How would your family cope financially if your child had to spend time in hospital? Q&A with a child insurance expert.

[EllieSmumsnet]

If your child breaks a bone, or has to stay overnight at a hospital there are a number of unexpected costs that might pile on the stress, from long parking fees to hospital food, travel or even additional childcare. But how would that impact your household income? Would you be covered by your employer or would you need to rely on savings or other support? We know this is a scary thing to think about but child protection insurance like ChildShield by MetLife is designed to offer peace of mind by helping cover costs when you need it most.

We’re joined by Phil Jeynes, Head of Individual Protection at MetLife, for a Q&A on child insurance. Whether you're unsure how it works, what it covers, or if it’s right for your family, we want to hear your questions. Phil will be back over the next few weeks to respond to some of your queries.

If you would like to get financial advice on any of the issues raised here, please speak to your own financial adviser, or find one at unbiased.co.uk.

• Ask your questions below by 11/06/2025 to be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win a £200 voucher of your choice.
• Phil Jeynes will be back soon to answer some of your questions.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

It's everyone's worst nightmare ! But I am wary about the period which you have to join to when you can claim - and how long for and are there any benefits which increase with payment ?

I really don't know what my employer would pay me should my child need care - it's not only the salary but it's covering my job which would need to consider for 'business as usual'. Are there any legal advise available with this scheme should I need to take many weeks off - and my employer want's to go down a disciplinary route ? I work for a small company I know they could not afford to pay me long term - I need to look more at a policy and the benefits

Would the policy cover the physio costs - a broken leg can need lots of physio - and if this is done on a school trip (where my nephew broke his) are there any exemptions - eg skiing or snowboarding - where children ski with little fear.

I guess I'd be covered for a few days however not ongoing. I've never thought of this so would like to investigate it further. How many children can it cover?

Don't bother, our claim was refused because we had antenatal testing that didn't give a diagnosis but alluded to a cardiac issue that would require treatment of some kind but not known until birth.
We had a 6 month stay across 3 different hospitals and acquired a decent amount of debt for it.

I had a quick look at your site; what's the difference between a major and a minor broken bone? Is it to do with the bone itself or the type or break?
Is keeping savings going to be more beneficial than a policy?

If your child was diagnosed with a disability which is life limiting - how long would the policy pay for once you start your payments and have the 6 months lead time payments - and do you ask if there are any hereditary illnesses within the family ? (If an older sibling has a life limiting illness would you have this within your application)

If your child does have an illness which requires surgery, and a long period of convalescence, which would mean a large contribution from the insurer - what evidence would you need to validate the claim - insurers are very well known for not wanting to pay out, so would you need family history of illnesses and how far back, and doctors or school records to ask about illnesses connected to the child. Also do the premiums go up if the child has more than one claim - my son broke a wrist, collar bone and ankle over 4 years playing sport - would a child who was a competitive sports person increase the premium

Do you cover the higher earner and the lower earner or is it policy dependent and guarantee mortgage payments or would you expect a claimant to have mortgage protection cover ?

The maximum age is 22 - so could I start a policy at the age of 18 ? and would this cover for all of the illnesses as shown - what evidence would you require to prove the child is in good long term health - of if the child has previously had a life changing illness in childhood are they then uninsurable based on your risk assessment processes ?

In short we would not - we would both have to work, me part time and my DH full time, there is parental leave but for a long term illness, the thought of this makes me scared. The benefits which you state a parent would be eligible for sound high - is there a maximum number of months you would pay for - and would this be solely for loss of earnings - if we have only been in employment for 8 months would you need evidence of pay ?

I have a MetLife childshield policy, my son fell off his sedgeway, and broke 3 major bones and they paid out 3 amounts. Plus i use the GP service so many times for £6 its a bargain

Sounds like a worthwhile investment for children who can get into scrapes and accidents, and gives peace of mind for if the worse happens - I think the premiums seem reasonable - do schools and doctors have to be contacted and if you intend to have a skiing school trip - is this covered ?

Oh golly, some things you just don’t consider, do you! My husband is self employed, 50% of my income is self employed….i guess I could work on my laptop in hospital??? I suppose this is one of those things you need an emergency fund for…if you took out the cover, how could you be sure they would pay out??

This seems really affordable - should the worst happen ? Do you also do a policy for adults or families which I would be interested in ?

Do you get the same payout no matter what the salary ? If you are a high earner - is the length of payout capped, if the accident is part of another insurance claim (RTA for example) would you expect the guilty parties insurance to pay your costs in the first instance - otherwise you may be able to claim twice for the same incident - what cross checks are done ?

My question would be if you have an illness which is not covered as you don't have the policy for 12 months, can you still pay and be covered for any new events, or would this illness invalidate your insurance ?

My child has already broken his leg - if he did it again, would this be covered?

I had a family policy with my previous employer and claimed twice on that for my children, would that impact as I have had 2 previous claims - do you check for previous claims - or would this increase our premium (boys both rugby and football players who were injured)

It does seem like a good policy to have for peace of mind - but how long is the time from claim to payment, and can you give any reasons why a claim may become voided ?

What happens if you have a fracture and not a break - is this still covered - policy says broken bones - can you please clarify.

Is there a medical health check required to determine eligibility? Also, if one parent has a genetic disease that normally children aren't tested for then would a child be covered for this should they be diagnosed in later childhood and require hospitalisation? Thank you!

What percentage of claims are paid out?
What are some of the reasons why a claim would be denied?

Would a previous injury that causes complications after a few years be covered or would it being from an
old injury mean it’s not covered?

Does not cover dental procedures which require hospital - is that correct ? If teeth are broken in an accident and need urgent help - or the parent does not have an NHS dentist is this covered ?