Looking after yourself Critical Illness insurance for women
Looking after yourself With Critical Illness insurance you can concentrate on getting better without worrying about the cost The emotional trauma of accident and illness is bad enough, but the financial consequences can be just as worrying. Who pays the mortgage, superannuation, school fees and regular expenses; especially if you re single or a single parent? For example, we all know how quickly our salary can be swallowed up each month. And research shows that the total cost to raise two children from birth to age 21 is $537,000. 1 If you have a family, it s the most precious thing you have and worth very special care. It s worth remembering that the good times are the right time to make decisions about your family s financial protection.
You might think, It ll never happen to me. Think again and consider these facts: 1. One out of every eight women in Australia will develop breast cancer before age 85. 2 2. More than half of all deaths in Australia are due to cancer. 3 3. One in four women is directly affected by cancer before age 75. 3 4. Cardiovascular disease killed almost 11,500 Australian women in 2004, more than four times the number who die from breast cancer. 4 Who looks after you and your family if you get sick? Would you and your family be able to cope financially, if you suffered a critical illness? The chances of major illness striking you down are very real, no matter how young or healthy you are. 1 NATSEM, Australian child costs in 2007. 2 Breast Cancer Network Australia, 2007. 3 Austin Research Institute, University of Melbourne 2007. 4 National Heart Foundation Statistics, Australian Facts 2001 Highlights.
Simple, flexible and affordable cover Critical Illness insurance pays you a lump sum if you develop or suffer certain defined critical conditions. 5 This cover is all about mitigating risks, giving you peace of mind and helping to secure the future for you and your family. Look for a policy that covers a spread of conditions and benefits such as these. Critical condition 5 Loss or loss of the use of one foot or one hand. Loss of sight in one eye. Adult onset insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Advanced endometriosis. Carcinoma in situ of the breast. 1 Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Deafness in one ear. Diagnosed motor neurone disease. Diagnosed multiple sclerosis. Diagnosed muscular dystrophy. Diagnosed Parkinson s disease. Facial reconstructive surgery and skin grafting. Placement on waiting list for major organ transplant. Prostate cancer. Serious accidental injury. Congenital abnormalities of a Child. 2 Death of a Child. 3 Inability of a Child to gain independence. Melanoma. 4 Specified complications of pregnancy. 5 Maximum benefit $200,000 $100,000 $50,000 $20,000
Did you know? 1 2 3 4 5 Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women, with 2,713 deaths in 2003 in Australia. 6 Approximately one in every 400 unborn children are diagnosed with Down s syndrome. 7 Approximately one in every 2000 unborn children are diagnosed with Spina Bifida. 7 Approximately one in 58 children will die before the age of 30. 8 In 2006, over 8,000 Australians were diagnosed with melanoma and more than 1,000 died from it. 9 Approximately one in 100 births 10 will be either a still birth or die within 28 days of birth. 5 Critical conditions usually have specific definitions and all parts of the definition must be met before a benefit can be paid. Some critical conditions have a qualifying or waiting period. You should refer to the Product Disclosure Statement for the particular insurance product for details. Only one claim will usually be paid for each critical illness condition. 6 Breast Screen Australia monitoring report, 2002 2003. 7 NSW Mothers and Babies Report, 2004. 8 Based on Australian Life Table, 2000 2002. 9 The Melanoma Foundation melanomafoundation.com.au 2006. 10 Includes live births plus stillbirths. Stillbirth Foundation, 2007.
Mike and Diane s 11 true story Mike and Diane celebrated Australia Day in 2002 in typical fashion with a barbecue and beer (but not too much beer for Diane, with only six weeks until the birth of their first child). Five days later, their whole world turned upside down when Diane suffered a severe brain aneurism, leaving her comatose and requiring immediate life support. Six days after the aneurism, baby Robbie was born by Caesarean. The long road to recovery Diane remained on life support for a further three weeks before waking up and becoming aware of significant paralysis throughout the right side of her body and also that she was unable to communicate clearly. Over three months of intense rehabilitation, Diane re-learnt how to walk, talk and do everyday tasks like bathing. Things were now starting to look up for the family from a health perspective. Their financial situation, however, was a different story. Battling an uncertain financial future Before the dreadful event, Mike and Diane were financially secure with a home of their own in one of Brisbane s inner city suburbs and a baby on the way. Two years before marrying Diane, Mike was advised to take out Income Protection insurance which he did just in case. However, once married, he didn t review Diane s insurance needs. Unfortunately, illnesses like brain aneurisms do not discern between those who have insurance and those who do not. Diane couldn t cope at home alone with her disabilities and a baby, so they moved in with her parents. In order to continue to reduce their level of debt, the couple rented out their inner city home.
The hard road to independence Had Mike and Diane had the benefit of insurance behind them, this story could have had a different ending. While Diane s great determination helped her to succeed in learning to walk again and communicate effectively, the added pressures the couple experienced financially could have been avoided had they been advised about protecting their wealth. 11 The names have been changed for privacy purposes.
How to contact MLC For more information call MLC from anywhere in Australia on 132 652 or contact your financial adviser. Website: For details on MLC s insurance solutions, visit our website mlc.com.au Postal address: MLC Limited, GPO Box 200 North Sydney, NSW 2059 This flyer has been prepared by MLC Limited (ABN 90 000 000 402, AFSL 230694) of 105 153 Miller Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060, a member of the National Australia Group of companies and is intended to provide general information only, without taking into account any person s objectives, financial situation or needs. A person should, before acting on this information, consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their personal objectives, financial situation or needs. A person should obtain financial advice regarding his or her own circumstances before making any insurance decision. Any insurance policy issued by MLC does not represent a deposit with, or a liability of, National Australia Bank Limited (ABN 12 004 044 937) or any of its related bodies corporate (other than a liability of MLC as insurer). Neither National Australia Bank Limited, nor any of its related bodies corporate (other than MLC as insurer) guarantees or accepts liability in respect of insurances issued by MLC. 64337M0309