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These days, life insurance is increasingly becoming a priority to safeguard against life's eventualities. Particularly, when lifestyle choices like - lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, smoking, overuse of alcohol-are becoming the key contributors to the development of lifestyle diseases.
However, for those who are suffering from the said ailments, purchasing life insurance seems like an overwhelming task. Especially considering the higher premium rates for such individuals. In any case, before you begin ignoring the need for a life insurance plan, it’s essential that you comprehend its significance first.
Rising Incidences of Lifestyle Diseases in India
Here’s a normal day in the life of a working professional:
1. Start the day at 7 in the morning
2. Comply with the deadlines by working in a stressful, high-pressure environment
3. Work late nights
Which means, there is no time to plan a healthy diet or even exercise. And when they finally get some time on weekends, they choose to:
1. Go out with their family or friends and eat junk food or
2. Make up for the lost time by lazing around on the couch watching their favorite shows
Sounds familiar?
Our lives today have turned out to be fast-paced, leaving us with virtually no time to plan a healthy lifestyle. And as living standards are increasing, so are the lifestyle diseases.
In India, deaths can be attributed to lifestyle or non-communicable diseases. Many recent studies have drawn attention to the rising number of lifestyle diseases in India:
Likewise, reports from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) uncovers these major lifestyle health problems:
1. By 2020, each year more than 1.73 million new cancer cases are likely to be reported
2. India presents 49% of the world's diabetes burden - the figure is expected to ascend from 72 million in 2017 to 134 million by 2025^
3. In 2016, India had 35 million chronic asthma patients –every third child in Delhi has impaired lungs
4. Every year more than 2.7 million people in India die of heart diseases– 52 percent of individuals are in the age group of 30 to 69
What Are Lifestyle Diseases?
Lifestyle diseases refer to non-communicable diseases that develop as a result of unhealthy and stress-prone habits. To put it simply, they depend on the kind of work you do, the food you eat and the environment you work in. The most common of these include:
1. Diabetes
2. Heart diseases
3. Cancer
4. Hypertension
5. Stroke
What Can You Do About It?
While it is imperative to incorporate lifestyle changes by switching to a healthier lifestyle, it is likewise important to protect yourself and your family with a good life insurance plan. Life insurance plays a very central part by providing financial assistance to your loved ones in case of eventualities.
However, the most worrying trend is that while a small proportion of people do think of purchasing life insurance, but change their mind after finding that they need to pay higher premium amount compared to a healthy individual, but given the fact that life insurance can secure the financial future of your family in your absence, the premium on life insurance is a small price to pay. It’s vital to understand that since lifestyle diseases are on the rise, the relevance of a life insurance plan is more necessary now than ever before.
In your absence, a life insurance plan, like a term insurance plan, can:
1. Take care of your loved one’s finances needs, just the way you would
2. Provide them with enough funds to enjoy their current lifestyle despite (with Max Life Online Term Plan Plus - Basic Life Cover+ Increasing Income variant)
3. Repay your outstanding debts like home loans, car loan, and personal loan
“Most importantly, it will give you the freedom to enjoy your present without worrying about your family’s financial future”.
Under the term plan, a sum of money is paid to the nominee in case of policyholder’s demise during the period for which s/he is insured. Some term plans, having critical illness add-on, also provide financial protection in the form of cash payouts on the diagnosis of critical illnesses like:
1. Heart attack
2. Cancer
3. Stroke etc.
Since critical illnesses come without warning and can dry out an individual's finances in an unprecedented way, its best to have a term plan with a critical illness add-on.
Make Your Health a Priority
It’s time to embrace the wonderful life that you have and endeavor to make the most out of it. You don't need to take extreme measures, simple steps like exercising regularly or maintaining a healthy eating regimen will make a huge difference.
Above all, it is important to realize that in today’s day and age none of us are guaranteed immunity from a lifestyle disease. Therefore, take necessary precautions such as going for regular screenings. Additionally, make sure that your family is financially equipped to fight an unfortunate circumstance in your absence with Max Life’s ‘Life Insurance ’.
ARN: 0507/KC-1/19
