No one can predict when or what disease will strike in the future. Even the risk of disease will still exist, and can come at any time even though the person has adopted a healthy lifestyle.
It's
no secret that the cost of treating the disease is not cheap. For your
information, according to data from Mercer Marsh Benefits in 2019, it is
predicted that Indonesia will have inflation or an increase in medical costs of
up to 11 percent each year.
With
this increase in medical costs, maintaining health and preparing for the
possibility of suffering from a critical illness in the future is a very
important step.
So,
what are the most common examples of critical illness?
Types of Critical Illness
Before we discuss further about critical illness insurance,
it's good for us to first identify what is included in the critical illness?
According
to Research and Basic Health data (Riskesdas 2018). There are several types of
critical illness, including:
1. Stroke
A
stroke occurs when there is a disruption in the blood supply to the brain.
Launching an article on the Hellosehat website, it was stated that the cost of
stroke treatment could reach around Rp. 150 million to Rp. 450 million.
2. Cancer
The
second critical illness that causes the highest mortality is cancer. Cancer is
actually another term for malignant tumors in several parts of the body, which
can affect all people and all age groups.
Cancer
treatment costs are also not cheap. According to the Director of the Jakarta
Dharmais Cancer Hospital, the cost of treating cancer patients must undergo
various series of treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, to surgery.
In addition, patients must receive support from supporting facilities such as
CT scans and blood transfusions, which in total can cost up to IDR 300 million.
3. Diabetes
Diabetes
is a type of chronic metabolic disease caused by reduced effectiveness of
insulin. If injured, diabetic patients are also difficult to heal, so not
infrequently, they have to undergo an amputation process which costs up to
around Rp. 150 million.
4. Heart
Disorders
of heart disease are quite diverse, ranging from disorders of blood vessels,
rhythms, valves and others. The cost of heart treatment also varies, but what
is clear is that it can reach around Rp. 250 million.
5. Other Critical Illnesses
Of
course, there are still some critical illnesses besides the four diseases above
that we must be aware of. Several other critical illnesses are kidney failure,
acute nervous disorders, hepatitis, meningitis, to HIV/Aids.
Just
imagine, when someone is exposed to a critical illness, there will be some
risks that arise in the future. The two greatest risks of this disease are the
inability to earn a living and death.
What would happen if the breadwinner contracted this disease when he was still productive? Of course, the family will be burdened financially.
Therefore, having critical illness insurance become
a necessity, to complete Health Insurance.
Critical illness insurance will protect us from financial losses due to the
cost of treating this disease.
What
are the criteria for good critical illness insurance? How do we choose
insurance so that it is right for us? Let's see the explanation below here.
Criteria that need to be considered from critical illness insurance
1. Broad Protection Coverage
A
good critical illness insurance should have a fairly broad coverage of
protection. The more types of critical illness that are covered by protection,
this shows the more complete protection that can be provided by the insurance.
Everyone
has a different medical history. Therefore, the threat of critical illness that
we experience cannot be equated. It is very important to recognize the types of
critical illness that are included in the coverage of an insurance protection.
2. Benefits of Death
Without
a death benefit, of course a critical illness insurance can be said to be
incomplete. This benefit will be very useful for the bereaved family, so that they
can continue to live properly.
When
a family head is not covered by this insurance and dies due to a critical
illness, it is very likely that the emergency funds will be used to pay for
medical expenses during illness, to sell assets to pay for these costs.
After
that, the families left behind will lose their income and assets, and
eventually their standard of living will drop. What if the family in question
still has debts? Their financial burden will certainly feel very heavy.
3. Easy Claim Process
A
good insurance claim process, of course, must be easy and not long-winded. When
the claim documents are complete, within a certain period of time, the sum
insured will reach the Insured's family.
Tips for Choosing Critical Illness Insurance
Choosing
this insurance certainly can not be arbitrary. What happens if we choose the
wrong insurance? Our finances can obviously be disrupted because we continue to
pay premiums but the protection from insurance is not appropriate.
Here
are tips for choosing critical illness insurance that you should know.
1. Know Yourself and Inherited Diseases
The
first step, of course, is to identify yourself and know the history of the
disease or hereditary disease. Hereditary disease is actually a disease that is
passed from one or both parents to their children.
Everyone
certainly wants to have a healthy body, but this hereditary disease is
generally difficult to avoid and can attack us in the future. In addition to
hereditary diseases, also know our health history well. So that we can
understand the risks to our health in the future.
2. Adjust Premiums With Income
The
more protection coverage we take in a critical illness insurance, the greater
the premium that must be paid. Remember the first point above, know yourself
and also identify hereditary diseases and other diseases that have the
potential to attack us in the future and adjust which needs can be covered with
our income.
3. Choose Trusted
Not
a few insurance companies that offer products that are quite tempting with low
premiums. But are you sure it's the right product for your needs?
Choosing
critical illness insurance must be selective. For example, MiUltimate Critical
Care from Manulife. This insurance provides protection against 50 types of
critical illness, ranging from cancer, stroke, kidney failure, Alzheimer's,
heart, to HIV. MiUltimate Critical Care will also provide benefits to the
Insured of 160% of the total premium paid (in addition to additional premiums)
as well as a death benefit.
The
sum insured provided by MiUltimate Critical Care starts from IDR 200 million.
Meanwhile, the method of paying premiums is also flexible, it can be done
monthly, quarterly, semester or yearly.
Those
are the things you should know about this insurance. In essence, a healthy body
is everyone's dream, but we must have financial health.
Critical illness can rob our family of stability in
the future. So, one of the most effective ways to protect our finances in the
future is to have critical illness protection.