30 most threatening critical illnesses are covered by the stand-alone Critical Illness Plan. What are those illnesses and how can a CI Plan benefit you?
With so many dangers posed to life, some known and some uncertain, we can only do our best by preparing for it. We cannot predict what is going to happen the next moment. If you are thinking that you have a life insurance plan and that will provide you financial support, guess what- it will! However, this will only benefit your family after your death. A life insurance policy ensures the financial security of your family after your death. What if you are diagnosed with a life-threatening critical disease? Will your health insurance policy be enough to cover the huge expenses of your treatment?
Today, humans are prone to risks of critical illness due to lifestyle diseases. A healthy lifestyle can keep diseases at bay, but what about hereditary diseases? If you have a health insurance plan already, then great! But you may also need to learn about the critical illness insurance plans. Let’s understand why critical illness insurance is important before you start debating that you have health insurance already.
What is a critical illness insurance plan and which 30 critical illnesses it covers?
Any critical illness requires special treatment and care. A general health insurance policy has limited options and clauses on fees and hospital expenses and might not cover the entire treatment. There is a limit based on the sum insured to what your health insurer will pay in case of intensive health care services and you will have to pay the rest of the bills from your pockets only. This is where a critical illness insurance plan comes to rescue.
A critical illness plan provides lump sum benefit which can be used towards meeting the cost of treatment, recuperation expenses and can also pay off any debt taken for treatment. Regardless of the expenses, the insurer is paid the full sum insured by the insurance company.
30 diseases which are covered under critical illness insurance plan are
- Heart Attack of Specified Severity
- Major Cancers
- Stroke
- Kidney Failure
- Bypass Surgery
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Loss of Speech
- Coma
- Paralysis
- Heart Valve Surgery
- Major Burns
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Fulminant Hepatitis
- HIV Due to Blood Transfusion and Occupationally Acquired HIV
- Major Organ/Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Primary Pulmonary Hypertension
- Surgery to Aorta
- Terminal Illness
- End Stage Lung Disease
- End Stage Liver Failure
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Aplastic Anaemia
- Angioplasty & Other Invasive Treatment for Coronary Artery
- Brain Tumour
- Bacterial Meningitis
- Viral Encephalitis
- Motor Neurone Disease
Why is it important to have a critical illness insurance plan?
A critical illness can lead to heavy medical expenses leaving the family members shattered both emotionally and financially. A critical illness insurance plan helps the family in paying the medical expenses and guarantees financial protection which can be used for treatment. Hence, we need critical illness plan because…
It helps cover hospital and other costs
The benefit paid can be used for medical expenses, a critical illness insurance plan may also cover the day to day expenses of the family members. This cover ensures that the patient gets good treatment and the family does not face financial crunch in the hard times.
Huge lifestyle disorders
Poor lifestyle has exposed us to many diseases like diabetes, heart problems, cancer, etc. Even the youth is suffering from diseases unexpected, due to poor lifestyle, poor eating habits, and less physical activities. The rise in these illnesses has caused a huge rise in the health care cost. Some of these diseases require lifetime treatment. Thus, a critical illness plan, along with your health insurance plan, will prove to be very beneficial for the entire family and will also help get the best treatment.
Who should buy a critical illness insurance plan?
A critical illness insurance plan is intended to cover your illness expenses in case you are diagnosed with any critical illness. The money claimed under this can be used to pay for children’s education, mortgage, home improvement, treatment, etc. If you have not prepared for any such incident and your health insurance plan and your employer insurance cover is not enough to pay for the high medical expenses, then you should definitely buy a critical insurance plan.
What should you look for while taking a critical illness insurance plan?
Survival period : A critical illness insurance plan comes with a clause related to the survival period. Depending upon the illness, the patient should survive for a minimum of 30 days after the diagnosis of the disease to claim the policy.
Built-in-coverage: Critical illness insurance aims to provide financial cover against critical diseases and support to the family. Some insurance companies provide built-in benefits like child education allowance, personal accident cover, complementary health checkup, etc. to ensure that your loved ones are least affected in your absence.
Total ailments covered : This is very important before you buy any critical insurance plan. Check the total number of illnesses and critical ailments covered by the policy.
Pre-existing diseases : Some plans cover pre-existing diseases after a certain period of time. However, there are plans which do not cover pre-existing diseases at all. So, assess properly to know what all is covered and what is not before buying.
Free look period : Most insurance companies offer a free look period of about 15 days for you to review your decision. You can request cancellation in case you feel that the plan is not fitting well with your needs.
Things to keep in mind before buying critical illness plan
Coverage: Opt for a maximum coverage plan. Check the illnesses covered under the plan because more the coverage for illness, better is the plan.
Sum Assured: Go for a critical illness insurance plan which offers a decent cover through the sum assured which is large enough during emergency needs.
Claim settlement ratio : You should always check the claim ratio while choosing your plan. Before you buy a plan, you must check whether the insurers keep their promise and settle the claim in time and in a hassle-free manner.
Conclusion
The cost of treatment for critical illnesses is sky high. Thus, having a separate policy for critical illness will only help you in hard times. It will not only support your treatment, but will also take care of your family’s needs.
Recommended: How Does Critical Illness Insurance Work?
