Critical Illness

What Is Critical Illness Insurance?

Critical Illness insurance helps cover out-of-pocket expenses associated with a serious illness. You may have medical insurance. But that doesn't mean you're covered for all of the expenses resulting from a serious illness that you probably haven't budgeted for — things like co-pays, deductibles, loss of income, child care and travel expenses. Group Critical Illness insurance helps fill the gap caused by these out-of-pocket costs, creating a financial safety net for you and your family.

How Does Critical Illness Insurance Work?

1  You get diagnosed.2  We send you a check.3  You focus on getting better.
Your health insurance covers many of your treatment costs, but you may still have expenses you weren’t planning for.With approval of your claim, The Standard will pay benefits directly to you. Then you decide how to spend the money.With The Standard helping to cover your out-of-pocket or everyday expenses, you can think about what matters most — getting better.

 

 

Key Benefits
Helps pay expenses not covered by medical insurance
Covers over 20 serious illnesses, plus 21 childhood illnesses (7 serious illnesses in New York)
Pays lump sum directly to you, not medical providers
Pays you for taking care of your health with screenings — like a cholesterol check, mental health assessment and testing for COVID-19
Benefit Examples
Cancer
Cancer
Read Shayna's Story
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Shayna beat cancer, but faced many costs she didn't expect. There were her medical plan’s copays for doctor visits and what she owed for chemotherapy after meeting her deductible. She also bought hair prosthetics, paid for travel to specialists, and had alternative treatments. What's more, her husband missed work to help care for her. All the bills on top of being sick felt overwhelming — but there was good news. The benefits from Shayna's Critical Illness insurance helped cover the expenses. And, her plan also gave her access to Health AdvocateTM.* Through this service, Shayna received the support of a personal guide who helped her make sense of her diagnosis and treatment options.

Shayna used the insurance benefit to help pay for:

  • Medical insurance deductible
  • Out-of-pocket expenses for six months
  • Alternative treatments and diets not covered by her medical plan
  • Transportation to medical appointments and treatments
  • Lodging near treatment facility
  • Husband's lost wages

 

* Health Advocacy services are provided through an arrangement with Health Advocate, a leading health advocacy and assistance company. Health Advocate is not affiliated with The Standard or any insurance or third-party provider, and does not replace health insurance coverage, provide medical care or recommend treatment.

Example is for illustrative purposes. Eligibility for benefits and amounts shown in this example may vary from any policy your employer may offer and may vary based upon your individual circumstances, policy definitions, waiting periods, exclusions and limitations. Eligibility for Health Advocate varies by state.

Heart attack
Heart Attack
Read Meghan's Story
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Meghan's husband had a heart attack. He had to be hospitalized and couldn't work for months. Meghan worried about his health and their finances. The good news? Meghan had signed up for Critical Illness insurance for her spouse. The plan paid them a benefit that helped with their medical insurance deductible, copays and other out-of-pocket expenses. Plus, it helped cover their regular monthly expenses while he recovered. Meghan and her husband even used part of the benefit for specialists who supported her husband in improving his health and managing his stress. And, Meghan’s plan included Health AdvocateTM.* This service provided a personal expert who found alternate resources and cost information to help manage out-of-pocket-expenses.

Meghan used the insurance benefit to help pay for:

  • Medical insurance deductible
  • Prescription copays and coinsurance
  • Sessions with wellness specialist
  • Lost wages

 

* Health Advocacy services are provided through an arrangement with Health Advocate, a leading health advocacy and assistance company. Health Advocate is not affiliated with The Standard or any insurance or third-party provider, and does not replace health insurance coverage, provide medical care or recommend treatment.

Example is for illustrative purposes. Eligibility for benefits and amounts shown in this example may vary from any policy your employer may offer and may vary based upon your individual circumstances, policy definitions, waiting periods, exclusions and limitations. Eligibility for Health Advocate varies by state.

