The Empire Life Insurance Company will be offering a complete portfolio of Group Critical Illness products for groups of three and up, Vital Assist CI, Traditional CI, and Enhanced CI.

The new Traditional CI will cover 31 conditions (plus 15 for dependent children) and provide up to $250,000 in coverage. The new Enhanced CI includes all Traditional CI features and also provides partial, multiple and cancer recurrence benefits. Both products offer dependant and spousal coverage. The existing product, Vital Assist Health Benefit, is being enhanced and will have coverage options for groups of three and up. Customers can also add optional Traditional or Enhanced CI to their Vital Assist CI benefit.

"The response to our expanded portfolio has been very positive" says Steve Pong, Senior Vice-President, Group Solutions. "Advisors are telling us they like that there’s lots of flexibility built into each product, so employers can select the type and the amount of coverage that’s right for their employees."

"The medical breakthroughs that are helping people live longer and survive major illnesses also make critical illness insurance more relevant and appealing than ever before" says Janet Jackson, Vice- President of Group Marketing. "Being told you have a serious illness is enough of a challenge without also having to worry about how to pay for day to day living expenses or unexpected costs related to the illness."

All Empire Life group CI customers will have access to our Health Concierge Service. Delivered by MedExtra Inc., the Health Concierge Service complements critical illness insurance and is designed to bridge the gap between the healthcare employees need, if they are critically ill, and what our healthcare system is structured to provide.