Critical Illness Becoming More Common Among the Young, Don’t Ignore It! Regular Critical Illness Insurance Offers High Cost-Effectiveness, Protecting Against 98% of Critical Illness Types

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So far, yet so close—critical illnesses can strike at any moment. Who would have thought that just a few years after graduating from university, while everyone is still striving for their careers or starting families, a classmate would be diagnosed with cancer, taking a year off work to battle the disease. When it comes to critical illnesses, young people are not exempt. Fortunately, with advancements in modern medicine, the chances of curing critical illnesses have greatly improved. However, many people are not financially prepared for medical expenses. A survey revealed that 19% of cancer patients reported being unable to afford the necessary medical costs, preventing them from receiving the most ideal treatment (see Note 1). If one unfortunately loses income due to illness, managing daily living expenses becomes a struggle. On the other hand, if the patient has already purchased critical illness insurance, they can use the lump-sum cash payout to cover the loss of income during the period of illness. This payout has no restrictions on usage and can be used for medical treatment, mortgage payments, daily expenses, or anything else as needed.

Term Critical Illness Insurance: Pure Protection with Flexible Premium Payment Periods

In Hong Kong, insurance sales are largely driven by intermediaries. Under the incentive of high commissions, lifelong critical illness insurance has become the mainstream choice. Lifelong critical illness insurance often includes a savings component, where part of the premium paid contributes to the cash value of the policy rather than being fully allocated to protection. As a result, premiums are higher, and policyholders need to ensure they can sustain long-term payments.

On the other hand, term critical illness insurance, which offers high cost-effectiveness, is often overlooked. Term critical illness insurance provides pure protection without a savings component, meaning every penny goes towards safeguarding health, resulting in much lower premiums. Additionally, the coverage period for term critical illness insurance is highly flexible, allowing policyholders to choose renewal periods of every year, every 5 years, or every 10 years. For those with limited budgets, this allows coverage to be tailored to individual needs, significantly reducing the pressure of long-term premium payments.

How to Choose Term Critical Illness Insurance?

Although the structure of term critical illness insurance products is relatively simple, there are two key factors to consider when selecting a product: covered illnesses and cancer protection.

Covered Illnesses: Critical illness insurance compensates for specified critical illnesses, so it’s essential to understand the illnesses covered by the product. Cancer, heart disease, and stroke—the three major critical illnesses—account for approximately 90% of critical illness claims, making them a primary focus. However, if a product covers more severe illnesses, it provides greater peace of mind for policyholders. Moreover, as people become more health-conscious and undergo regular health check-ups, early-stage critical illnesses such as carcinoma in situ or angioplasty can be detected and treated early. Therefore, coverage for early-stage critical illnesses is also crucial.

Cancer Protection: Among critical illnesses, cancer claims are the most common and show a trend of affecting younger individuals. According to data from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry, the number of new cancer cases among people aged 20 to 44 increased by 14% between 2009 and 2018 (Note 2). Additionally, cancer carries a risk of recurrence. Therefore, if a product offers coverage for a second cancer diagnosis, it provides extra reassurance to policyholders. As the saying goes, treating cancer can feel like a bottomless pit, especially when patients require expensive treatments such as targeted therapy or immunotherapy, which often involve lengthy treatment periods. It’s important to consider whether the coverage can adequately address these costs.

Bupa Term Critical Illness Offers Broader Coverage with Flexible Structure to Enhance Safety Net

Recently, Bupa, a company focused on health, launched the Bupa Safe Critical Illness Protection Plan. The mandatory Plan A not only covers the three major critical illnesses—cancer, heart disease, and stroke—but also protects against five common early-stage critical illnesses, including carcinoma in situ, early-stage malignant tumours, angioplasty, carotid artery disease requiring surgery, and endovascular treatment for cerebral aneurysms.

The plan also provides additional cancer protection. Even if the policyholder has already made a claim for a major critical illness, they can still receive a cancer payout again in the event of a new cancer diagnosis or recurrence, with the payout amount equal to the initial major critical illness compensation. Furthermore, the Bupa Safe Critical Illness Protection Plan offers a flexible and adaptable structure, allowing you to enhance protection based on personal needs:

Optional Coverage B: Provides additional protection for 77 more covered critical illnesses, upgrading the safety net to a total of 85 covered illnesses, encompassing 98% of critical illness types (see Note 3).

