Facts and statistics demonstrating the sensibility of / need for critical illness insurance

In the last 25 years, there has been an almost 55% increase in disability resulting from heart disease, hypertension, stroke and diabetes.

1 in 4 Canadians will experience a life threatening illness by the time they are 65. In 1991, about 4.2 million Canadians had some level of disability. Their chances for (and actual rate of) employment were significantly restricted. About 60% of working-age Canadians with disabilities received under $10,000 per year in income.

In 1990, only 10% of disabled Canadians of working age received disability benefits from CPP/QPP; 6% from Workers' Compensation, and 1% from Unemployment Insurance.

The probability of being stricken by a critical illness is far greater than death occurring prior to age 75; before age 65, the chance of surviving a critical illness is almost twice as great as dying.

77% of women and 68% of men will survive 5 or more years after being diagnosed with a critical illness.

A 40 year old man has a 25% chance of suffering a heart attack, life threatening cancer or stroke over the next 30 years.

At age 22, females have the same chance for cancer, heart attack, stroke, or multiple sclerosis than males have. Then, the chances of women are increasingly worse, and at the age of 37 their chances are almost one and a half times higher than the chances of men for being hit by these diseases. In the next period of life, it is the men whose chances deteriorate at a faster rate; at age 52, the incidence of these diseases for women is just 90% of that for men.

 


1 in 4 Canadians suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease; 50% of those with high blood pressure do not even know they have a problem.

1 in 3 Canadians will suffer heart related illnesses prior to age 60.

70% of open heart operations are coronary bypasses

Half of heart attack victims are under age 65.

95% of heart attack victims survive the initial attack; 75% of males survive 5 or more years.

 


1 in 20 Canadians run the risk of having a stroke before age 70.

The incidence of stroke declined continuously from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, then increased over the 1980s back to the level of the 1960s.

From stroke victims, 1 in 4 will die, 1 will recover but remain at risk, 1 will be disabled but return home, and one will require long-term hospital care.

14,000 Canadians below age 65 are affected by stroke each year; 25 percent will die, and 71% suffer decreased vocational functioning.

There are between 200,000 and 300,000 stroke survivors in Canada today. Stroke is the leading cause of transfer from hospital to long term care.

 


There are 125,000 new cancer cases reported annually.

Since 1970, there has been an increase of 1% per year in the incidence of cancer. Incidence is rising at the rate of 5.4% per year for males and 0.2% per year for females in the U.S. Corresponding rates in Canada are 1.0% for males and 0.1% for females.

The risk of developing cancer is 1 in 2.4 for males and 1 in 2.7 in females; the mortality rates are 1 in 4 and 1 in 5, respectively.

For people aged 30, there is a 20% chance that they will contract cancer prior to age 70.

1 in 9 women will contract breast cancer.

1 in 10 men will contract prostate cancer in their lifetime.

30% of cancer cases are completely cured.

70% of cancer victims will survive 5 or more years after first diagnosis of cancer.

 


1 in 4 Canadians will suffer from kidney disease.

85% of kidney transplants are successful.

 


At least 30,000 people suffer from paralysis of 2 or more limbs.

There are 600 new cases of paralysis each year.

 


70% to 80% of people survive for at least 10 years after bypass surgery.

Coronary bypass surgery incidence rates grew at a rate of over 4% per year between 1988 and 1992 in Ontario, and at a rate of 5% in the whole U.S.

The Canadian bypass surgery rate is still half of the American rate.

 


At least 50,000 Canadians suffer from Multiple Sclerosis, the most common neurological disease among young Canadians.

Multiple Sclerosis is being diagnosed more frequently as a consequence of increased awareness of the condition and sensitive testing technology.

 


There are 252,600 Canadians age 65 or over who suffer with dementia, a deterioration of a person's intellectual, emotional and cognitive faculties. It is estimated that this number will increase to 592,000 by the year 2021.

The prevalence of dementia at various ages:
65-74 -- 2.4%
75-84 -- 11.1%
85 and over -- 34.5%

 


2.3% of Canadians are disabled with arthritis; 75% of them need help with various household chores and taking care of themselves.
 

Top page (on personal financial planning)

Key areas:

Life and health insurance (including disability, critical illness, and long-term care protection)

If you are / have ...

These web pages are for information purposes only. The information contained and presented, while based on and obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, is not guaranteed either as to its accuracy or completeness. The content of these web pages is solely the work of the author, Laszlo Kramar.

The views (including any recommendations) expressed on these pages are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by anybody. Neither the information nor any opinion expressed herein constitutes an offer, or an invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any product discussed or referred to in these web sites. These web pages are for educational purposes only and are not intended for use by residents of the United Sates; nor are they intended as an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction outside of Ontario, Canada. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

(c) Copyright 1997-2006 László Kramár. All Rights Reserved.