Ageas has improved its critical illness cover.

The new offering now covers 46 conditions, including 17 ABI+ definitions, while children up to the age of 21 are now covered through children’s CI cover, whether or not they are in education.

Ageas has also added cover to provide more early partial payments for new customers, which are paid in addition to the sum assured, including treatments such as angioplasty as well as for testicular and breast cancers, where earlier payments are more beneficial to customers.

Several of the conditions, which are now covered under Ageas’s YourLife Plan CIC, have a reduced surgery requirement for a claim to be made, including partial removal of organs rather than full organ transplant. Ageas will now also pay claims for cardiac arrest treated with an implantable cardiac defibrillator.

Ageas has also introduced a partial payout for the treatment of testicular cancer in situ – a condition which can affect 15-25 year olds but is typically not screened for.

Steve Casey, head of marketing and propositions at Ageas Protect, said: “The introduction of these changes is just the beginning of the road that Ageas Protect wishes to pursue to ensure our products and services meet our customers’ needs.”