Optional Coverage C: Cancer treatment reimbursement coverage, where all eligible treatment costs for covered cancers and carcinoma in situ are fully reimbursed on an actual expense basis. This includes hospitalisation, surgical procedures, non-surgical cancer treatments, and diagnostic tests, with a coverage limit of up to $1,000,000 per policy year (see Note 4). The limit is recalculated each policy year, ensuring policyholders are protected even for cancer treatments spanning multiple years. Optional Coverage C also includes additional outpatient care and monitoring, extended support, and a cash allowance for experimental treatments, further enhancing customer protection.

For example, Jessica, a white-collar worker, purchased the Bupa Safe Critical Illness Protection Plan A3, with major critical illness coverage of $1,500,000, and opted for the cancer treatment reimbursement coverage (Optional Coverage C) with a limit of $1,500,000 per policy year. At the age of 30, Jessica was diagnosed with lung cancer and received a major critical illness payout of $1,500,000. Even though she had to resign due to her illness, she could still manage her living expenses. Unfortunately, at the age of 32, Jessica’s cancer recurred, and she received an additional cancer protection payout of $1,500,000, relieving her of financial worries for medical expenses. At the age of 40, Jessica underwent an angioplasty procedure for coronary heart disease and received a lump-sum early-stage critical illness payout of $300,000. In total, Jessica received a combined payout of $3,300,000.

Comprehensive Support – Apply Now for Limited-Time Offers

Being diagnosed with a critical illness can be physically and emotionally draining. Bupa, with its focus on health, provides health support services for policyholders of the Bupa Safe Critical Illness Protection Plan. A professional team stands by your side, offering services such as arranging second medical opinions from experts, doctor referrals, and more. Health advisors assist with claims follow-up and support throughout the treatment and recovery process. Additionally, the “Cancer Care Programme” offers one-on-one follow-up by qualified nurses and a health management team, providing emotional support and various cancer care resources.

The Bupa Safe plan offers a lifetime total payout of up to $3,300,000 (see Note 5), with monthly premiums as low as $108 (see Note 6). Once enrolled, customers are guaranteed renewal up to the age of 100 (see Note 7). The plan is available for online application. Apply now to enjoy limited-time offers: 20% off for individual applications and 40% off for two or more applicants (starting from $5 per day, see Note 8). Click here to get a quote and more details!

Notes:

Data sourced from a press release by Cancer Information Network titled “Lack of Government Planning for Cancer Treatment in Hong Kong: Survey Reveals Hong Kong Residents Underestimate Public Hospital Colorectal Cancer Drug Costs by 19 Times”.
Data sourced from the Cancer Statistics Query System on the Hong Kong Cancer Registry website.
The 85 critical illnesses covered under the plan’s basic critical illness coverage and optional “Extended Major Critical Illness Coverage” encompass 98% of specified critical illnesses under the 10Life Term Critical Illness Insurance Rating Methodology. Exclusions and waiting periods apply. For terms and exclusions, please refer to the contract.
Full reimbursement of eligible treatment costs for covered cancers and carcinoma in situ, with a coverage limit of $500,000 (Option C1) or $1,000,000 (Option C2) per policy year.
Calculated based on Plan A3 with a lifetime total payout of $3,300,000, including major critical illness coverage of $1,500,000, additional cancer coverage of $1,500,000, and early-stage critical illness coverage of $300,000. Customers must be diagnosed with covered critical illnesses as defined in the policy. Waiting periods apply between payouts for different coverage items, and additional cancer coverage requires active cancer treatment. For details, refer to the contract terms.
Based on an 18-year-old non-smoker purchasing Plan A3 with a lifetime total payout of $3,300,000 on an annual payment basis. This premium does not include any applicable discounts or promotions.
Additional cancer coverage will automatically terminate on the contract anniversary immediately following the age of 85. Some illnesses under the optional Extended Major Critical Illness Coverage have age limits for coverage. For details, refer to the coverage amount table.
Applicable only to annual payments and subject to relevant terms and conditions.
The above information is provided by Bupa, updated as of 7 May 2021, and is for reference only. It does not constitute a sales proposal.

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

Last updated: 9 Apr 2026

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Critical illness is affecting younger people, so don’t ignore it! Regular critical illness insurance offers great value, protecting against 98% of critical illness types.

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