"Health is wealth," but when a critical illness threatens to drain that wealth, where does one look for help? That's precisely why this critical illness rider has proven very effective in providing a powerful source of financial protection when you need it most. Protect yourself and your loved ones from the financial burden of a serious illness. Get peace of mind and tax benefits with a critical illness life insurance rider.
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A critical illness rider is an optional add-on that policyholders can add to their base life insurance policy. This unique and valuable rider covers critical and possibly life-threatening illnesses like cancer, a heart attack, or a stroke that demand expensive medical treatments.
It is one of the most popular riders that provides a lump sum payout to help cover many of the enormous medical costs of treatment, allowing one to focus on rehabilitation without fear of money. Life insurance policyholders can add a critical illness benefit either during their policy purchase or at the time of its renewal.
A Critical Illness rider is like a financial safety net. It's not the same as regular health insurance but rather designed to help you with serious medical conditions that are costly to treat. Here's how it works.
Many life insurance policies offer a Critical Illness Rider, either as part of the policy or as an optional add-on. This rider provides coverage for various critical conditions. You can add this rider when purchasing a new policy or during policy renewal.
To keep the benefit of the rider available, make sure that you pay low-priced premiums along with life insurance premiums.
The rider assures that you are financially safeguarded and can claim tax exemptions under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act for the premiums paid.
These diseases, once diagnosed, you are paid a cash amount that will cater for the treatment expenses on your back so that you do not have any other burden when you are sick.
Reema, a 29-year-old, bought a term plan that provides coverage for a large ₹1 Crore for a 20-year policy term. Later on, she bought a critical illness rider that provides coverage of ₹10 Lakh and added it to her term life policy to cover the prevalence of various health issues. By choosing this rider, she increased her premiums from ₹655 to ₹845, which remained quite affordable, as you can see.
Reema's life took an unforeseen twist when she had a stroke, resulting in permanent symptoms (a health concern striking people in their 30s and 40s). During this challenging period, she received the sum assured from her critical illness rider. This was one of the benefits she received that allowed her to attain proper medical care and effectively address rising costs. What's more? Her term insurance plan remains effective until the term insurance policy expires.
A critical illness rider typically covers a set list of serious medical illnesses. However, the specific illnesses covered may vary between insurers. The commonly covered critical diseases are cancer, heart attack, and stroke.
ACKO Life Critical Illness Benefit Rider covers 21 critical illnesses, including life-threatening common diseases among women, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, fallopian cancer and ovarian cancer.
Treating these illnesses is costly and affects your ability to work and earn money. This rider is like having a financial superhero to help you when battling a serious illness so you can heal and recover without worrying about money matters.
| Cancer of Specified Severity | Myocardial Infarction (First Heart Attack Of Specific Severity) |
| Open Chest CABG | Open Heart Replacement Or Repair Of Heart Valves |
| Coma Of Specified Severity | Kidney Failure Requiring Regular Dialysis |
| Stroke Resulting In Permanent Symptoms | Major Organ /Bone Marrow Transplant |
| Permanent Paralysis Of Limbs | Motor Neuron Disease With Permanent Symptoms |
| Multiple Sclerosis With Persisting Symptoms | Benign Brain Tumor |
| Blindness | Deafness |
| End Stage Lung Failure | End Stage Liver Failure |
| Loss Of Speech | Loss Of Limbs |
| Major Head Trauma | Primary (Idiopathic) Pulmonary Hypertension |
| Third Degree Burns | |
In case of a critical illness like cancer, heart attack or stroke - the critical illness rider comes to the rescue by providing financial support. The lump sum payout is for you to utilise however you see fit. It could be medical bills, paying off loans or even going on a much-deserved vacation to recover both mentally and physically; the choice is yours. Some of the pros to consider:
Critical illnesses like cancer or heart disease are very costly to cure. It allows you to insure yourself against the worst-case scenario - ending up with a huge medical bill - and provides a financial backstop so that you can stay out of savings-draining or debt-inducing collections cases.
Nobody needs more stress when dealing with a serious illness - but the last thing you need to worry about is having enough money. Critical Illness Insurance provides financial stability to allow you to recover without worrying about your money.
Your illness can also have an impact on your family, even if you are not the main breadwinner. True to its name, this insurance gives a one-time payout that will assist your family in maintaining itself as it is and cover the daily costs even when you are not in a place to work.
Specialised and necessary long-term treatments are expensive for critical illnesses. This insurance coverage will allow you to receive the best medical help as fast as possible, giving your body the best chance of making a full recovery.
