We’ve noticed a rise in COVID-19 scams by email, text and phone. Please be cautious. Here’s how you can protect yourself and what to do if you suspect fraud. You can also find the latest info on how we’re responding to the pandemic at sunlife.ca/covid-19.

Skip to client sign in Skip to content Skip to footer
Navigation Menu      

Express Critical Illness Insurance

Minimize the financial impact of a serious illness

No one plans to get seriously ill. But you can plan ahead for unexpected expenses in case you do get sick. Express Critical Illness Insurance has 3 plans that offer coverage for 1 to 7 common life-threatening illnesses or conditions.  If you're diagnosed with one of the covered conditions and survive 30 days you will receive a tax-free1, lump-sum2 payment3 to use any way you wish.

  • You may want to consider this product if:

  • You feel that either $25,000 or $50,000 coverage is sufficient protection
  • You want instant online approval – with no medical exam or blood work required
  • You like the idea of a 30-day free look to make sure this coverage is right for you

Tools & Resources

Related products

Policy details:

With Express Critical Illness Insurance, you have 3 plans to choose from. Explore each plan below, to find out which plan best matches your needs. Get a free online quote.

Illnesses covered

  • Cancer

Age Requirements

  • 18 – 65 years old when you buy the policy

Coverage Amount

  • $25,000

Illnesses covered

  • Cancer
  • Heart Attack
  • Stroke

Age Requirements

  • 18 – 65 years old when you buy the policy

Coverage Amount

  • $25,000

Illnesses covered

  • Cancer
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Coronary artery bypass surgery
  • Aortic surgery
  • Major organ transplant
  • Major organ failure on waiting list

Age Requirements

  • 18 – 65 years old when you buy the policy

Coverage Amount

  • $50,000

Additional Benefits

  • Rate guarantee for the first 5 years
  • Inflation protection
  • Best Doctors®* services - A valuable service available to you, your spouse, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law at any point during the lifetime of the policy. You can access Best Doctors to get answers to any of your medical questions (they do not need to be questions relating to an illness covered under this policy). In addition, if you get critically ill, you will be connected with a leading expert that will review your diagnosis and your treatment plan and provide you with recommendations for moving forward. What’s more, you can still use Best Doctors’ services up to 4 months from the time your claim is paid.
  • Add up to 5 children for $2.50 per month to provide coverage of $5,000 per child

More about all of these plans:

Payments

  • Monthly pre-authorized chequing or credit card

Coverage begins

  • As soon as you're approved

Coverage ends when any of these happens:

  • A claim is paid
  • The policy is cancelled
  • The policy anniversary after the insured person's 70th birthday
  • The insured person dies

30-day free look

If you decide your new policy doesn’t meet your needs, you can cancel it within 30 days of receiving it or 60 days after we issue it (whichever date is earlier). We’ll refund your money.

Exclusions & limitations

Before you enrol, make sure you read the sample policy and understand the   Definitions & Exclusions including the exclusion for pre-existing conditions. When you enrol, we'll ask you to answer the health declaration statements.

Cost of this plan

Rates are based on age, gender and smoking status. Every year, they’ll increase as you get older.

Claims

  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 the form. Include any information we ask for 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 conditions and the cause of the illness and
    • your complete medical records.

Notes on the written diagnosis:

  • The written diagnosis must include appropriate information to assess the illness. A 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 for 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.

  • You must send us a claim while your policy is in effect and within 1 year of the date the insured person is diagnosed or has surgery for a covered critical illness.
  • Within 1 year of the date the insured person has a covered critical illness.
  • If you make a claim outside of this time period, we won’t assess the claim or make any payment.
  • If the claim meets all the policy conditions, we’ll pay within 60 days of receiving the proof required to assess the claim.

Sample policies

  Basic
  Enhanced
  Comfort (with child benefit)
  Comfort (without child benefit)

  Basic
  Enhanced
  Comfort (with child benefit)
  Comfort (without child benefit)

  Basic
  Enhanced
  Comfort (with child benefit)
  Comfort (without child benefit)

Footnotes

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

1 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.

2 If you are diagnosed with one of the covered conditions and survive the 30-day waiting period, you'll receive a lump-sum payment once your claim is approved. With the exception of cancer, no benefit is payable for a recurrence or metastasis of an original cancer that was diagnosed before the policy date. No benefit is payable for non-life threatening cancers and all cancer diagnoses are subject to a 90-day no claim period.

3 Diagnosis of a critical illness must occur after the effective date of coverage and you must complete a survival period (usually 30 days).

*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 © 2018 Best Doctors.