Desjardins Financial Security is launching a new critical illness insurance for children. According to DFS, Harmony New Generation is the most comprehensive critical illness insurance product designed for children and the changing needs of families.

The new product will pay a lump sum amount to the parents of a child who has just been diagnosed with one of the critical illnesses covered under the contract to allow them to stay at their child’s bedside. “Besides wanting to get better, a sick child’s greatest wish is to have their parents nearby. With Harmony New Generation, now more than ever before, parents will be able to stay by their child’s side and support them through the illness,” explained Nathalie Tremblay, health products manager, individual insurance, at DFS.

“Parents can decide how to use the money they receive from Harmony New Generation. For example, they have the option of using it as replacement income while they take care of their child, hire someone to mind their other children or take care of their home, make a dream come true for their sick child, or even pay for a trip abroad.”

In addition to the 25 illnesses covered by the Harmony+ critical illness insurance for adults, which includes cancer, and the coverage for the serious complications caused by four infectious diseases, including West Nile virus, Lyme disease, E. coli infection and flesh-eating disease, the new product covers three childhood diseases: cystic fibrosis, autism and Rett syndrome. Coverage for type 1 diabetes (diabetes mellitus), cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy is optional.

With Harmony New Generation, as soon as the attending physician diagnoses their child with one of the 31 illnesses covered under the contract, parents have access to the Best Doctors services, including market-leading expertise and the best medical information. The new product gives them access to medical and paramedical resources that provide comfort, psychological support, guidance and management. Parents also have access to assistance services to help them cope more easily with the difficult experience of their child’s critical illness.