their family.

Furthermore, critical illness insurance helps you to pay for expensive medical care which might otherwise cost more than you could afford.

Critical illness insurance does not just benefit individuals. It can benefit businesses too by offering financial aid if a key employee becomes incapacitated. Key employees include company directors; anyone responsible for the smooth running of the business.

However, despite the benefits of critical illness cover, only 10% of small businesses have policies in place for their key employees.

As a result many companies could be opening themselves up to financial risk. This is because if a key employee is prevented from working because of illness and is not covered by critical illness insurance the business is likely to suffer.

Critical illness insurance is something that statistics dictate that we all think about. Whilst the benefits offered by having a critical illness insurance policy in place can be significant in the event of serious illness. But critical illness insurance is not just beneficial to individuals- it also benefits businesses. Companies who do not have critical illness cover for their key employees should consider whether saving money on premiums will actually save them money in the long run.