Buy online
17 May 2024 marks World Hypertension Day under the theme "Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer" - an important day if we consider that 1Life Insurance data shows that the second highest event claimed for over the past year was cardiovascular related. Furthermore, in South Africa, almost 1 in 3 adults live with high blood pressure and it is responsible for 1 in every 2 strokes, and 2 in every 5 heart attacks. Given the stakes, South Africans cannot afford to leave their physical well-being to fate, let alone the impact that this fate will have on their finances.
Neglecting one's health has proven to have a direct impact on both the breadwinner and their family's financial security, as it makes one more susceptible to illnesses - in turn, robbing them of their earning potential. On the other hand, living healthily ensures that an individual can continue earning an income to cover daily expenses, while also saving for the financial future of their loved ones –generating wealth for their family.
Considering the implications, this World Hypertension Day should serve as a strong reminder to take charge of your health and finances.
Here are some effective tips to help you take charge of your health and finances.
1. Ensure that you go for regular medical screenings
A proactive approach to maintaining one's health is advisable, and regular health checks can help.
Regular health checks are beneficial for several reasons, such as, allowing for early detection of serious health problems, and allowing for necessary intervention to take place timeously. Regular health-checks also allow policyholders to make the necessary lifestyle adjustments in the event of a diagnosis - helping them to prevent further damage to their health. Most importantly, early detection reduces the cost of treatments, and significantly cuts down on medical bills.
At 1Life Insurance, we advise our clients to go for their health checks regularly, or, at the very least, once a year. This enables them to keep track of their health and helps us, as a service provider, to ensure that we provide the best possible solutions in line with their unique needs.
2. Make the necessary lifestyle adjustments
Your lifestyle and diet play a crucial role in the well-being of your body, and an unhealthy diet has proven to be one of the leading causes of hypertension. This includes foods that are high in fat, high-calorie foods, and high cholesterol. By accumulating fat on the blood vessel walls, they narrow the arteries and make it harder for the heart to pump enough blood to the extremities.
Furthermore, factors such as the lack of physical exercise, consumption of alcohol, and obesity can increase the risk of being diagnosed with hypertension.
3. Take out life insurance so you have financial backup at all times
The worst reality to deal with after a diagnosis is the steep medical costs that come with medical treatment that follows. In a hypertension diagnosis, the cost of prescription medications can be expensive, and may be difficult to cover in the absence of the appropriate medical cover.
While the medication may differ from one individual to another, blood pressure medication needs to be taken regularly for it to be effective, and often includes several medications taken at the same time.
Regardless of your diagnosis, one should always be prepared for the worst by getting life cover and keeping all premiums up to date. This way, in the event of a diagnosis, regardless of what the diagnosis is, individuals are assured that should something happen to them, their family’s financial future is secure.
4. Keep track of your medical records and be transparent with your insurer
The first rule of buying any form of insurance is to be completely transparent with your insurer. One should answer all the questions honestly, as any information that is withheld at this stage can lead to a rejected or reduced claim at the claim payout stage.
When a claim is made by a client, all their medical reports are reviewed, and if they are discovered to be claiming for a medical condition that existed when they took out the policy, but did not disclose, their claim may be rejected or reduced.
The reality is that while the disclosure of unhealthy habits may increase one’s premiums, it is still a safer and wiser option than not having cover at all or running the risk of a rejected claim.
Unhealthy lifestyle habits pose a threat to a family’s financial future by making policies more expensive and sometimes less attainable in the current environment.