Legal & General has taken the opportunity this Valentine’s week, when we’ve all got heart-shapes emblazoned on our retinas from looking in shop windows, to remind Britons of the risks confronting the real organ.

Seizing on the statistic that one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent every February 14th, the insurer warns that heart attacks do not only affect older people – as many as 460,000 people under the age of 65 have suffered a heart attack in the UK.

The incidence of heart failure among middle-aged and younger people underlines the need for critical illness insurance cover, it claims.

“At this time of year, when the heart symbol takes centre stage, people should think about protecting their heart,” said Bonnie Burns, Legal & General’s protection marketing director.

Critical illness cover protects employees from the financial impact of losing the capacity to work, and thus their livelihood.

But consumers must seek out comprehensive critical illness cover, Prudential warned this week – as many as one in five critical illness claims are rejected because customers failed to disclose conditions they did not think were relevant or because the insurers disagree that their condition constitutes a ‘critical illness’.

To learn more about critical illness insurance, click here.

© Adfero Ltd