Critical Illness Insurance

What happens when you get diagnosed with a Critical Illness?

We have heard about hard-working, middle-aged people having to quit well-paying jobs - after suffering a stroke. A critical illness can occur to anyone, and can

impact their financial stability, drastically. Not only does it affect your earnings, but you will also see a rise in expenses - consultations, treatments, tests, checkups, lifestyle alterations (like the need for wheelchairs, ramp installations, automatic beds that help with movements, full-time nurses, etc.) - and many of these are not covered by a basic health insurance.

With the increase in breakthrough medical technologies, the cost of getting quality treatment is rising exponentially. In this age of medical inflation, suffering from a critical illness and getting treated for the same can really cause a huge financial distress.

So what is the solution?

What are the illnesses not covered under Critical Illness Policy?

Understanding the exclusions is as important as (if not more than) learning the list of diseases and treatments covered. Here are some examples of exclusions-

Illnesses as a result of self-injury or attempts of suicide.

Conditions caused by ionising radiation or contamination by radioactivity from nuclear fuel.

Congenital external diseases, defects, or anomalies.

Medical conditions developed as a result of substance abuse, use of illegal drugs, narcotics (unless prescribed by a medical practitioner), intoxicants, alcohol, hallucinogens, etc.

To get the detailed list of the exclusions particularly applicable to your policy, refer to your critical illness policy document.

For instance, you buy a critical illness policy and get diagnosed with hepatitis due to alcoholism. However, it is mentioned in your policy that if your illness is a result of alcohol abuse, the cover will not be valid. Hence, the costs incurred while treating hepatitis will not get paid for.

Medical bills are a common cause of bankruptcy in our country. Critical illness insurance can take away some of the financial stress, when you cannot work anymore due to a serious medical condition. It also provides flexibility, as the payout money can be used to cover a wide variety of potential needs. Take out some time to research, and choose the critical illness insurance plan that offers optimal protection, without putting a huge dent in your pocket.