Taking out an insurance policy is a wise idea. Whether it is a life insurance, critical illness insurance or income protection insurance, you are required to pay premiums. Premium payments tend to vary according to the type of insurance and policy you buy. For example, if you take a combined critical illness cover with life insurance, the premium payment may be higher than usual. Whatever the cover you take, there are a few things to consider. It can be embarrassing situation if you find your claim rejected after years of contribution. On the other hand, many critical illness claims are also accepted. This can be achieved by carefully reading all the policy details as well as seeking the help of insurance agents to explain the full policy in detail. Let?s see some critical illness claim statistics. According to Standard Life 2005, a sum of hr consultants GBP19.8 million was probably paid on about 342 claims. More precisely, an amount of GBP 58,000 may have been paid on an average basis per claim. Also, in the year 2005, 82 percent of critical illness claims were more likely paid as compared to 80 percent of the previous year. These figures can be encouraging as nearly all claims were paid. Moreover, 18 percent of claims could have been rejected. Out of these, 10 percent may have been turned down as they did not meet policy definitions. The other 8 percent could have been declined due to non disclosure. When taking out a critical illness policy, you should disclose everything about your existing health and your medical history. If members of your family all suffer from a hereditary disease, you should tell your critical illness insurers. They may therefore ask you to undergo some medical tests.