Serious illnesses call for serious protection

Medical insurance may not cover everything — help close the gap with critical illness insurance

No matter your age or state of health, a sudden illness could significantly affect your financial well-being. When health insurance won’t cover certain medical expenses, critical illness insurance can help.

Protection for your health and finances

Don't let an unexpected illness hinder the life you've built

A critical illness such as a heart attack, stroke or major organ failure can impact anyone, from the least health-conscious to the most fit. Heredity and lifestyle affect your risk factors, but even if you’re in perfect health, life can change in an instant.

When a critical illness strikes, major expenses often follow. Health insurance may cover some of your medical costs, but not everything. In addition to your day-to-day bills, you could incur costs for treatment and recovery, such as:

Deductibles and co-pays
Expenses related to out-of-network treatment and additional medical procedures, such as angioplasty and pacemaker implantation
Travel, lodging and meals during treatment
Lifestyle changes that may lead to better health, such as gym memberships and smoking cessation programs
Rehabilitation and home health services
Child care

Plus, if you have to take a leave of absence or reduce your work schedule to care for yourself or others, expenses and debt can add up quickly. That’s where critical illness insurance can help. With a financial safety net in place, you can rest assured that a sudden illness won’t jeopardize your finances.

How Colonial Life critical illness insurance works

Health insurance is supposed to be there when you need it most, yet it often fails to cover all the expenses associated with a critical illness. Fortunately, Colonial Life can help bridge the gap and give you greater peace of mind.

Colonial Life critical illness insurance helps supplement your major medical coverage by providing a lump-sum benefit that you may use to pay direct and indirect costs related to the most prevalent critical illnesses. Some of the covered conditions include:

Heart attack
Stroke
End-stage renal (kidney) failure

Other serious illnesses may be covered as well, depending on the specific design of your plan. Additional coverage options also are available to help pay for health screenings, subsequent diagnoses and cancer vaccines.

Talk with your Colonial Life benefits counselor to find out more details and learn how critical illness insurance can help you focus on getting better.

An example of how critical illness insurance can help

After returning home from his 45th birthday celebration, John had a heart attack. Fortunately, he survived and had critical illness insurance to help pay the bills while he recovered.

Medical expenses

John’s medical insurance didn’t cover all of his diagnostic tests or heart bypass surgery, but his critical illness insurance helped pay for these unexpected expenses.

Lifestyle changes and rest

After recovering, John followed his doctor’s recommendation and used part of his benefit to pay for a gym membership and take a vacation to relieve stress.

Prevention

John gets a yearly stress test paid for by his annual health screening benefit.

The examples above are for illustrative purposes only. Benefits may vary. The certificate and policy have exclusions and limitations. For complete details, see your benefits counselor.

Commonly asked questions about critical illness insurance

How does critical illness insurance work?

If you’re diagnosed with a covered critical illness, you can file a claim with Colonial Life and begin the process of receiving lump-sum benefits for your treatment and recovery. If you have an optional rider for a health screening benefit or cancer vaccine benefit, you may be able to receive additional coverage for preventive measures.

I already have Colonial Life critical illness insurance. Where can I find a copy of my policy?

How do I file a new claim or see the status of an existing claim?

Can I keep my critical illness coverage if I leave my job?

You may be able to keep your coverage depending on the policy you have. If you are able to take your policy with you, you will receive a Continuation of Coverage letter with instructions on next steps when your current employment ends. You will need to change your payment method to direct bill, which means you pay Colonial Life directly instead of paying through your employer. To learn more and begin this process, download the Conversion Request Form.

THIS INSURANCE PROVIDES LIMITED BENEFITS

Group Critical Illness (GCI6000): Applicable policy form GCI6000-P.

Critical Illness 1.0 (Individual Critical Illness): Applicable policy form CI-1.0.

Group Critical Care: Applicable policy form GCC1.0-P.

This coverage is a supplement to health insurance. It is not a substitute for essential health benefits or minimum essential coverage as defined in federal law. Insureds in some states must be covered by comprehensive health insurance before applying for this coverage.

This information is not intended to be a complete description of the insurance coverage available. The insurance or its provisions may vary or be unavailable in some states. The insurance has exclusions and limitations which may affect any benefits payable. For cost and complete details of coverage, call or write your benefits counselor or the company.

Underwritten by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, Columbia, SC.