Supplemental Coverage

Cancer, Heart Attack and Stroke Insurance

A lump sum of cash on diagnosis, paid to you rather than to a hospital, to spend on whatever the diagnosis actually costs you.

Call (424) 295-0627 Ask for a quote

Why people buy it

The problem it solves

The expensive part of a serious diagnosis is often not the treatment. It is the travel to a specialist, the weeks of work missed, the spouse who takes unpaid leave, the mortgage that does not pause, and the treatment your plan classifies as out of network or experimental.

Lump sum critical illness coverage answers that. On a qualifying diagnosis the insurer pays an agreed amount in cash, once, with no restriction on how it is used. It is not tied to a bill and it does not coordinate with your health plan.

How it works

Three things happen, in this order

You choose a lump sum amount

Typically anywhere from a few thousand dollars up to fifty thousand, for cancer and for heart attack and stroke, together or separately.

A qualifying diagnosis is made

The policy defines precisely what counts. Those definitions matter more than the headline amount, and they are worth reading before you buy.

The full amount is paid to you

Once, in cash, whatever your health insurance does. Some policies restore the benefit over time if the illness does not recur.

Honest fit

Who this suits, and who it does not

The second list matters more than the first. An agent who only writes the first one is selling, not advising.

Worth considering if…

You have a family history that makes one of these diagnoses feel less hypothetical than it does to most people.
Your savings would cover the medical bills but not several months of disrupted income on top of them.
You would want the option to seek treatment outside your network without the cost being the deciding factor.

Probably not for you if…

You want coverage for any serious illness. These policies pay on specifically defined conditions only. A diagnosis that is devastating but not on the list pays nothing, and that is the most common disappointment with this product.
You have been treated for one of the covered conditions recently. Pre-existing condition terms look back a long way, and a policy bought after symptoms appear is unlikely to pay for that episode.
You need help with everyday medical costs. A once-only lump sum is the wrong shape for that — hospital indemnity or a supplement will serve you better.

Companies

Who we can place this with

Darin is appointed with each of these companies and can place coverage with any of them. We do not represent every insurer, and which company suits you depends on your age, your state, your health history and which benefits you actually want. Where a carrier's benefits are described on this page, those details come from that carrier's own current brochure.

Guarantee Trust Life (GTL)

Cancer, Heart Attack and Stroke

Every benefit below is transcribed from GTL Cancer, Heart Attack and Stroke brochure ADH09-16 (Rev. 1/24) 15B425. Benefits, amounts and riders vary by state; the policy issued to you governs.

Lump sum cancer benefit Included
A lump sum paid directly to you on a positive diagnosis of cancer as defined in the policy, up to $50,000, regardless of any other coverage you hold. Includes a 25% benefit for cancer in situ.
Lump sum heart attack and stroke benefit Included
A lump sum paid directly to you on a heart attack or stroke as defined in the policy, up to $50,000. Can be bought alongside the cancer policy or on its own.
Experimental treatment benefit Included
An extra 25% of your lump sum if you undergo a qualifying experimental treatment approved or endorsed by the FDA or the National Institutes of Health while being treated for cancer.
Benefit builder rider Optional rider
Adds benefits on top of the base lump sum, including an increase for certain cancers and coverage for transient ischemic attack.

Issue ages: 18 to 90, with a child rider available
Renewability: Guaranteed renewable for life
Pre-existing conditions: A pre-existing condition is one for which medical advice or treatment was recommended or received within the 24 months before your effective date, or for which symptoms existed that would cause an ordinarily prudent person to seek care in that period.
Policy form: G1530, G1531. Rider forms RG15CBB. Form numbers and benefits vary by state.

Required disclosures from GTL

In most states there is a 30 day waiting period, beginning on the issue date of the policy (not applicable in ID, MO, MT, SD. These states have an initial benefit period coverage on the base and certain riders.)

If a positive diagnosis is made during the waiting period, you may cancel the policy and receive a refund of all premiums paid on the policy and attached riders.

Also appointed

Also appointed, with benefit details not yet published here: the companies listed here. Ask and we will quote them alongside the others.

Aetna
Manhattan Life
Mutual of Omaha
Aflac

We publish no benefit detail for these companies here because we hold no current brochure for them in this product family. Naming a benefit we have not read would be a guess, and a guess is what gets a claim denied.

Where we can place it

Availability in your state

Insurance is regulated state by state. A company may file a benefit in one state and not in another, which is a large part of why working with more than one company matters.

Availability by state, in full

The right-hand column lists what is not offered in that state by any company whose benefits are published on this page. We are appointed with other companies in this family as well — where something is withheld here, ask, and we will check them for you.

State	Published benefits not offered there
Arizona	None — everything on this page can be placed here
California	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Colorado	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Florida	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Georgia	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Hawaii	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Indiana	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Minnesota	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Nevada	None — everything on this page can be placed here
New Mexico	None — everything on this page can be placed here
North Carolina	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Ohio	None — everything on this page can be placed here
South Carolina	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Tennessee	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Texas	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Utah	None — everything on this page can be placed here
Washington	None — everything on this page can be placed here

ECOS is licensed in seventeen states. Medicare guides: Arizona · California · Colorado · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Indiana · Minnesota · Nevada · New Mexico · North Carolina · Ohio · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Washington.

Straight answers

Questions people actually ask

What counts as a qualifying diagnosis?

The policy defines each condition precisely, and the definition is what pays — not the everyday meaning of the word. Stroke, for example, typically requires a measurable neurological deficit lasting more than twenty-four hours, which excludes a transient ischemic attack unless a rider covers it. Read the definitions before you buy; they vary between carriers.

Is a lump sum taxable?

Benefits from an individual policy you paid for with after-tax dollars are generally received tax-free, but your situation can change that, and a policy paid for through an employer or with pre-tax money may be treated differently. This is not tax advice — ask your tax professional about your own circumstances before relying on it.

Can I buy it if I have already had cancer?

Sometimes, depending on the condition, how long ago it was and the carrier. Expect a pre-existing condition limitation looking back up to twenty-four months, and expect the prior condition to be excluded even where a policy is issued. Be completely straightforward on the application — it is the single biggest cause of denied claims.

Does it pay on top of my health insurance?

Yes. The benefit is paid directly to you regardless of any other health care coverage you hold, because it is not reimbursing a medical bill. Your health plan pays providers under its own rules, and this pays you a fixed sum on diagnosis. Neither reduces the other.

Ask for a quote on Cancer and Critical Illness Insurance

Tell us how to reach you and which state you are in. A licensed agent calls back, usually the same business day, and will tell you plainly if you already have coverage that makes this unnecessary.

Your name

Phone

ZIP code

State

Best time to call

What would you like a quote on? (Please leave out health conditions and medications.)

ECOS Medicare Solutions is not connected with or endorsed by the United States government or the federal Medicare program. This is a solicitation of insurance. A licensed insurance agent may contact you.

Other coverage that pays you cash

Hospital Indemnity Insurance

Pays you a fixed cash amount for each day you spend in hospital, whatever your other coverage pays. Most often bought to cover the daily co-pays a Medicare Advantage plan leaves behind.

Worth a look if your Medicare Advantage plan charges a per-day inpatient co-pay.

Short-Term Home Health Care Insurance

Pays a daily cash benefit for care at home after an illness, injury or surgery, on the same trigger long-term care insurance uses but for a limited period.

Worth a look if you want coverage for the recovery weeks after surgery or a fall.

All Supplemental Coverage · Medicare help in your state