Express Critical Illness Insurance has plans that offer coverage for up to 7 common life-threatening illnesses or conditions. If you’re diagnosed with one of the covered critical illnesses and survive 30 days, you will get a tax-free, lump-sum payment (see “Important details” tab below) to use any way you wish.

You may want to consider this product if:

  • You are looking for $25,000 - $50,000 of coverage.
  • You’re looking for instant online approval.
  • You don’t want any medical exams or blood work.
  • You want a 30-day free trial to make sure this is right for you.

Your coverage can help with:

  • medical treatment,
  • home modifications,
  • debt payments,
  • education or retirement savings,
  • and more.

Policy details

Express Critical Illness Insurance gives you three plans to choose from. Explore below to find the one that suits you.

  Basic Plan Enhanced Plan Comfort Plan
Covered critical illnesses
  • Cancer
  • Cancer
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Cancer
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Coronary artery bypass surgery
  • Aortic surgery
  • Major organ transplant
Age Requirements 18-65 years old when you buy the policy 18-65 years old when you buy the policy 18-65 years old when you buy the policy
Coverage Amount $25,000 $25,000 $50,000
Additional Benefits N/A N/A
  • Guaranteed rate for the first 5 years
  • Inflation protection
  • Add any number of children as long as they’re between the ages of 60 days and 18 years old. For $2.50 per month, all your children can get $5000 of coverage for the same covered critical illnesses under the policy.

Critical illness insurance comes with the added service of Best Doctors®*. You get an international network of the best medical minds on your side. When faced with the uncertainty of a medical diagnosis, Best Doctors® can help you get:

  • The right information
  • The right diagnosis
  • The right treatment

You can get your medical questions answered, even about conditions not covered under this policy. You can use Best Doctors® for your dependents, parents and parents-in-law. And you can use it up to 4 months after a claim is paid.

More about the plans

Payments

  • Monthly, pre-authorized payments from your chequing account or credit card.

Coverage begins

  • As soon as you submit your application.

Coverage ends when any of these happens

  • Sun Life pays a claim
  • The policy is cancelled
  • The policy anniversary after the insured person's 70th birthday
  • The insured person dies

Exclusions and limitations

Before enrolling, take time to read and understand the sample policy. Go through the Definitions & Exclusions, including the details for pre-existing conditions. When you enrol, we’ll ask you to answer the heath declaration statements.

Cost

Rates are based on age, gender and smoking status. They’ll increase every year for the Basic and Enhanced Plan. For the Comfort Plan, rates stay the same for the first 5 years, and then increase every year.

Cancellations

You can cancel your policy anytime. You just need to send us a written request. If you can cancel within 30 days of getting the policy in the mail or 60 days after we issue it (whichever is earlier), we’ll refund your money. 

Here’s what to keep in mind about a tax-free, lump-sum payment

Tax free - There are no specific income tax laws for critical illness insurance. Based on current tax laws, we believe any cash benefit from critical illness insurance will not presently be taxed when the policy is owned by an individual and the benefit is payable to an individual. To learn how critical illness insurance benefits may be taxed in your situation, speak with your independent tax professional.

Lump sum - If you are diagnosed with one of the covered critical illnesses and survive the 30-day waiting period, you’ll get a one-time payment once your claim is approved. There's a 90-day waiting period from the policy start date before you can make a claim for a life-threatening cancer or brain tumour diagnosis to qualify for a claim.

We won’t pay the cash benefit for:

  • a recurrence or metastasis of an original cancer that was diagnosed before the policy start date.
  • non-life threatening cancers.

Payments - Your critical illness diagnosis must occur after the coverage start date and you’ll need to survive for 30-days. Sun Life needs to approve your claim to process payment.

Making a claim

1. Call us at 1-800-669-7921. This number will also be listed at the beginning of the policy. We’ll send you the appropriate form to fill out.

2. Fill out the form and mail it to us at the address listed on it. We may ask you to include additional information to assess the claim. This may include:

  • proof that you have the right to receive the benefit,
  • proof that you had a covered critical illness while your policy was in effect,
  • a written diagnosis which describes the symptoms and the cause of the illness and
  • your complete medical records.

Notes on the written diagnosis

The written diagnosis must include all information needed to assess the illness. A medical specialist licensed and practising in Canada (or another doctor acceptable to us) must prepare and sign it.

The doctor, specialists or health care practitioners who sign the diagnosis – or provide information to us – may not be:

  • the owner of the policy,
  • a person insured under the policy,
  • a person entitled to make a claim under the policy or
  • a relative or business associate of these people.

Keep in mind

Doctors may charge a fee to fill out certain forms. You are responsible for any fees associated with collecting this information.

In some cases, we may choose health practitioners to examine you. These may be licensed physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists or others. We’ll cover the cost of these examinations.

  Basic Enhanced Comfort
All provinces (excluding Alberta and Quebec)

Policy

 Policy

Policy with child benefit

Policy without child benefit

Alberta only

 Policy Policy

Policy with child benefit

Policy without child benefit
Quebec only Policy Policy

Policy with child benefit

Policy without child benefit

Try free for 30 days

If you cancel your plan within 30 days of
receiving it, or 60 days after we issue the
policy (whichever comes first), we’ll give a
full refund.

Questions?

 Call 1-844-528-0583 to speak with a
licensed representative or request a call from us.

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET

Looking for more personalized support? Speaking to an
adviser can help ensure which plan is right for you.

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is the insurer, and is a member of the Sun Life group of companies. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is licensed to offer life and health insurance in all jurisdictions in Canada.

*Best Doctors and the star-in-cross logo are trademarks of Best Doctors, Inc., in the United States and in other countries. Used with permission. All rights reserved © 2020 Best Doctors.