This is the first in a series of articles about various financial-related vehicles. I wanted to do it ala the "…For Dummies" approach, however I couldn't bring myself to call the article "Critical Illness Insurance For Dummies". Because Wise Bread readers aren't dummies; by virtue of the fact that you are reading this website, you are quite smart! So let's make you even smarter! Here goes…

There are many people who believe in insurance, and just as many who are vehemently against it. Personally I'm a believer, but I also know that there is no blanket solution for everybody, and it's very easy to be over-insured. As mentioned in my article on How To Choose A Financial Planner, it comes down to the professional (in this case an insurance agent) sitting in front of you and their genuine interest provide the best solution for you, not their pocketbook.

Cancer, heart disease, and stoke are the three big illnesses we suffer from these days.

The irony is, due to medical technology we are more likely to live from these three than die! This is good, of course, no doubt about it. But we live…at what cost? Literally?

True Stories of Tragedy

A friend of mine was set to retire. He and his wife had worked long and hard in their careers, were in their late 50's and had just bought a retirement home. However shortly into their newfound retirement, he was diagnosed with cancer. Shockingly, the wait for chemotherapy treatments at his local hospital actually exceeded his life expectancy. So off to the Mayo clinic he went, where thank goodness he received the treatments he needed and recovered fully.

But his recovery came at a cost: his retirement savings, and ultimately his retirement. He and his wife were forced to go back to work, and are projected to have to work well into their 60's and maybe even their 70's to achieve the retirement life they once had at their fingertips.

Another friend of mine was actually much younger: he had a heart attack at the age of 30. Due to the nature of his problem he was in and out of hospitals for over six months, and unable to continue working. Luckily after three months his disability insurance kicked in, but unfortunately the insurance only paid out 60% of his after-tax income from when he was working. This wasn't enough to pay for his new mortgage, and the full range of debts he was well on-track to paying off before the heart attack.

The condo had to be sold through a fire-sale, and the markets had dipped such that he actually was still left owing money after the mortgage was paid off with the proceeds. And the disability insurance still couldn't cover off all his debts as well as his medical expenses. After he recovered fully from his heart attack, his finances still didn't. It will take years upon years for him to get back on track to his previously stable position.

Are you listening (rather, reading) yet?

Okay, let's talk about Critical Illness Insurance (CI).

Scary Facts:

75% of healthy individuals over age 40 will become critically ill.

Every 26 seconds, an American will suffer a coronary event.

On average, an American suffers a stroke every 45 seconds.

Men have a one-in-two lifetime risk of developing some form of cancer. For women, the risk is one in three.

For those suffering a critical illness prior to age 65, the probability of surviving is almost twice that of dying.

Sources: 2007 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, American Heart Association; 2007 Cancer Facts and Figures, American Cancer Society.

The basics of Critical Illness insurance

If you are diagnosed with a Critical Illness, and survive for 30 days, you are eligible to receive a cash, tax-free lump sum of money from the insurance company. (The eligibility is upon the insurance company receiving satisfactory doctor's reports detailing the illness).

The big three illness covered under a standard CI contract are heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Most policies also include a "rider" (additional clause) that provides coverage for an additional 15-20 other illnesses and accidents, including blindness, deafness, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, paralysis, and severe burns to name a few.

Statistically speaking, you have about a 50% chance of getting one of these illnesses in your lifetime. (Just look at your chance of getting cancer: 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 depending on your gender. Now add all the other conditions and it's a scary picture).

A New Thing For Insurance: Get ALL Your Money Back (Return of Premium)

One of the additional riders you can add to your CI policy that makes it bombproof in my eyes: If you don't make a claim (because you never got sick), you get all your money back!

There are of course conditions to be satisfied such as the number of years you held the policy, and you will pay additional money up front for the rider. But here is a true-life example of how this policy pays:

Wiseblogger pays $30/month for $75,000 of coverage, and has since they were 28 years old. At age 75, they will get all their money back if they don't make a claim. (There are other ways to structure the Return Of Premium rider, however this is one example).

Tomorrow, if Wiseblogger becomes critically ill, they will receive $75,000, no questions asked, and their contract with the insurance company is over and done with. They don't pay the insurance company any more money, and the insurance won't pay them again either.

If Wiseblogger doesn't get sick, they will get all their money back at age 75. Between age 28 and 75, They'll have paid the insurance company $16,900 - a small amount in comparison to the $75,000 that would have been paid out at any time during the 47 years Wiseblogger held the policy.

Had Wiseblogger invested the $30/month at 6% return instead of getting the CI policy, then at age 75 they would have accumulated $94,426. However, it would have taken over 43 years at 6% to have accumulated the $75,000 that would have been paid out by the insurance company at age 55 or 40 or even 29 if Wiseblogger got ill. So the argument of self-insurance doesn't compute in this case.

If Wiseblooger dies before age 75, they are out of luck. But if they wanted to, they could have added a Return Of Premium On Death (ROPD) rider that would give their estate all the money back too. Personally I figure that's what life insurance is for. The ROPD is more for the people who out of principal want to ensure they get their money no matter what.

No Two Policies Are The Same

There are dozens of ways to structure your Critical Illness insurance policy that I haven't delved into here. For example, you can change the age at which the Return of Premium kicks in or how it does. You can arrange to go on payment holidays if you become disabled. You can structure level policies where the rates never go up, or take a lower rate right now with the promise of an increase in 10 years.

The list of illnesses covered and the definitions which qualify each illness also differ from policy to policy and insurance company to company. Currently there is a push to regulate the definition of illness, such that it is consistent throughout the industry.

I can't make specific recommendations as to what you need or if you even need coverage at all. This is something to review with an insurance agent who can give you all the details you need.

What I can say is that it seems like a winning proposition to me: Pay a little bit of money now for the promise that if you get ill and need financial assistance it will be there, and if not you get all your money back. Sure, you didn't get to invest the money in the meantime, but that's the small price you paid for the ability to protect your other investments, family, finances, and peace of mind.