Protect yourself from huge hospital bills, invest in an insurance covering deadly diseases
SRIWIPA SIRIPUNYAWIT
Do you know that the number one killer in Thailand is cancer?
According to statistical data by the Department of Medicine, cancer leads the category of fatal diseases responsible for killing the largest number of Thais, followed by accidents, high blood pressure and aneurism, heart disease, lung problems, kidney disease and Aids.
In 2006, statistics indicated that 52,062 people died from cancer and tumours, while 37,433 were killed by accidents, 15,284 by high blood pressure and aneurism and 17,775 by heart disease.
The statistics proved that the death toll is on the rise. There were 50,622 people who died from cancer in 2005, slightly lower than 2004, which recorded 50,818. In 2003, the disease killed 49,682 people, while in 2002 there were 45,834.
The statistics also reveals that the a large number of women have died from breast and cervical cancers. At the same time, lip, oral, throat and lung cancers have killed most men.
In 2007, as many as 5,054 women died from breast cancer, while 4,658 were killed by cervical cancer. The same year, 2,303 men died from lip and oral cancer, while 2,064 were killed by throat and lung cancer.
Pramote Sakkumjorn, first senior vice-president at Muang Thai Life Assurance, notes that no matter how well and how fast medical technology and modern treatment has developed, it can't stop the spread of cancer. Medicine may help prolong the lives of patients, but it cannot keep up with the fast-rising victims.
"We are living in a world filled with harmful pollutants and poisonous substances, which make us sick easily. Yet, we are often slow to recover. Diseases have become much more complicated than in the past," Pramote explains.
Consequently, it's much more costly to cure cancer these days. According to data gathered by Ayudhya Allianz C.P., the cost of an operation to treat cancer can range from 50,000 to 150,000 baht, while radiation on cancerous cells costs 12,000 to 30,000 baht and chemotherapy costs 54,600 to 390,000 baht per time.
"People today aren't afraid of having cancer; they are more afraid of not being able to afford the treatment," he adds.
With most life insurance policies not covering the loss of life caused by an illnesses, some people pay an additional insurance in case of death caused by a particular disease, such as cancer.
Most insurance companies today also offer an insurance to cover deadly diseases, which usually is a rider to a life-insurance policy. You can buy this separate rider, either life or health, to cover cancer and other serious illnesses and attach it to the main policy.
This type of policy is getting popular as people, particularity women, are becoming more aware of their health. They tend to purchase health riders covering cancer and attach them to their life protection policies or they even purchase separate life policies that cover cancer alone.
For life protection covering these serious diseases, the beneficiary of the policy will get the insured sum when you die of one of the diseases mentioned in the contract.
For a health rider, the insurance company will cover the expenses spent to treat the diseases mentioned in the policy.
Usually the insurance company will have a list of serious diseases they cover. Some claim they have more and better coverage than others with a list that covers some 40 diseases.
In this case, you will need to go through the lists as some diseases are rare, others you may have not heard off and so you have less chances getting them.
Don't get lured by these marketing tactics.
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