Understand terms of insurance policy

Reading this letter, Understand terms of insurance policy written by Tan Sek Choo, really gives me the creeps, and demonstrates how the majority of the people who buy Medical Insurance may have been taken for a ride.

Leaving out the other details, I would like to refer to what she said of the critical illnesses APPROVED by Bank Negara, quote  "....the definitions of the lists of critical illnesses cover are very rigid. The condition of the illnesses should be life-threatening for the purpose of claim. For example, in the case of cancer, the cancer cells must be invasive and normally a stage three cancer is considered “critical”. I would say the condition must be “terminally ill”. ...." {underline, mine}

It would be correct of me to say that, when we take out medical insurance for ourselves and our relatives, we expect the insurance to be able to assist us defray the high cost of private medical care, with the normal expectation that the insured will recover from the illness. But as the letter has explained, Insurance companies will only pay for critical illness treatment if they feel you have a slim chance of surviving the illness ! Being told that you have cancer or a heart attack is already terrible, but then to find out that your expenses can only get reimbursed by your insurance, if you have less than 10% chance of coming out of the treatment cured, or being alive for a period of time is "adding salt to the wound".

And to think that Bank Negara has a hand in the dirty trick.

Furthermore, do we know that most medical insurance are limited by age? After faithfully paying for decades, you may find that the cover is withdrawn, once you reach 70, when the need for medical expenses is likely to rise.. Even before you reach that age, premiums double up every year or so, after reaching 60.

How cruel can we be?