The Positives of Critical Illness Insurance
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Written by: Jim Smithwick
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Word Count: 626 |
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 |
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In 1983, the first form of critical illness cover was introduced in South Africa. It was known as dread disease insurance and has quickly became a popular form of insurance around the world. It was originally sold as a way to protect yourself from cancer in North America and it covered a variety of types of the disease. This "cancer policy" was the original critical illness cover and has became quite popular in Europe, North America, and even parts of Asia.
The policies cover you, if you are to become ill during the term of policy. They will cover you against a specific number of illnesses as listed by the insurance provider. At the time of diagnosis you will receive a lump sum of money. It is often tax-free. The types of critical illnesses that will be covered can vary but you can be rest assured that cancers, stroke, heart attack, and most types of heart surgery will be included in a policy like this. Many companies may only cover 5-10 illnesses but they will likely be cheaper policies while over policies could over 100 different illnesses. When you are diagnosed with a critical illness it can be a difficult time on its own, so not having to worry about finances can be very helpful for many people. That way you can focus on getting better.
The term Dread Disease Insurance didn't really catch on around the world so it was soon marketed under different names to help popularize this form of insurance. You wont hear many firms calling it that anymore. Instead, they will use alternatives like trauma cover, crisis cover, or even living insurance but Critical illness cover and critical illness insurance are the most popular. At one point in it's history critical illness cover had very strict guidelines as to when it would payout but that has changed in recent years. Now it is a safe form of insurance that has strict guidelines that dictate when someone will or will not be paid out. A lot of insurance providers have expanded the number of conditions in order to be able to tap into a much larger customer base.
If your social or government insurance covers most of the illnesses then there isn't much point in getting critical illness cover but make sure you know this before you decide to write off these illnesses. In many cases your social insurance will only cover a small portion and this could leave you in very poor financial shape. Critical illness insurance is much more important in countries that have poor security measures. Even if you live in a country with great health and insurance programs you still might want critical cover just for that extra safety. It means you could have the best possible care no matter what happens.
There are other benefits with these policies as well. They include the fact that you will be covered for other things than just your medical expenses. There could be many repercussions from a critical illness that you can't even think of. It could mean that your home has to be equipped so that you can get around or you may need special equipment to make you mobile. It really depends on the illness or disease that you might get but the possibilities are endless.
About the Author
Want to find out more about critical illness coverage, then visit Jim Smithwick's site on buying this form of cover for your all needs.
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