I already have insurance through my work, do I still need to get critical illness cover?
Pros and Cons of a Group CI Policy
For the Employee
Pros:
- Cheaper than an individual policy since taken as a group cover.
- Employer shares in the premiums.
Cons:
- Limited cover. Usually just a multiple of one’s annual salary (only 2 to 5 times the annual salary).
- Pre-existing conditions may apply. If you have a previous illness, this may affect your CI claim.
For the Employer: Why get critical illness for my employees?
Pros:
- An improved employee benefits package can attract talented employees.
- A good benefits package makes for happier employees and happier employees work better.
- Tax benefits for premiums paid.
Cons:
- Added cost for the HR budget.
If your employer is offering you insurance coverage as part of your employee benefits, that’s good news!
Various types of insurance coverage can be incorporated in the benefits package offered by an employer to its employees:
- Life insurance
- Health or Hospitalization insurance (medical and dental insurance)
- Critical illness insurance
- Travel insurance
- Pension/retirement coverage
- Disability or income protection insurance or worker’s compensation
Don't miss:
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- When are you suspected to get critically ill?
However, the insurance packages provided by the employer may vary from one employer to another. It may be quite uncommon for employers to offer critical illness cover as a standalone policy.
How Employers Provide Their Benefits Package
As a fixed set of benefits. This means that the package is offered to you as is. You are automatically enrolled in whatever insurance coverage the employer selects.
As a “cafeteria plan”. With this, you have more freedom to select the kind of coverage you want. You are given an amount of money and you can choose the plans that you feel you need. This would allow you to create a package that best suits you and your family’s needs.
Check Your Employee Benefits Package
You should check with your Human Resource Department to see what kinds of cover are provided. It may be that critical illness insurance is already included as a rider to your life insurance or health insurance policy.
Supplement with Individual Plans
You should study your financial and family situation to check what levels of life, health, disability and income protection insurance that you need. Then, you can compare what you actually need with what you actually have. After that, you can buy the additional insurance cover according to your budget. Know more about choosing a critical illness plan here: 6 Tips to Help You Choose the Perfect Critical Illness Cover for You
It is important to have your own plan because:
- It can be used to supplement your existing coverage from your employer, which may not be enough to cover what you and your family actually needs.
- If your benefits package doesn’t have serious illness cover, you can buy an individual plan for your specific needs.
- If you leave the company due to an illness, you may have to forfeit the coverage you have. Over time, it may be more difficult for you to get additional cover because of the increase in your age and changes in your health condition.
Last updated on: 18.1.2013
To protect yourself and your family, save up to 35%, please fill the critical illness cover + life insurance form on the right now.
Recommended useful information to read:
- Dos and Don’ts when making critical illness insurance claims
- What you should know about your critical illness cover: the exclusions to your policy
- Things to consider before getting a critical illness insurance policy
- Are you at risk? Critical illnesses you may be susceptible to
- Save up on premiums: factors that affect your critical illness insurance premiums