Life - Articles - British Heart Week: The importance of financial protection

 Most deaths are caused by a heart attack, with one occurring every three minutes. Around seven out of 10 people survive a heart attack, however, and an estimated 915,000 people in the UK have lived through one. Heart-related disorders were the second largest cause of life cover claims at Scottish Widows in 2015, accounting for 23 per cent of cases for men and 12 per cent of cases for women.

 It was also the second largest cause of critical illness claims among men, accounting for 22 per cent of claims, and the fourth largest cause among women at three per cent. The company paid out just over £27 million for these claims – the equivalent of around £105,000 every working day that year.

 Scott Cadger, Head of Underwriting and Claims Strategy at Scottish Widows, says: “More than 22,000 people in the UK under the age of 75 die from CHD each year, and 188,000 hospital episodes are attributed to heart attack3 . Yet nearly three quarters of the population have no protection in place to protect their families’ financial future if the unexpected were to happen. “There’s a tendency for most of us to ignore the worst case scenario and this is preventing families from preparing for the future and protecting their livelihoods. The value of protection is to provide valuable peace of mind and to know that should the worst happen, there is a financial safety net in place. “There’s also a commonly held misconception that it’s impossible to get life cover after an event such as a heart attack, but in many cases, it can still be available