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Critical illness means being diagnosed with a serious health condition that is often life-threatening.

Insurance companies have different definitions of what a critical illness is and what conditions qualify. Common conditions such as stroke, cancer and heart attack are usually covered in critical illness insurance policies.

The purpose of critical illness insurance is to provide financial support to an individual that has a serious disease or illness. Public health care in Canada may not cover all medications, travel for treatment and homecare. You may also not have an employer group benefit plan or other private coverage to rely on. A critical illness may also mean unpaid time off work and/or additional costs like child care or retrofitting your home.

The lump sum payment you get from critical illness insurance helps to offset these expenses and provide additional financial security during this difficult time.

Illnesses typically covered by critical illness insurance in Canada include heart attack, cancer, paralysis, stroke, organ transplants, Alzheimer's, kidney failure and multiple sclerosis.

Canadian insurers have different definitions of what a critical illness is, but it is essentially a life-threatening illness. Some insurers will only cover serious illnesses like heart attack, while others will also cover early-stage diseases such as early-stage breast cancer.

In Canada, PolicyMe recently introduced the most complete critical illness insurance that covers 44 conditions: full coverage for 27 conditions and partial coverage for 17 conditions. Sun Life and Equitable offer the next best coverage options with 34 conditions covered: full coverage for 26 conditions and partial coverage for 8 conditions.
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Curious to see how PolicyMe stacks up against other Canadian critical illness providers? Learn more about the best critical illness insurance in Canada.

Some conditions specify an amount of time that has to pass after you are diagnosed before you qualify for a critical illness payout. This differs by insurance company and by the condition that is covered. Usually, cardiovascular conditions (like heart attacks) are most likely to have a waiting period. That said, most of PolicyMe's covered conditions don't have waiting periods to qualify.

Critical illness insurance typically pays out between $10,000 to $1 million in Canada. You choose your coverage amount when you apply for and sign your critical illness policy. If you want a higher coverage amount, your monthly premium will also be higher, though this rate is also determined by your health status, age and other factors.

Critical illness insurance is always paid out as a single lump-sum amount.

Yes, you can always cancel your critical illness insurance with any Canadian provider.

With PolicyMe, you get a full refund on any premiums you have paid if you cancel within 30 days of the date your critical illness policy became active.

If you cancel after this 30-day period, you will only receive a pro-rated refund of any premiums you have prepaid. You won’t be charged any cancellation fees or penalties.

Yes, you can buy critical illness insurance by itself in Canada. At PolicyMe, you can buy critical illness coverage by itself, you can buy it with term life insurance or you can add it on to existing term life insurance coverage after the fact.

You might still be eligible for critical illness insurance if you have a history of high blood pressure. But you may not be eligible if you’ve had an abnormal ECG or have had heart surgery. You might also be ineligible if you’ve been diagnosed with or have experienced symptoms of:

• Heart attack
  
• Transient ischemic attack
  
• Stroke
  
• Coronary artery disease

Make sure to read your policy carefully to see what other exclusions may apply.