Legal & General (L&G) paid out £422,500 on children's critical illness (CI) cover claims for leukaemia in 2014, the figure has been released for National Leukaemia Awareness Month.
Leukaemia accounted for over a quarter of the total amount paid out on children's critical illness claims which was £1.6m in 2014.
Of claims made on children's critical illness cover for leukaemia 100% were paid, while 40% of all leukaemia claims made by L&G policyholders were children.
The average age of children who leukaemia claims were for was six, with the youngest being two years old, more than half of patients for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common form, are under five.
The maximum benefit available for children who are covered by a critical illness policyholder's policy is £25,000, with the policy paying half the sum assured up to that limit.
Mark Holweger, managing director, intermediated at Legal & General, said: "Child leukaemia is not uncommon and we understand the distress children's critical illness cover claims can have on a family.
"This is why we ensure that our staff on the frontline are specifically trained to deal with such cases, and why we strive to pay as many claims as possible, exemplified by our 2014 claims record for children with leukaemia."
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