Your health is your greatest asset, but the older you become the higher the risk of suffering a critical illness. It’s an unfortunate reality that you or someone close to you will be seriously ill at some stage in life.
Take a look at the following critical illness statistics and you might rethink the often-quoted phrase, “it won’t happen to me.”
- Cancer, the risk of being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 75 years is 1 in 3 for males and 1 in 4 for females. The risk before age 85 years is higher at 1 in 2 for males and 1 in 3 for females.
- Cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke kills more Australians than any other single disease with 7.5% of Australians aged 55-64 years having coronary heart disease, increasing to 20.3% for those aged 75 years or older. Men are more likely than women to get heart disease.
- Stroke, 80% of Australians who suffer a stroke are 60 years or older. Women are more likely to have a stroke than men. In 2003 about 146,400 Australians had a disability that was attributed to a stroke.
- Chronic Osteoporosis, an estimated 600,000 Australians have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, with the majority being females aged 55 years or older. According to the report, A picture of osteoporosis in Australia, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over the age of 60 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture that can lead to chronic pain, loss of independence and even death.
- Brain injury, the rates for males were two and a half times those for females and the most common reported causes of brain injury were falls (over 40%), transport accident (over 31%) and assault (14%). Statistics and information from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website.
Most Trauma or Critical Illness Insurance policies offered by a majority of Australian insurance providers covers these and other critical conditions.
While you can’t always prevent illness, you can avoid the financial cost associated with a trauma or critical illness.
Critical Illness Insurance provides you with money when you need it most, so you can seek treatment and focus on rehabilitation without the added financial stress and worry.
Planning for the unexpected is your safe bet against serious illness. Always seek advice before taking out Critical Illness Insurance, or altering an existing policy. A financial adviser can help you select the level of cover that best suits you and review any of your existing insurance policies.
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