Almost every person purchase a mediclaim to avoid financial disturbance in the event of medical emergencies. Some people are also covered by their employer. Mediclaim policy reimburse the cost of medical expenses for diseases, sicknesses and injuries.

The policy coverage can be enhance by opting optional benefits. Today, many insurance companies offer various riders as a optional benefits. Critical illness is one of riders offered by the insurance companies which can add with existing mediclaim policy by paying additional premium.

Critical illness pays an entire amount of cover on diagnosis of any specified critical illness during the term of the policy. If a claim is made under the rider, the benefit of critical illness terminates thereafter.

It normally covers life threatening illnesses such as Cancer, Stroke,  Paralysis, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Aorta Graft Surgery, First Heart Attack, Kidney Failure, Major Organ Transplant, Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.

Many insurance companies are offering critical illness cover as a optional benefit. If your insurance company is offering a critical illness cover with your mediclaim policy, try to get it. This is why you do not need to take a separate critical illness insurance policy. You will save a lots of money, because critical illness rider is more affordable than individual critical illness insurance policy.

Another advantage is that the critical illness riders is a long term contract, where the premium cost is fixed at the time of taking the policy and remains same through out the life of the policy. However, mediclaim policy  is a one year contract where the premium cost keeps changing every year.

Having mediclaim policy with critical illness cover means more adequate cover you have. Mediclaim covers all hospitalization and related expenses for non critical illnesses. In case you are diagnosed with any critical illness, your pure medclaim policy can't help you.