No-one ever expects to become ill especially when they are young and healthy but planning for this unforeseen event is worthwhile after all no one knows when you will be confined to  bariatric wheelchair or any type for that matter because of illness; critical illness insurance is something that we all need to make provision for. After all, you are providing for the financial needs of your family in the future if something untoward happens where you will no longer be around to help them in person.Studies have shown there is a strong possibility that at some stage in your life you will suffer from a critical illness so most of the insurance providers now cater for these conditions. Research has shown that men are more likely to contract a serious condition than women with a figure of twenty percent before the age of 65. Women fair a little better with around 15 percent being diagnosed prior to retirement.It is not certain why the take up figure for critical illness insurance is so low but it may be that people either do not see the need or do not believe the chances of this happening are that high. 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. Unfortunately, being a relatively new facility, there are new problems that occur as more companies start offering services over the Internet for the first time. 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.Some groups of individuals fall into high risk categories like those who smoke for example and can be expected to pay more for their cover. Whilst smoking is considered a serious risk to a person's health, there are other considerations that are taken into account; for instance the work or pastime may be dangerous, you may be in poor health generally or age may be against you.A major advantage of critical health insurance which is often overlooked is the financial help it provides for people 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.