AegonApr 6 2020

Aegon makes first CI changes in four years

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Aegon makes first CI changes in four years

Aegon has made the first changes in four years to its critical illness cover, improving some cover, consolidating other and removing some conditions.

Changes include tidying up wording on bacterial meningitis to add clarity, and extending the scope of benign brain tumour to include radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

It has combined traumatic brain injury and hypoxia/anoxia under a new title and withdrawn the exclusion of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

According to Alan Lakey, founder of CI Expert, the fact Aegon had not applied adjustments to its CI plan for nearly four years, meant it has been "pushed down the league tables in terms of comprehensive cover", with its competitors making regular upgrades over the period.

However, Mr Lakey welcomed the latest adjustments, which he said were "welcome" and simplify matters.

Among a slew of other changes, Aegon's claim-paying value has been improved by requiring a definite diagnosis for multiple sclerosis, and it added two more claim triggers to the early-stage prostate cancer clause.

The children's cover has seen the maximum age moved from 21st birthday to 22nd and the 14-day survival period has been reduced to 10 days.

Mr Lakey said: "Aegon has been trading on price and service rather than involving itself in the conditions race.

"These adjustments will have minimal impact on comprehensiveness but add clarity and are another step on the road to consolidating conditions that exhibit substantial overlap with other conditions."

simoney.kyriakou@ft.com