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Brits warned over lack of life cover

Joanna Faith
Written By:
Joanna Faith
Posted:
Updated:
03/10/2016

Some 425 people in UK die each day from cardiovascular disease, but many households are not financially protected.

Around 425 people die every day – or one every three minutes – in the UK as a result of heart disorders, and it’s the nation’s single biggest killer. It accounts for more than twice as many deaths in women than breast cancer, and causes more than a quarter (26%) of all deaths in the UK.

But despite the risk, one in five (21%) people admit that their household would not be financially secure for any length of time if it lost its main income through unexpected circumstances, and many Brits are burying their heads in the sand when it comes to having a financial backup plan. This includes adequate life and critical illness cover.

Home is where the heart is

Heart-related disorders were the second largest cause of life cover claims at Scottish Widows in 2015, accounting for 23% of cases for men and 12 per cent of cases for women. It was also the second largest cause of critical illness claims among men, accounting for 22% of claims, and the fourth largest cause among women at 3%.

Scott Cadger, head of underwriting and claims strategy at Scottish Widows, said: “There are around seven million people living with cardiovascular disease in the UK, and an ageing and growing population and improved survival rates from cardiovascular events could see these numbers rise even further.

“While none of us ever want to think about the worst, our findings show that almost three quarters of the population have no protection in place to protect their families’ financial future if the unexpected were to happen. This could lead to them experiencing a significant financial struggle in the event of an unexpected loss of income due to serious illness or death.”