After 175 years of helping families thrive, we believe that making plans for the worst can actually allow you to live your best.
It’s impossible to know what the future holds, but bearing every eventuality in mind can give you the confidence to embrace life to the fullest. Apart from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide* (2018). In South Africa, it affects 1 in 25 women in their lifetimes** (2016), which is a staggering number if you think about how many close friends and family members you have in your inner circle.
Everybody knows somebody, right?
The good news is that there have been tremendous breakthroughs in breast cancer treatment in the past few decades, and this means that in many cases there is a reasonable possibility of a full recovery. But like with all cancers, the chances of a complete recovery are significantly improved if the diagnosis is made early.
Breast cancer awareness and screening are important for everyone and our statistics reinforce that position.
In 2019, the ‘Big 4’ illnesses made up 73% of all Severe Illness claims, with 67% of them attributed to cancer, 17% to heart attacks, 9% to strokes and 7% to coronary artery bypass grafts. (Old Mutual Personal Cover Claims 2019)
The stats for severe illness claims, specifically for women, look a bit different:
- 60% for cancer and tumours
- 14% for central nervous system disorders
- 14% were for cardiovascular disorders*
Our Illness insurance pays out a single amount from* R100 000 to R6 million if the insured person suffers from a severe illness such as cancer, a heart attack or stroke.
“Having cover in place can lighten the load of being diagnosed with a severe illness,” says Karabo Ramooko, Old Mutual Marketing Manager. “It can be used to help ease unexpected costs, potential loss of income, as well as cover rehabilitation expenses and home modifications.”
Old Mutual’s For Women Benefit covers female-specific illness events including cancer, complications during pregnancy and fertility-related illnesses, to mention a few. This would also cover procedures such as a mastectomy, or ectopic pregnancy or endometriosis.
And because everyone is different, our Illness insurance allows you to customise your cover further by choosing from additional benefits such as the Mild Illness Benefit and Returning Illness Benefit, to name a few.
It’s impossible to know what the future holds, but thinking about every eventuality can give you the peace of mind to embrace life to the fullest.
If you would like to speak to an Old Mutual financial adviser to make sure that your financial future remains on track, should you become diagnosed with a severe illness, click here to submit your details.
Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (SA) Limited is a licensed FSP and Life Insurer.
*Terms and conditions apply
Sources:
- https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/cancer-trends/breast-cancer-statistics
- https://cansa.org.za/womens-health/