Bright Grey says it paid 90% of critical illness claims in the first six months of the year, with 4% of claims declined for non-disclosure.
The average pay out was £77,000.
The youngest claimant was 23 years old and a third of claimants were 40 years old or under. 61% of critical illness claims were for cancer, followed by heart attack 10% and stroke 9%.
Roger Edwards, proposition director at Bright Grey, said: “Critical illness can happen to anyone at any time as the age of our youngest claimant shows. But while a financial payout is essential to help people to continue to make ends meet
