None of us knows if or when we will be diagnosed with cancer, have a heart attack or stroke, or be diagnosed with another critical illness. These diseases and conditions can have devastating effects on our health, requiring dedicated treatment and recovery periods. When a critical illness strikes, the financial consequences can be just as catastrophic as the health ramifications in their own way.
Consider this: an estimated 56 million Americans under age 65 have trouble paying medical bills, and medical bills are the number one reason for bankruptcies.
Even with a good health insurance policy, you may still be required to pay a sizable deductible before your health insurance kicks in, and then you may need to continue paying co-insurance to cover a portion of your own health care costs.
The main advantage of a critical illness insurance policy is the peace of mind that comes with knowing you and your family will have cash available to cover your expenses in the event you become seriously ill. You get to choose how the money is spent: use it to pay for treatment costs that aren’t covered under your health insurance policy, to cover your monthly obligations, to replace your spouse’s income so he/she can care for you, etc. The choice is yours.
Critical illness insurance can be surprisingly affordable, especially if you are young and relatively healthy when you purchase the policy.
When you weigh the policy premiums against the potential impact to your finances from not having coverage when you need it, buying a critical illness insurance policy just makes sense.
Some policies offer simplified underwriting, meaning you may be asked a series of health-related questions and may not need a medical exam. For higher value policies offering larger lump sum benefits, you will need to qualify for coverage based on medical exams and tests. In general, most healthy individuals qualify for critical illness coverage.
Because this type of policy is designed to pay out benefits in the event you are diagnosed with a critical illness, you cannot purchase the policy if you already have a critical illness.
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