Unlike many health insurance policies in India that have waiting periods for pre-existing conditions, Critical Illness Insurance typically doesn't have such waiting periods. This makes it accessible to most people, regardless of their health history.
It acts as a safety net in your financial plan, allowing you to continue working toward your financial goals, such as buying a home or saving for your children's education, even if you face a major health setback.
With the ever-increasing cost of healthcare and the unpredictable nature of life, getting critical illness coverage is a wise decision. Pay an extra small amount above your base insurance premium and stay protected.
The premium you pay for your Critical Illness Insurance is eligible for a tax deduction under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. You can get a deduction of up to ₹25,000 per year if you're under 60 years old. If you're over 60, this limit goes up to ₹50,000.
Imagine you're a person who works hard to take care of your family and yourself. You're healthy and doing well, but life can be unpredictable. This is where a Critical Illness Insurance Policy comes in.
By being the breadwinner of the family, one risks being incapacitated from performing his/ her duties if he/ she falls sick. Critical illness insurance can provide money to cover medical expenses and help your family when you can't work.
If your parents or close relatives had critical illnesses, the chances of getting the same would be higher. This type of insurance can work to your advantage as it will help you feel safe and secure if you are in the same position.
If you run your own business or work freelance, you might not have the same benefits as salaried employees. Critical illness insurance can cover you during times when you can't work and need expensive treatments.
A critical illness can put you in a tough spot if you don't have a lot of savings. A critical illness rider can help with expenses such as health care costs and other expenses, so you do not have to borrow.
Stress can contribute to health problems. If you have a high-pressure job, having this insurance can be a good idea because it can provide financial support when you need it most.
To sum it up, if you're the main provider for your family, have a history of serious illnesses in your family, work independently, don't have significant savings, or have a high-stress job. You might want to consider getting a critical illness insurance policy.
Here's how you can easily buy ACKO Critical Illness Rider online.
After completing the form and any required medical checkup, you'll need to make the premium payment. And that's it! You've successfully purchased a Critical Illness Plan online in India. Remember that having this coverage can provide financial security and peace of mind during challenging times.
You may need the following documents when raising a claim against your critical illness rider.
With ACKO, policyholders do not have to struggle through all the steps involved in the insurance claim process. Below are the procedures to follow to raise a claim.
If you haven't already, download our user-friendly ACKO app and log in using your account.
Within the app, navigate to the claim tab.
Next, you’ll be asked a few basic questions and requested the essential documents. Take a moment to verify all the details and ensure you have answered all the questions correctly, then proceed to submit your claim.
Imagine you have a Critical Illness Insurance policy. It's like a safety net that helps you financially if you get sick with certain severe illnesses. However, there are some situations where this safety net won't catch you, and those are called "exclusions." Exclusions are the things that the insurer doesn’t cover. Here are some of the exclusions of a Critical Illness Rider.
If you had a medical problem before you got the insurance and it's related to the critical illness you claim, it won't be covered. So, if you have a heart issue and buy the insurance, the insurer won’t pay for heart-related problems.
There is a waiting period when you purchase the policy; it can be 30 days to 180 days, depending on your policy. You cannot claim any policy benefits during this time period. For instance, the rider won't protect you in the event that you become ill.
It is important to tell the truth when you buy your policy. Not disclosing your health history or putting down false information can deny the claim.
If you are a thrill-seeker doing something risky in your spare time (such as extreme sports) and have an accident, your insurance might not cover that. Do your research before you buy to avoid any surprises during the claim process.
If you decide to try an experimental treatment for your illness that isn't widely accepted in the medical community, your insurance won't pay for it.
If your illness is connected to alcohol or drug abuse, the rider may not cover it. So, it's essential to take care of your health.
When buying a term plan, those looking for insurance must consider the option of adding a critical illness insurance plan (rider). This rider can provide financial support if you're diagnosed with a covered critical illness. Although the critical illness claim process is straightforward, it is also crucial for you to thoroughly understand the rider’s inclusions and exclusions. Remember, health can be unpredictable, and adding a critical illness rider can provide crucial financial protection during challenging times.
Here are some common questions about Critical Illness Insurance.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet, and is subject to changes. Please go through the applicable policy wordings for updated ACKO-centric content, and before making any insurance-related decisions.
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Reviewed by Vaibhav Kumar Kaushik 
Acko Technology & Services Private Limited
#36/5, Hustlehub One East, Somasandrapalya, 27th Main Rd, Sector 2, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102
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