In an ideal world, you could purchase medical insurance and it would protect you from becoming ill. Unfortunately, medical insurance does not exactly work like that. It does, in a different kind of way, protect you.

Medical insurance fulfils more needs than you might think. The general stereotype is medical insurance is only for old people, right? If you think that, I’m sad to say you are terribly wrong.

Does your job require you to travel a lot or do you spend a lot of vacation on the road. What happens if you visit a foreign country and are struck with an odd fever? Was it the food you ate, the water you drank, or merely the change in climate? You have no idea and how to expect to get medical protection when it will make you go bankrupt?

And of course you need to invest in your long-term future which means medical coverage via an insurance provider. A lot of people who are young take their good fortunes for granted and feel they are invisible. They think they cannot get sick or diagnosed with anything major until they are well in their 60′s or 70′s.

They’re wrong! While it is more common to receive bad health the older you get, unfortunate scenarios do spike up at any moment. Even if you do stay in great health until your 60′s, when you go to apply for medical insurance in preparation you are in for a long road of insanely high premiums. It pays to jump the gun in this situation.

Medical insurance covers the holder in a broad medical scope, because the medical field is very broad. Doctors will handle the same diagnoses in different ways. One might propose a rare type of operation while another will recommend several types of medication. Medical insurance can protect you financially from all those high expenses.

But do not misunderstand me. If you have had past medical problems, the insurance provider understands this and allows a grace period. For example, a condition that was diagnosed ten years ago can no longer become a major problem if you have changed your lifestyle ultimately reducing the odds of the condition spiking up again.

You take a huge gamble without medical insurance and if your health does fall off the deep end, the medical expenses could wipe out all your income. Are you willing to take the chance?

Protect yourself, because you really deserve it. Improving your health and instating medical insurance is a sure way to make sure you are around to witness your kids and their kids grow up.

Graham McKenzie is the content Syndication Manager at insurance123.co.zaSouth Africa’s leading Medical Insurance information portal.