Women play a significant role in shaping a society. They are the backbones of families and a strong family helps build a strong society. This, in turn, leads to a more progressive nation.

With women being so much part of the workforce these days, being in excellent health is important. Let’s take a look at how women can protect themselves through a critical illness insurance coverage. 

With bigger responsibilities now, women are exposed to greater health risks. Modern day stressors coupled with poor nutrition and lack of exercise are causing an uptrend in lifestyle diseases. Women who are too burdened with housework and work responsibilities often put their health on the backburner. The onset of any critical illness can then turn their families’ lives asunder as critical illnesses tend to require long-term treatment and incur high medical bills. As life offers no guarantees on good health, having a critical illness insurance can make a whole lot of difference in managing any health uncertainty.

How does women match up against men?

Being diagnosed with a critical illness can be devastating.  Critical illnesses are ailments that harm one’s life if left untreated. With early detection and advances in medicine, these critical illnesses can be treated − enabling one to live longer. 

Worrying about coping with the illness and paying for the treatment can trigger even more stress for anyone. This is where having critical illness insurance is of great help. Women who have a plan specifically tailored for critical illness coverage will help them face up to any health challenge that comes their way. 

According to the Malaysian Health Ministry statistics , more women are at a risk of cancer compared to men.  Figures show that about 19,000 out of 100,000 Malaysians have cancer. As the ratio of male to female is 1:1.2, this means 10,240 are women while the remaining 8,760 are men.

Women suffer from certain illnesses compared to men due to biological differences. There are various illnesses that affect women only such as gynaecological issues, and cancers such as ovarian and cervical as well as reproductive system illnesses such as uterine abnormalities and so on. 

According to the Global Cancer Observatory 2020 statistics, the top 5 most frequent cancers among women in Malaysia are breast, colorectum, ovary, cervix uteri and corpus uteri. While being diagnosed with such illnesses may be crippling, having a critical illness insurance, also called critical care insurance, can come in as a life saver. 

Medical Insurance in Malaysia

Generally, there are three types of health insurance plans in Malaysia. They are hospitalisation and surgical insurance, critical illness insurance and long-term care insurance.  

The critical illness insurance policy is crucial for all so as to help them face their health setbacks. Simply put, critical illness coverage is an insurance policy that compensates policyholders with a lump sum payment when they are diagnosed with a serious illness.

Typically, critical illness insurance covers the main five diseases such as cancer, stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and surgery for coronary artery by-pass. Then there’s the more comprehensive 36 critical illness coverage that includes End Stage Lung Disease, End Stage Liver Failure, Coma, Deafness, Loss of Speech, Major Burns, Major Organ/Bone Marrow Transplant, Multiple Sclerosis, Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s’ Disease/Severe Dementia, among others. 

With a clear understanding that women’s illnesses differ from men’s, insurance companies have come up with women-specific options to provide coverage for women-related illnesses. A woman-specific critical illness plan pays greater attention to diseases that concern women's well-being and health. 

Value life and choose your plan wisely

It is common for women to put their families first before themselves. As such, they tend to ignore their health due to family and work commitments and don’t seek medical care early. With a critical illness insurance plan, women will feel more secure should they be diagnosed with any of these dreaded diseases. 

The burden of getting a health screening and getting treated is eased when you are well protected. Women can feel reassured that their treatment as well as recovery benefits will help tremendously in managing their illnesses without much worry. With a coverage, they can focus on getting better and recovering from the illness.

When choosing your insurance coverage, be mindful that some coverages can be limited to only a handful of critical illnesses, whereas the more extensive coverage can protect you for a wider range. Do check on the types of illnesses that you wish to be covered for as listed in the insurance policy. Count on your life insurance with critical illnesses when it matters most.