Critical Illness policy is a fixed benefit plan that provides coverage when the policyholder is diagnosed with any of the life-threatening critical illnesses mentioned in the policy documents. The policyholder receives the entire sum insured irrespective of the actual expense for the treatment or if the insured is hospitalized or not.

The list of critical illnesses covered will vary depending on the insurance company chosen. Therefore, it is important to check the number of illnesses covered and the additional benefits offered before choosing the right product.

Here is the list of the common critical illnesses covered in a Critical Illness policy:

• Cancer- up to certain specified severity
• Kidney failure requiring regular dialysis
• Multiple sclerosis persisting symptoms
• End stage liver diseases of specified severity
• First heart attack if specified severity
• Coma of specified severity
• Major burns
• Goodpasture's syndrome
• Apallic syndrome
• Aplastic anemia
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Bacterial meningitis
• Multiple system atrophy
• Progressive scleroderma
• Open chest - cabg
• Major organ/ bone marrow transplant (heart, lung, pancreas, liver, bone, etc.)
• Aorta graft surgery
• Open heart replacement or repair of heart valves
• Pneumonectomy
• Primary pulmonary graft surgery
• Primary parkinson's diseases
• Alzheimer's diseases
• Motor neuron diseases with permanent symptoms
• Stroke resulting in permanent symptoms
• Permanent paralysis of limbs
• Primary pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Benign brain tumor (resulting in permanent neurological symptoms)
• Cardiomyopathy
• End stage lung diseases
• Progressive supranuclear palsy
• Creutzfeldt - jakob disease (cjd)
• Major head trauma
• Encephalitis
• Blindness
• Deafness
• Total loss of speech

To know more about these diseases, click here.

Apart from the earlier mentioned list, here's a specific list maintained by every insurance company: