Critical illness insurance
Help protect yourself during unexpected moments
Life can take many turns, and a serious medical emergency or illness often comes when we least expect it. And managing out-of-pocket costs in the event of a critical illness diagnosis can add even more stress. That's where critical illness insurance comes in as a complement to your major medical coverage. With benefit payments made directly to you, you can support your mind, body, and wallet®.
Who is it for?
It's for people concerned about out-of-pocket expenses who want additional financial protection in the event the diagnosis of a critical illness. So they can complement their medical insurance while recovering from a covered illness.
What does it cover?
Plan designs can be customized to cover many major illnesses like stroke, heart attack, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and more. If you're diagnosed with one of these illnesses, the benefit payment goes directly to you, not the doctor or hospital.
Why consider it?
Consider critical illness as an affordable supplement to your medical insurance. You can use the benefit to pay additional expenses that occur with a critical illness diagnosis such as travel, additional child care, or help at home.
One-third of US adults say they've skipped recommended medical treatment due to cost, while 4 in 10 have delayed needed care.¹
The value of critical illness insurance*
Meet Darryl
Daryl suffered a heart attack when mowing his lawn in the summer sun and received a lump sum payment from his critical illness plan.
Four years later, he had a stroke while out grocery shopping with his wife and received another payment.
During both illnesses, his benefit helped pay for medical costs as well as household expenses, including his mortgage and car payments while recovering. So he could focus more on getting better and less on finances.
Meet Sarah
Sarah started noticing stiffness in her left shoulder and hand that prevented her from completing everyday tasks, and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Fortunately, she enrolled in critical illness insurance through her employer and knew she could count on her coverage to help during the transition.
The benefit payment she received from Guardian after her diagnosis helped her with the extra out-of-pocket expenses, along with making adjustments to her lifestyle as she learned to live with the impacts to her memory, energy levels, and mobility.
Still wondering if critical illness insurance is worth it? See FAQs, reasons to consider, and more important information.
Health screening benefits**
With Guardian Critical Illness Insurance, when you or someone covered under your plan completes certain routine screenings — such as a blood test, chest X-ray, colonoscopy, or stress test — you're eligible to receive a benefit payment once a year. Even if you have no out-of-pocket expense.
Managing higher out-of-pocket medical costs
When medical costs go up, stress, worry, and pressure can easily rise, too. Critical illness insurance can help cover expenses such as deductibles or copays associated with a diagnosis of a covered critical illness.
Quick and easy claims experience
We know you count on your benefits to be there when you need them. With Guardian Critical Illness Insurance, you get quick, accurate payments. Plus, we'll cross reference any other supplemental health coverage you may have to ensure you receive payments for all eligible policies.
Need to submit a critical illness insurance claim? Find forms and more helpful information here.
Remember, protection for your mind, body, and wallet® begins with your benefits offered at work.
Enrolling in critical illness insurance is easy and cost-effective — be sure to take advantage to help protect yourself and your loved ones.
1 Kaiser Family Foundation Health Care Debt Survey (Feb. 25–Mar. 20, 2022).
Guardian’s Group Critical Illness Insurance is underwritten and issued by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY. Products are not available in all states.
In New York, Critical Illness is referred to as Specified Disease.
*All scenarios and names mentioned herein are purely fictional and have been created solely for educational purposes. Any resemblance to existing situations, persons or fictional characters is coincidental.
**Lump sum payments, health screening benefits and hospitalization benefit are optional plan choices determined by your employer.
GUARDIAN® is a registered trademark of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America®. ©Copyright 2025 The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.