After facing the wrath of a pandemic for almost two and a half years now, most people are highly aware of their health and the role of health and life insurance plans. Thus, after witnessing the uncertainty of life and how things can change overnight, you need to consider securing yours and your loved ones’ lives with suitable insurance plans.
There are numerous options in the market when it comes to health & life insurance. Among all these policies is a critical illness cover policy.
In this article, we will discuss what is critical illness cover and the top health insurance with critical illness cover. Plus, we would also cover the role of critical illness cover for family, among other things related to it. We will also highlight the list of critical illnesses covered in health and life insurance plans.
What is Critical Illness Cover?
When a person suffers from a life-threatening disease, their financial condition plays a significant role in tackling the situation. Therefore, an insurance policy that covers these life-threatening diseases as a part of their offering is known as a critical illness cover policy, and the insured amount under such policy is called the critical illness cover.
A critical illness cover policy is a stand-alone financial tool that helps you secure financial stability against life-threatening diseases, disorders, or illnesses. We all know that the medical expenses for treating life-threatening conditions are pretty high and can drain your financial resources if you are not covered.
Health Insurance vs. Critical Illness Cover
Both health insurance and critical illness cover are slightly different from each other. The primary difference between these two is that the critical illness cover offers a significantly better payout compared to normal health insurance policies. These payouts can be used to meet both medical and daily expenses as you wish while suffering from a critical illness. However, it is strictly advised by the expert that before opting for a critical illness cover policy, one should carefully go through the terms, conditions, and guidelines to ensure that you are covered for the most susceptible critical illness.
Let’s look at 15 high occurrence critical illnesses & diseases that the best critical illness insurance policies include in their policy.
15 High Occurrence Critical Illnesses & Diseases Covered Under the Critical Illness Cover Policy
1. Heart Attack
2. Cancer
3. Stroke
4. Kidney Failure
5. Major organ transplants including Kidney, Lung, Liver, Heart, and Bone marrow transplants
6. Coma
7. Terminal Illness
8. Third-degree burns with at least 20% of the surface area of the body affected
9. Chronic Liver Disease
10. Chronic Lung Disease
11. Major Head Trauma
12. Brain Surgery (Craniotomy)
13. AIDS (In case contracted by medical staff and is caused due to injury or exposure to contaminated blood)
14. AIDS (Contracted due to blood transfusion. In case the victim has contracted AIDS due to receiving infected blood)
15. Full-blown AIDS
Other Significant Critical Illnesses & Diseases Covered in the Critical Illness Cover Policy
1. Bacterial Meningitis (Caused due to the inflammation of the spinal cord or the brain membranes)
2. Alzheimer’s disease or other degenerative brain disorders
3. Benign Brain Tumor
4. Other serious coronary heart diseases {Those caused due to narrowing of the lumen of the three major arteries- the Circumflex, right coronary artery (RCA), and Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD)}
5. Parkinson’s Disease
6. Multiple Sclerosis
7. Encephalitis
8. Poliomyelitis
9. Paralysis or Paraplegia (including the case of complete and permanent loss of one or all of the limbs)
10. Fulminant Viral Hepatitis or massive Necrosis of the Liver caused by a virus that may lead to liver failure
11. Heart Valve Replacement (In case of abnormalities or defects in it)
12. Coronary Artery Diseases (Needing a bypass surgery or other surgery)
13. Aorta Surgery via Thoracotomy or Laparotomy
14. Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
15. Total and/or Permanent Blindness
16.Total and/or Permanent Deafness
17.Motor Neuron Disease
18.Anemia (Caused due to chronic persistent bone marrow failure)
19.Muscular Dystrophy
20. The Universal Necrosis or the Apallic syndrome of the Brain Cortex
Now that you know the common life-threatening critical illnesses, you must ensure that your policy covers most of them, if not all. This will help you in case you or your other insured family members are diagnosed with any such disease. This will not only help you get the treatment and required medical care from the top-tier hospitals and clinics tied up with the insurer, but will also eliminate any financial burden on your family. In addition, a critical illness cover also ensures you can bear your expenses during such hard times.
The illnesses mentioned above may also have subtypes, and you must check with your insurance plan provider or agent for more clarification on these. Also, the process of claims in case of a critical illness covert plan is smooth, and only a few formalities are involved. So, take a step towards securing your health without drilling holes in your pocket.
