It is a sad fact that even if we live a healthy lifestyle, as we get older we are more prone to sickness; critical illness insurance might be required someday so is planning for this really strange? Providing financial peace of mind for your family by taking out protection for a mere few dollars each week, does not seem as important to most of us as having that luxury cup of coffee every day during lunch.Studies have shown there is a strong possibility that at some stage in your life you will suffer from a critical illness or be bound to  electric wheel chairs so most of the insurance providers now cater for these conditions. Speaking of statistics; they have revealed recently that at least twenty percent of men will suffer from a critical condition before they retire. Women fair a little better with around 15 percent being diagnosed prior to retirement.Studies have shown that our reluctance to arrange a critical illness insurance policy is our inherent belief that nothing bad will happen. Although this type of protection is taken out for many reasons, the majority of people use it to protect their mortgage repayments but these days, critical illness cover and life insurance can be linked directly with mortgage repayments.Since the advent of the Internet as a marketing and sales tool, insurance companies have promoted their products online and in recent years there has been an increase in online insurance applications. In a rush to provide this type of health coverage, many details are not looked into fully and a number of problems have arisen from attempting to do this online. This is because many insurance providers who offer this type of coverage wish to have the applicant take a medical examination by an independent physician to ensure there is nothing untoward right from the start. As a claimant you will also want to know that any claim on your critical illness insurance you make will be accepted and dealt with sensitively.Smokers are unfortunately treated as higher risk applicants; this includes anyone who has smoked within the previous year, and as a consequence they are placed in a high risk category. Many things are taken into account when dealing with the risk factor associated with any type of policy including the applicant's age, their overall health, whether the type of work they do is dangerous or any activities they participate in, not just whether they are a smoker.One of the biggest benefits of critical illness insurance is it will also cover the health and living expenses should a person be diagnosed with a terminal illness. No person can guarantee that they will always be there for their family but insurance plans are one way to ease the burden if you are diagnosed with a critical medical condition.