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

Am I right in presuming previously diagnosed conditions or previous injuries (if they happened again) would not be covered? Thanks.

Is it one price per age or is will it graduate upwards the older the children are , and are there sibling discounts ?

I have a healthcare plan through work which covers my six year old - should I have insurance for her too?

I would assume you would need the money pretty quickly if you were unable to work - I am on a zero hours contract - how would that work ?

Will the premiums change if you have had a claim ?

I hadn't really thought about this - so it is worth thinking about. Would the child need a medical before hand? Worth thinking about? How long would it be valid for 16 years? 18 years?

Re the parking - what receipts would I need - my local hospital has a pay on leaving (£9.00 a day) and you don't get a receipt.

Would this be a scheme recognised in the workplace? If I were to lose my job following a week off with my child in hospital, would I have any comeback with regard to reclaiming wages owed.
I guess I'm asking not what it covers for the child, but what it covers for the parent who may be rightfully or wrongfully dismissed. Thank you.

How does this differ from health insurance? My Bupa cover covers everything described (with much higher limits) in the main post for kiddo bar loss of earnings which doesn’t bother me as I’ve got paid special leave for such arrangements (if needed).

So what’s the benefit of this, over my existing Bupa cover? It doesn’t even cover dental and has a 12-month exclusion period for some aspects. Honestly, sounds like a dreadful deal. Can’t even go private on the cover limits.

Who is the underwriter for this please ?

How does this work for children with long term conditions eg asthma, diabetes, who may be at higher risk of an admission. Are any pre-existing conditions excluded or only if they’ve had recent/frequent admissions for this?

My questions are what proportion of claims are paid out and what are the exclusions? I would be wary of having a battle over trying to claim and my general feeling is that I'd rather build up savings to cover these expenses.

Would it be simple to make a claim. Having a child in hospital is incredibly difficult and making an insurance claim would be petty low on my list of immediate priorities. How long after the event would you accept a claim?

If you do not have a NHS dentist - we are finding it so hard to find one - how would you cover any dental treatments needed through accidents - broken teeth are really expensive to remedy - thank you

Are there a maximum number of claims you can make in a year ? If a child has a very sporty life, then hospital visits and potential broken bones are more likely than a more sedate child. (spoken as a regular visitor with my son who had a broken collar bone and wrist on once year)

is it more expensive the more children that you have?

This is one of those things you don't really like to think about until it happens. I think it's helpful to be prepared for those situations though, as money worry is the last thing you'd want ontop of everything else.

My questions are:

What does the claims process look like? Can you access payments quickly?

If you're child had a long-term illness rendering you unable to work, could you claim for the mortgage and other bills?

I've been in this position countless times in the last year. It is absolutely exhausting. The biggest financial (and logistical) juggle is childcare for other children while looking after the one in hospital. Is there any help/cover for that?

Does this cover children who play contact sports that may be injured while participating?

Also what about children with pre existing medical conditions that are controlled?

If you make a claim for a particular illness is that illness then excluded after the policy year?
And do you heed a doctors note to confirm child illness before you could claim for loss of earnings?

I was the child in this situation and my parents visited me in the evening or sometimes during the day if they used annual leave. I’d probably do the same now that I’m a parent.

How do you decide when to cover the expenses you mentioned in the OP? Do you cover private treatment?

Has Phil responded to any posts?

Long parking fees!? That's mental, who would have an insurance policy for cost of parking a car?

It really is a parent's worse nightmare, which is why we developed this product. With ChildShield, your children are covered for accidents, resulting in broken bones or a stay in hospital, from Day 1. They're covered if they're diagnosed with one of the serious conditions 90 days after the policy start date. They're covered for hospitalisation for any illness after 12 months. All the details are clearly explained in our literature. So if you were to buy a policy at 10am and your child breaks their arm later that day, you would be able to make a claim for this. Our product has 2 tiers of benefit; ChildShield Standard which is £6 per month and ChildShield Plus for £11 per month which pays double the benefit for less than double the monthly premium.

ChildShield is not designed as an income protection policy so wouldn't cover your salary - it provides a lump sum payout, which can help towards unexpected costs. We are not able to provide legal advice, but our product comes with access to a free wellbeing support service for you and your household family, including support to help you cope with legal and financial worries.