EMA Critical Care Max 2.0 – Is This Critical Illness Insurance Worth It?

Today, let’s take a look at the EMA Critical Care Max 2.0 insurance. It’s a type of critical illness insurance that pays a benefit upon diagnosis of specific illnesses, namely the big, scary, and potentially expensive ones.

EMA Critical Care 2.0 Max Overview 

EMA Critical Care 2.0 Max provides critical illness insurance. That means it pays a lump sum benefit when there’s a diagnosis of one of the covered illnesses. These include:

• Benign Brain Tumor
• Cancer
• Carcinoma In Situ
• Coma
• Coronary Artery Obstruction
• End Stage Renal Failure
• Heart Attack
• Major Organ Failure
• Skin Cancer ($250)
• Stroke

You can choose from three levels of coverage:

• $10,000
• $20,000
• $30,000

Now, one of the neat things about EMA’s critical illness policy is the Triple Benefit feature. While one instance triggers the benefit payment. If something else happens (at least six months later), you get another benefit. This continues (hopefully, this doesn’t happen to you) until you reach triple the stated benefit amount.

There is also a Recurrence Benefit. Suppose you already got a check for a previous diagnosis of benign brain tumor, cancer, coma, heart attack, or stroke. In that case, they’ll pay you 25% of your benefit amount for the second diagnosis. The fine print says that you need to be at least six months treatment-free since the previous time.

Who can apply?

Anyone from age 18 to age 69 can apply and get automatic coverage. The only condition is you have to be working at least 17.5 hours per week.

What about family coverage?

You can get coverage for your spouse and children, too!

Your spouse gets 50% of your selected coverage. Domestic partners and civil unions qualify for spousal coverage in states that allow it.

Your children (and even dependent grandchildren) between the ages of 0 and 26 can get 25% of your selected coverage. Unlike other types of insurance or other policies, it doesn’t matter if your kid is a student or not to keep the coverage through age 26.

What does it cost? 

The cost varies by age, type of coverage, coverage amount, family coverage, and whether or not you smoke tobacco products.

The sample rates below are for The insured and a spouse, neither of whom smokes tobacco products.

Age	$10,000	$20,000	$30,000
25	$28.79	$37.69	$46.56
35	$26.98	$54.05	$71.11
45	$59.83	$99.73	$139.65
55	$102.9	$185.89	$268.93
65	$164.51	$309.12	$453.73

You can also see what rates are for different ages, single plans, family plans, and smokers on the EMA enrollment page under the pricing tab.

Are there any limitations or exclusions? 

There are a couple to keep in mind.

First, EMA won’t pay any claims resulting from intentional, self-inflicted injury. We aren’t sure how someone could intentionally self-inflict something like a brain tumor, but that language is in the contract all the same.

Second, pre-existing conditions aren’t covered by this (or really any) critical illness policies. In this case, the insurance company defines a pre-existing condition as something you received any medical advice on or treatment for within the previous 12 months. It also, and this is the bigger detail to note, won’t cover any diagnosis until at least 12 months after you take out the policy.

What is Critical Illness Insurance? 

Critical illness insurance (sometimes abbreviated to CI) is a supplemental policy that covers the expense of common, severe illnesses. It’s the counterpoint to accidental death coverage. 

Who is the Insurer Behind the EMA Critical Illness? 

Chubb Limited insures EMA Critical Care 2.0. Their policies are underwritten by Combined Insurance Company of America based in Chicago, Illinois – one of Chubb’s subsidiary companies.

Combined Insurance Company of America was founded in 1922. They’ve been around for a while.

Chubb has an AA financial strength rating from Standard & Poor’s and an A++ from AM Best. Those are some of the best ratings. Anything above a B+ means the company insuring you is a pretty safe bet.

Where is EMA Critical Care 2.0 Available?

EMA Critical Care 2.0 is available in most states. The only exclusions are:

• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Washington

If EMA Critical Illness insurance is not available in your state, we have other critical illness options here.

EMA Association Membership Benefits

Because the EMA program life insurance comes with an association membership, there are some extra perks. (You’re automatically enrolled in the association membership upon signing up for the guaranteed issue life insurance.)

• Echo-Sigma – 10% savings
• Coaxcher – 10% savings
• MIRA Safety – 25% savings
• My Medic – 25% savings
• Working Advantage – Varied savings on thousands of items
• Hotels – Up to 60% savings
• Car Rentals – Up to 25% savings
• Electronics – Up to 70% savings
• Flowers & Gifts – Up to 60% savings
• Virtual Events – Up to 40% savings
• Theme Parks – Up to 70% savings

Why Might Someone Choose To Buy a Critical Illness Policy? 

Critical illness offers families a financial cushion for potentially very expensive illnesses.

Medical expenses make up 13% of home foreclosures. It’s one of the biggest causes of debt in the country.

It’s a just-in-case type policy. And, in this case, it’s better odds than many casinos offer in Vegas. According to the American Cancer Society, men have a 40.9% chance of getting cancer in their lifetime. Women come close with a 39.1% chance.

A study from the New England Journal of Medicine looking at the odds of heart attacks is a little more promising if you keep your heart healthy. Men with an “optimal risk-factor profile” had a 4.7% chance of having a heart attack in their lifetime, and women had a 6.4% chance. However, they found that people in the study with two or more risk factors had a 29.6% and 20.5% chance of heart attack, men and women, respectively.

And those are only two of the critical illnesses on the list.

It’s a calculation you have to make. How is your health? Do you have a family history of cancer or heart disease? What would your financial situation be if you had this sudden medical expense?

Then critical illness can be a protective layer for your family, keeping everyone safe at home, replacing income, paying down medical bills, or whatever you want to use the money for.

If You’re An Agent Looking To Help Your Clients

You can also help your clients looking for great no-exam life insurance, AD&D, and critical illness. Click the apply online button below, then click “Agent Contracting” at the top right of the page. For the password, use AGENCY.

Next Steps for Getting Critical Illness Insurance Online

You can apply online today or compare other EMA accidental death coverage and term insurance options by clicking the button below.

You can also call us at (858) 703-6178, and we can look at any specific considerations you may want.