What Does Critical Life Insurance Cover? 
Critical Illness Insurance and Life Insurance are two separate products . Critical Illness Insurance provides a benefit while the insured person is still alive but diagnosed with cancer , stroke , or other covered illness . Life Insurance pays a death benefit to the insured person 's beneficiary after having passed away from illness , accident , or any cause . Some Life Insurance policies do have Critical Illness benefits built in or added on as a rider . With these policies , you can access some of the face amount while still alive if diagnosed with a covered critical illness . If that benefit is never used , the entire face amount is paid out upon the death of the Insured . 