Living with a chronic illness like diabetes, hypertension, or cancer can be challenging. Usually, there are huge costs required for the long-term management and unexpected costs resulting from such condition. Thankfully, there are insurance options that can help reduce the burden of these costs, making it easier to manage your health in a financially responsible way.
If you’re looking to learn how critical illness insurance can help reduce healthcare costs, this blog post is just what you need.
What Is Critical Illness Insurance?
Critical illness insurance is a supplemental insurance designed to provide financial relief to individuals with a serious medical condition. The insurance pays out a lump sum to the policyholder for cover the cost of treating and managing an illness and for expenses such as lost wages due to the illness or any relevant home modifications.
Critical care insurance typically covers illnesses such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, and severe burns. It may also cover certain surgeries and hospital stays that some insurance do not cover. The amount of cash received from critical illness insurance depends on the policyholder’s age and the severity of their condition.
Unlike traditional health insurance plans, critical illness insurance does not require copays or coinsurance payments when making claims. Since a supplementary coverage, there are no associated deductibles.
Critical illness insurance does not cover all illnesses; each plan has its own list of conditions it covers. That being stated, the following are the most often covered illnesses:
- Stroke
- Organ transplant
- Heart attack
- Kidney failure
- Cancer
- A bypass surgery
Advantages Of Critical Illness Insurance
Critical illness insurance offers several advantages compared to other medical coverage types.
- Wide-ranging coverage: Critical illness insurance covers several conditions that traditional health insurance may not cover, making it a great option for those at high risk for certain illnesses or who have existing chronic medical problems.
- Direct payment: The policyholder receives the entire amount in one lump sum instead of waiting for reimbursement from their insurer after making a claim.
- No waiting period: Unlike other insurance forms, there is no waiting period before you can benefit from your critical illness coverage.
Disadvantages Of Critical Illness Insurance
Despite the advantages, critical illness insurance also has some drawbacks.
- Expensive: Critical illness policies are usually more expensive than, for example, renewable term life insurance plans. So individuals may find it difficult to afford them.
- Potential to go unused: You may never use your policy, making it an unnecessary expense for those who are healthy and have no family history of serious illnesses or conditions.
- Separate from traditional medical insurance: Since this type of coverage is separate from regular medical insurance, there could be gaps in coverage if you need additional treatments not covered by the policy or cannot pay for them out-of-pocket.
Critical Illness Insurance For Diabetes
Now that you know the fundamentals of critical illness insurance, let’s focus on how these insurance policies might help people with diabetes who need financial assistance.
Diabetes is not frequently listed as one of the critical health conditions in critical illness plans since it is not thought to be a life-threatening disease. Besides, your chances of getting critical illness coverage are minimal if you already have diabetes.
However, individuals with a family history of diabetes or those who lead lifestyles that can increase their risk of developing this condition may still be eligible for critical illness insurance. Therefore, if you believe you risk developing type 2 diabetes due to your lifestyle choices or existing medical condition, it’s best to look into the available options and weigh up the cost versus benefit before investing in critical illness insurance.
If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, the insurance provider will review your insurance policy and provide a lump sum payment. The policy’s insured amount mostly determines the amount set aside for diabetics.
You are free to put the money to use in any way you see suitable, including paying off debts or treating your diabetes. However, for most people, taking care of their health is priority.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or utilize insulin. Insulin is necessary for regulating blood sugar, and when it’s used properly, sugar accumulates in the bloodstream and can cause serious health complications.
People with diabetes have too much or too little insulin in their bodies, leading to various symptoms such as fatigue, increased thirst, weight loss, blurred vision, and frequent urination.
Potential complications of diabetes include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and even death. We’ll take a closer look at these later.
Types of Diabetes
The two types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body produces little or no insulin.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or fails to respond correctly to its own insulin production. In both cases,, diabetes can cause life-threatening health conditions if not adequately managed.
Treating diabetes requires lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and monitoring of blood sugar levels through daily testing. Moreover, people must take medication or insulin injections daily to manage their conditions.
Critical Illnesses Caused By Diabetes
For those living with diabetes, there are a number of critical illnesses that can arise because of the condition. These include:
- Cardiac arrest: A cardiac arrest is caused by an electrical malfunction in the heart and often results from an underlying heart condition such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or high blood pressure.
- Coma: Diabetics may fall into a coma if their blood sugar levels become dangerously low or high due to a lack of proper insulin production or absorption.
- Cancer: Individuals with diabetes are at increased risk for certain types of cancer, including pancreatic and colorectal cancer.
- Alzheimer’s disease and dementia: Research suggests uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Loss of speech: Diabetes can lead to changes in blood vessels, nerves, and muscles that may result in a loss of speech or difficulty speaking clearly.
- Cardiomyopathy: High blood sugar levels can damage the heart muscle, leading to cardiomyopathy. This condition can result in chest pain, shortness of breath, and/or an irregular heartbeat.
Why Diabetes Patients May Need Critical Illness Insurance?
Critical illness insurance for diabetes is crucial since it offers patients with any kind of diabetes a financial safety net.
In other words, these insurance policies offer more than simply cash protection in the event that you later get diabetes. They protect you against other serious conditions, including heart attack, coma, cancer, neurological disorders, transplants, amputations, and other medical issues.
Diabetes management will go considerably more smoothly and safely if you have a significant amount of money that you can depend on at all times. This is because you’ll have the money to pay for the prohibitively costly medical expenses.
Conclusion
Critical illness insurance can be a great investment for those at risk of developing diabetes. It provides financial protection if you develop any of the serious illnesses related to diabetes and helps to ensure that you can manage your condition as effectively as possible. Be sure to compare different plans and understand their terms and conditions before investing in a critical illness policy.
