Independent agency
Critical illness insurance pays you a lump sum when you are diagnosed with a covered condition, commonly cancer, heart attack or stroke. The money goes to you, not the hospital, so you can use it for deductibles, travel for treatment, the mortgage or groceries while you recover. Viola explains exactly what triggers a payment.
Life, long-term care, annuity and supplemental products are subject to underwriting and carrier approval. Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company. Nothing on this site is tax, legal or investment advice.
In clients' words
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with this individual and not only is she extremely knowledgeable about her field, but her passion and kind heart truly serves this community profoundly . If you have a child aging out at 26, if you have a parent who is starting 65, if you’re 1099 contract worker , if you need group benefits, or if you want to protect your family in case of a cancer Scare etc ., she’s the one you can TRUST. Thank you for all that you do Viola Lucero.
Verbatim client reviews from the agency's public profiles (5.0 stars from 49 Google reviews). Read all reviews.
Medical care has improved, so more people survive serious illness. Surviving can be expensive. Even good health insurance leaves a deductible and coinsurance, and the bigger costs are often the ones health insurance never touches: time off work, a spouse's time off, travel to specialists, help at home. A critical illness benefit is designed for that gap.
Policies list the conditions they cover and define each one. That definition is everything: one policy may pay the full benefit for an early stage cancer and another only a partial amount; one may cover a specific procedure and another may not. Viola reads the definitions with you, compares benefit amounts and checks for waiting periods and any limits on pre-existing conditions.
Critical illness coverage pays in addition to your health insurance, whether that is an employer plan, an ACA plan or Medicare, and the benefit is paid directly to you. It is not health insurance and does not replace it; it makes the cost of a serious diagnosis easier to survive financially.
She looks at where it fits. If your health plan has a high deductible, if your household relies on one income, or if your family history makes you think about it, a modest benefit can be worth having. If your savings would easily cover a bad year, she will tell you the money may be better spent elsewhere.
Once you have it, she makes sure you know how to file a claim, because the moment you need it is not the moment to be reading a policy for the first time. Coverage is subject to underwriting and carrier approval.
You have a high deductible, a household that depends on your paycheck, or a family history that worries you, and you want cash in hand if a serious diagnosis comes.
No. It pays a cash benefit on top of your health insurance when you are diagnosed with a covered condition. You still need real medical coverage. Critical illness insurance helps with the costs around a diagnosis, like deductibles, lost income and travel, that health insurance does not pay.
Both pay cash directly to you, on top of your health plan. Critical illness pays a lump sum on a covered diagnosis; hospital indemnity pays set amounts for hospital stays. Here is how to tell which gap you have.
If you are under 65 and do not have coverage through work, you have more choices than most people realize. Here is a plain English map of each one for Chandler and East Valley families, what it costs you, and what it leaves out.
No. It pays a cash benefit on top of your health insurance when you are diagnosed with a covered condition. You still need real medical coverage. Critical illness insurance helps with the costs around a diagnosis, like deductibles, lost income and travel, that health insurance does not pay.
It depends on the policy. Most cover cancer, heart attack and stroke, and many add conditions like kidney failure or organ transplant. Each condition has a specific definition in the policy, and that definition decides whether and how much it pays.
As a lump sum paid directly to you after a covered diagnosis. You can spend it on anything: medical bills, travel for treatment, the mortgage or everyday costs.
It often fits well there, because a serious diagnosis can mean meeting the full deductible and out-of-pocket maximum while income drops. Whether it is worth it depends on your savings and household budget.
Sometimes, but it is harder. Critical illness policies ask health questions, and a past cancer, heart attack or stroke can lead to a decline, an exclusion for that condition, or a waiting period, depending on the insurance company and how long ago it was.
Every application is subject to underwriting. Viola can tell you which questions an application asks before you apply, so you know where you stand.
Some policies do. Depending on the design, a policy may pay again for a different covered condition, or pay a partial or full benefit if a condition comes back after a set period.
Others pay once and end. The recurrence and second diagnosis rules are written in the policy, so Viola reads them with you before you compare prices.
Start with your health plan's deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, then add a few months of household bills you would need covered if you or your spouse stopped working during treatment.
Subtract what your savings could comfortably handle. The gap is a sensible target, and Viola can price a couple of amounts so you see the trade-off between benefit and premium.
Usually not, if you pay the premiums yourself with after-tax money. If an employer pays the premium, or you pay it with pre-tax dollars through payroll, the benefit may be taxable.
Rules depend on how the policy is paid for, so check with your tax advisor if you are unsure.
Yes. Individual critical illness policies are available to many people on Medicare, within age limits set by each insurance company. It can help with the costs Medicare leaves, such as Part B coinsurance, Medicare Advantage copays and travel for treatment.
Coverage is subject to underwriting, and Viola looks at your Medicare coverage first, so you only add what fills a real gap.
Critical Illness Insurance in Chandler and across Arizona: no pressure, plain answers, and a review every year.
2160 North Alma School Road, Suite 102, Chandler, AZ 85224 (480) 300-5776
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