Critical Illness Insurance for HIV

HIV is covered by a wide range of critical illness insurance policies; however this is generally subject to a number of stipulations, which should be made clear by the provider.  Generally speaking critical illness insurance for HIV will only be offered if the following circumstances are met.  The HIV infection must have been caught from either:

• A blood transfusion administered as part of medical treatment;
• A physical assault; or
• An incident that happened whilst performing ones normal employment tasks in an eligible employment – a list of these “eligible employments” should be provided by the insurer.

Critical illness claim criteria will differ from one insurer to the next so speaking to a specialist broker to insure you get the right policy for you and your partner will save you time and possibly money as well - see below:

Some insurers may also impose geographical restrictions when offering critical illness insurance quotes – for example, the critical illness policy may only cover HIV if the infection has occurred within the UK or EU.

The infection must have taken place after the start of the policy and must satisfy all of the following:

• The incident must have been suitably reported to the authorities who will then carry out an appropriate investigation.
• A negative HIV antibody test must be have been taken within 5 days of the incident if the infection occurred as a result of a physical assault, or whilst performing ones normal employment duties.
• 12 months after the incident, an additional HIV test must be performed, verifying the presence of HIV or antibodies to the virus.

Please note that a critical illness policy is unlikely to provide cover for HIV if the infection has been contracted by other means, such as through sexual activity or drug abuse. Please check the policy wording before you sign on the dotted line so you are clear what you are covered for and what is excluded.