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Many Americans suffer a critical illness at some point in their lives, such as a heart attack or stroke.1,2 While a health insurance policy can help you pay for the costs of treatment when you’re sick, it may have coverage gaps that a dread disease policy, or critical illness insurance, can help fill. Aflac offers supplemental critical illness insurance (insurance that can help cover expenses your primary insurance doesn’t) to help you prepare for the unexpected. Read on to learn how a dread disease policy works and what it covers.
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Also known as critical illness insurance, a dread disease policy typically pays cash benefits directly to a policyholder, unless otherwise assigned, or to a beneficiary when they’re diagnosed with a covered disease. You can use the benefits to pay for medical and unexpected expenses, including:
These supplemental policies can provide added peace of mind when the unexpected occurs. Aflac’s critical illness insurance for individuals offers competitive rates and the flexibility to use cash benefits for any medical or unexpected expenses.
Each policy is different between insurers, but a dread disease or critical illness insurance policy typically offers coverage to help with several health events specified in the policy.
Speak with an Aflac agent to learn more about what is covered by our critical illness insurance plan.
A dread disease policy can be important for a few key reasons:
Short-term disability insurance is a common type of supplemental insurance that you may receive through your employer that can help supplement part of your income when you’re unable to work for covered medical reasons. There are a few important distinctions between this policy and dread disease insurance, including:
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Help cover yourself and your family with coverage from Aflac.
Get StartedPolicies carry different values. You can apply for coverage based on your needs in the event of a diagnosis. Typically the greater the benefit, the more you’ll pay in monthly insurance premiums. Consider these important factors when determining how much critical illness insurance coverage you may need:
Before applying for critical illness insurance, you should review your current health insurance to understand how it would work if you suffered a health event like a stroke or heart attack. Review your deductibles and copayments for certain treatments. Look for any coverage gaps that could make certain medical events more costly than others. Critical illness insurance may make more sense for you if your health insurance policy carries significant deductibles or copayments for critical illness treatment.
If you have a partner and young children who rely on you for their financial well-being, you should look at your budget and determine how much they’d need to maintain their lifestyle if you’re sick and unable to work for a prolonged period.
Being diagnosed with a critical illness may impact your ability to earn an income and meet your financial commitments. Assess your mortgage, car payment, utilities, and any other fixed expenses to determine your coverage needs before applying for a policy.
You can have more than one supplemental insurance policy, and if you’re diagnosed with a covered illness, you may receive several benefits. That will impact the coverage amount you may need from a critical illness policy. Weigh the amounts you could receive from a short-term disability policy, hospital insurance policy , or other supplemental insurance you may have.
While you can’t predict the future, you do have the ability to plan for the possibility of a life-changing disease diagnosis. Aflac’s critical illness insurance , pays cash benefits to help fill coverage gaps so you can focus on getting better. You can apply for a policy directly through Aflac. Chat with an agent to learn more about coverage options and get a quote today.
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Critical illness insurance offers financial protection if you have a major disease. Learn about the costs and benefits of critical illness insurance.
Wondering if critical illness insurance is worth it? Learn how critical illness insurance works and what it covers to decide whether this plan is worth it for you.
Critical illness insurance offers financial protection if you have a major disease. Learn about the costs and benefits of critical illness insurance.
Wondering if critical illness insurance is worth it? Learn how critical illness insurance works and what it covers to decide whether this plan is worth it for you.
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Heart Disease Facts. Updated October 24, 2024. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html.
2 Stroke Awareness Foundation – Stroke Facts and Statistics. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.strokeinfo.org/stroke-facts-statistics/.
3 Paychex – Short-Term Disability Insurance vs. Long-Term Disability Insurance. Updated February 27, 2024. Accessed May 14, 2025. https://www.paychex.com/articles/employee-benefits/short-vs-long-term-disability-insurance.
Content within this article is provided for general informational purposes and is not provided as tax, legal, health, or financial advice for any person or for any specific situation. Employers, employees, and other individuals should contact their own advisers about their situations. For complete details, including availability and costs of Aflac insurance, please contact your local Aflac agent.
Aflac coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus. In New York, Aflac coverage is underwritten by American Family Life Assurance Company of New York.
Critical Illness/Specified Health Event, A74000 series: In Delaware, Policies A74100DE, A74200DE, A74300DE. In Idaho, Policies A74100ID, A74200ID, A74300ID. In Oklahoma, Policies A74100OK, A74200OK, A74300OK. In Virginia, Policies A74100VA, A74200VA, A74300VA. A73000 series: In Delaware, Policies A73100DE & A7310HDE. In Idaho, Policies A73100ID & A7310HID. In Oklahoma, Policies A73100OK & A7310HOK. In Virginia, Policy A73100VA & A7310HVA. B71000 series: In Delaware, Policies B71100, B71200, B7130H & B7140H. In Oklahoma, Policies B71100OK, B71200OK, B7130HOK & B7140HOK.
Short-Term Disability, A57600 series: In Arkansas, Policies A57600AR & A57600LBAR. In Delaware, Policies A57600DE & A57600LB. In Idaho, Policy A57600IDR. In New York, Policy NY57600. In Oklahoma, Policies A57600OK &A57600LBOK. In Oregon, Policies A57600OR & A57600LBOR. In Pennsylvania, Policies A57600PAR &A57600LBPA. In Texas, Policies A57600TX &A57600LBTX. In Virginia, Policies A57600VA &A57600LBVA
Hospital, B40000 series: In Delaware, Policies B40100DE & B4010HDE. In Idaho, Policies B40100ID & B4010HID. In Oklahoma, Policies B40100OK & B4010HOK. In Pennsylvania, Policies B40100PA & B4010HPA. In Virginia, Policies B40100VA & B4010HVA.
Tier One Critical Illness coverage is underwritten by Tier One Insurance Company. Tier One Insurance Company is part of the Aflac family of insurers. In California, Tier One Insurance Company does business as Tier One Life Insurance Company (NAIC 92908).
Critical Illness: In Delaware, Policy T71000. In Oklahoma, Policy T71000OK. In Virginia, Policy T71100VA.
Coverage may not be available in all states, including but not limited to DE, ID, NJ, NM, NY, VA or VT. Benefits/premium rates may vary based on state and plan levels. Optional riders may be available at an additional cost. Policies and riders may also contain a waiting period. Refer to the exact policy and rider forms for benefit details, definitions, limitations, and exclusions.
Aflac WWHQ | Tier One | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999
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