Term Insurance with a Critical Illness Rider

When Mr Anil began a new family of his own, one of the first financial steps he planned, was the purchase of a term insurance plan. He felt relieved that, if an unfortunate event were to occur, his family would be financially guarded if he bought a term plan. However, he understood that a simple term plan may not be enough, when a friend of his, Mr Karthik, was diagnosed with cancer.

Because of his critical illness, Mr Karthik lost his job, and his finances went into disarray. Most of his savings were spent on cancer treatment. This awakened Mr Anil’s eyes to the fact that an unfortunate event may come in different forms. He reached out to his insurance agent and immediately purchased a term insurance plan with a critical illness rider.

Here’s essential information about this rider.

What is a Critical Illness Rider?

A critical illness rider is an optional rider available with your term insurance plan. It may provide a lump-sum pay-out when you are diagnosed with a critical illness. This pay-out may be used by the policyholder to deal with the treatment costs of the illness or any other financial needs cropping up in such a situation. As with other riders, the critical illness rider may be opted for by paying a nominal extra premium.

The critical illness rider may be useful add-on. And if you have a genetic or hereditary inclination towards any critical illnesses. Along with illnesses, a term plan with the critical illness rider may also provide coverage for major surgeries or treatment for certain medical events.

Some of the common illnesses covered by Critical Illness riders are Cancer of Specified Severity, First Heart Attack of Specified Severity, Kidney Failure requiring regular dialysis, Major Organ/ Bone Marrow Transplant and Stroke resulting in Permanent symptoms. However, the actual CIs covered by riders will depend on rider terms and conditions.

How Does the Critical Illness Rider Work?^[1]

A critical illness rider may be available as a benefit-based policy with your term plan. What this may mean is that the rider is supplemental to your term insurance coverage. The premium for the critical illness rider may be calculated differently from that of your term plan.

If the person insured under the term plan with the critical illness rider is diagnosed with a covered illness during the policy term, he/she can raise a claim. The claim may only be processed once the survival period may have passed. The survival period may be referred to as a period after the insured has been diagnosed with the illness. The insured may have to survive this period to be able to receive the benefits of the critical illness rider.

When the survival period has passed, the claim may be processed, and if approved, the pay-out may be made to the policyholder. One may use this pay-out as they see fit. In most cases, the critical illness rider may cease to be valid once a claim has been raised and the benefit paid out.

Why Do You Need a Critical Illness Rider with A Term Insurance Plan?

If you take the critical illness rider with your term insurance plan, it may benefit you in many ways, such as:

● Providing support during tough times

Being diagnosed with a critical illness may be a difficult situation to go through. It may not be just the diagnosed person that suffers, but also their loved ones undergoing emotional and financial strain. If it is an earning member struck with an illness, the situation may be even more challenging.

The financial support of a critical illness rider may bring a great level of relief. It may act as a pillar on which the family may depend for financial help. Amongst other things, it may help the family cover daily costs and act as an income replacement.

● Allowing for better quality treatment

A term life insurance plan with a critical illness rider may help you get good-quality treatment for the diagnosed illness. As you may know, the treatment costs for serious illnesses can be quite high. And since such illnesses may often take a long time to treat, the bills may continue piling up. Even though you may have some savings or an emergency fund for such situations, it may prove to be inadequate. Furthermore, you may end up exhausting those funds, which may not be helpful in the long run.

In such situations, the critical illness insurance rider may prove to be of immense help. The considerable pay-out from the rider may allow you to access the treatment you want, without worrying about the lack of funds. With the right treatment, the chances of your illness being cured may increase. Your loved ones may also be relieved of financial woes and may be able to focus on your rest and recovery.

● Providing tax benefits^[2]

According to Section 80D of the Income Tax Act of 1961, the premium of a health-related insurance policy may be used to claim tax deductions. This also applies to the critical illness rider purchased with term insurance plans. If the person insured under the rider is under 60 years of age, the maximum deduction one may claim is Rs 25,000. For those over the age of 60 years, the deduction limit may increase to Rs 50,000. This tax benefit may only be applicable to taxpayers under the old tax regime.

Thus, opting for the critical illness rider may help you save taxes along with letting you enjoy other benefits.

Details to Remember When You Opt for a Critical Illness Rider with a Term Plan^[1]

If you are planning to opt for the critical illness rider with term insurance, do keep the following points in mind:

• The minimum entry age may usually be 18 years and the maximum entry age may be 60 years for most insurers. However, some insurers may allow the maximum age at entry to be 65 years
• The minimum tenure for the rider may be 5 years and the maximum may be 30 years, depending on the base policy as well.
• The base plan may also determine the premium payment term and the minimum sum assured you may opt for with the rider
• The critical illness rider will cease to provide coverage if the policyholder terminates the base plan.

Things to Consider while Buying a Term Plan with a Critical Illness Rider

To make the most of your term insurance plan with a critical illness rider, it may be vital to select and curate the suitable plan. To help you in the process, here are some things to consider while opting for this rider:

● The number of illnesses covered

As with any other type of insurance plan, the coverage of the critical illness may be considered when reviewing it. A preferable critical illness rider may cover a wide list of critical illnesses, major surgeries, and medical events. Also, note the conditions under which the coverage may become valid. The more comprehensive the coverage, the better the plan may be.

● Premiums

Since you may already be paying the term insurance premium, you may not want the premium of a critical illness rider to be too high. Otherwise, it may burden you in the long run. Hence, do select a plan offering you an affordable premium while providing good coverage.

● Waiting period and survival period

These two tenures may play a big role in whether you receive the benefits of the critical illness rider. Therefore, you may want to make sure that the waiting period and the survival period are reasonable and allow you to claim rider benefits while following policy terms and conditions.

Conclusion

A term insurance plan with a critical illness rider may be a great way to safeguard yourself and your family against the diagnosis of a critical illness or medical event. While you may not be able to predict if and when you may be diagnosed with an illness or require major surgery, the least you may be able to do is protect your finances against such an event. You may consult with a financial advisor so that you may take an appropriate decision for yourself and your loved ones.

Sources:

1. https://www.bajajallianzlife.com/content/dam/balic/pdf/riders/trad-critical-illness-benefit-rider-brochure.pdf

2. https://cleartax.in/s/medical-insurance#:~:text=This%20deduction%20is%20also%20available%20for%20top%2Dup%20health%20plans%20and%20critical%20illness%20plans.

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