Few weeks ago, a former classmate messaged me asking for help. She said that her husband is diagnosed with cancer and is needing treatment and chemo sessions. She asked if they can apply for insurance to help them with the medical expenses.
As much as I would like to help her, as a Financial Advisor I know that the answer is No. You can only buy life and health insurance if you are still healthy. Just fire a fire insurance, you can’t buy one when your house is already on fire.
You see, my classmate is well off, travelling to US and Europe here and there but still they find it difficult to pay for the medical bills. How much more for those who are not well off? What can we all learn from this story? We all pray and hope for a healthy, happy and long life but is that guaranteed? You know that the answer is no. So what can we do? We must manage the risk and here is how.
Set aside a small portion of your income and get medical insurance. There are prepaid HMOs now that you can buy for emergency and hospitalization needs just in case with a coverage limit of 50,000 to 100,000.
For critical illnesses like cancer, heart disease and other expensive illnesses, we need a higher coverage anywhere from 500,000 to 4 Million. Imagine this, you are a breadwinner, providing a happy and comfortable lifestyle to your family but one day, your Doctor said you have cancer. How can you sustain your medical needs and the needs of your family?
Few days ago a friend who is an OFW for more than 10 years asked about getting insurance. I asked him why, he said he and his wife were hospitalized for 3 weeks because of COVID. He almost died but thankfully, they both recovered. Because of the near death experience, he remembered me knowing I post and talk about life insurance all the time. He shared that as an OFW and only breadwinner, they have a comfortable life, buying gadgets, staycations, and paying for a condo unit from his P160,000 a month salary. Because of the way they are handling their finances, they have no life insurance, no health insurance, and no emergency funds. I asked why, where did his money go- he answered, “I actually don’t know”.
He spent his 10 years away from his family, earning a good salary but with very little to show for it. Though he is very eager to start saving and investing now, he needs to wait until he fully recovers from COVID.
Start with what you can, while you can. And while you are doing that, make sure you have enough health and life coverage too, just in case. Talk to a financial advisor today, there are so many financial instruments out there that can help you achieve your goals. There’s no magic, it takes time.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of the Insurance Company that the author is representing. The content shared here should also not be construed as advice. Please talk to a Financial Advisor/Planner.
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