Congenital disease
Congenital Illness
Read Mateo's Story
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The birth of Mateo’s son took a surprising turn when he learned that the baby had a developmental abnormality called spina bifida. Hearing that the condition was not life threatening was a relief. But Mateo worried about providing the care his son needed: specialist visits, surgeries and assistive devices to promote his development. Fortunately, Mateo's Critical Illness insurance paid a child disease benefit equal to 50% of the coverage amount he chose for himself. Mateo used the benefit to help pay many of the unexpected costs for the special care his son required. The plan also came with Health AdvocateTM.* This service provided a personal expert who helped Mateo find the right kind of support for his baby's diagnosis — and feel confident he could take good care of his little boy.

Mateo used the insurance benefit to help pay for:

  • Medical insurance deductible
  • Specialist copays (six visits)
  • Coinsurance for two surgeries
  • Assistive devices

 

* Health Advocacy services are provided through an arrangement with Health Advocate, a leading health advocacy and assistance company. Health Advocate is not affiliated with The Standard or any insurance or third-party provider, and does not replace health insurance coverage, provide medical care or recommend treatment.

Example is for illustrative purposes. Eligibility for benefits and amounts shown in this example may vary from any policy your employer may offer and may vary based upon your individual circumstances, policy definitions, waiting periods, exclusions and limitations. Eligibility for Health Advocate varies by state.

Alzheimers
Advanced Alzheimer's Disease
Read Steven's Story
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When Steven's husband was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, he could still function on his own despite a few memory lapses. But as his husband’s condition worsened, caring for him got more expensive. Besides worrying about his husband, Steven felt buried in constant copays from ongoing doctors’ visits and medication, and costly therapies not covered by medical insurance. He eventually had to hire in-home help. Fortunately, Steven had purchased Critical Illness insurance for his spouse. The benefits from this coverage helped pay the growing costs of his husband’s care. And the plan included Health AdvocateTM.* This service provided a personal expert who helped find and schedule appointments with the right doctors and specialists. With the added support, Steven took comfort in being able to focus on adjusting their lives to care for his husband.

Steven used the insurance benefit to help pay for:

  • Doctor visit copays
  • Prescription copays
  • Safety-related home modifications
  • In-home caregiver (20 hours per week)

 

* Health Advocacy services are provided through an arrangement with Health Advocate, a leading health advocacy and assistance company. Health Advocate is not affiliated with The Standard or any insurance or third-party provider, and does not replace health insurance coverage, provide medical care or recommend treatment.

Example is for illustrative purposes. Eligibility for benefits and amounts shown in this example may vary from any policy your employer may offer and may vary based upon your individual circumstances, policy definitions, waiting periods, exclusions and limitations. Eligibility for Health Advocate varies by state.

Help Ensure Your Financial Plans Stay Healthy Even When You're Not

Critical Illness insurance is an affordable way to make up the difference between what your health insurance covers and what you'd owe out of pocket if you or a family member were diagnosed with a covered serious illness.

Talk to your human resource representative about adding The Standard's Critical Illness insurance to your benefits.

Legal

Novel infectious disease and mental health assessment tests are not approved in all states and are subject to the terms and conditions of the policy and certificate. Please reference your certificate of coverage to confirm these tests are available.

Critical Illness insurance is called Specified Disease insurance in the states of New York and Vermont.

This is a limited benefit policy that does not provide comprehensive health insurance coverage. Not all benefits are available in all states.

The products and coverages have exclusions, limitations, reductions of benefits and terms under which they may be continued in force or terminated. The amount of benefits provided depends on the policy selected. Premium will vary according to the selection made. Please contact your HR representative for additional information, including costs and complete details of coverage.

Group Critical Illness Insurance underwritten by Standard Insurance Company is provided under policy form numbers: GP0614-CI, GP0614-CIw/GC0614-CI, GP0614-CI FL.

Group Specified Disease Insurance underwritten by The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York is provided under policy form number: GPNY0614-CI. This policy provides limited benefits health insurance only. It does NOT provide basic hospital, basic medical or major medical insurance as defined by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

The Standard is a marketing name for Standard Insurance Company (Portland, Oregon), licensed in all states except New York, and The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York (White Plains, New York), licensed only in New York. Products and availability vary by state and are solely the responsibility of the applicable insurance company.

© 2021 StanCorp Financial Group, Inc.