Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. In this episode, we look at why you should start insuring yourself against critical illnesses when you are in your 20s or early 30s. Cancer, heart attacks and stroke are three common critical illnesses in Singapore. We are living longer but we may be spending more time in poor health. Looking at government statistics, we can see that in Singapore, cardiovascular disease accounted for 32 per cent of all deaths in 2021. This means that almost one out of three deaths in Singapore is due to heart disease or stroke. Spotting a stroke early can help to save a life. Recovery after a stroke, however, may take a long time.. Most millennials and Gen Z are busy establishing their careers. Growing their wealth is likely to take priority over protecting their health, but this is the time to think about health insurance. ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo finds out more from neurosurgeon Dr Chou Ning from Chou Neuroscience Clinic and Eddy Lim, who is the head of Propositions and Portfolio Management, at Great Eastern. This episode is brought to you by Great Eastern: https://str.sg/w9qr Highlights (click/tap above): 1:15 Incidence of stroke among younger age groups is about 10-15% of entire stroke cohort 3:15 Among survivors of stroke, 50% would still be chronically disabled after one year 4:10 Risk of recurring stroke within the next five years 6:39 Avoiding placing financial burden on your parents; plans that can cost as low as $20 a month to cover critical illnesses 9:11 Dr Chou on a recent case of a healthy 46-year-old patient who came in with some weakness in his left hand; eventually diagnosed with a small ischaemic stroke 11:54 Tip: Consider cover critical illnesses one time, and covering recurrence with a rider for a second payout More about Great Eastern's Great Critical Cover Series: https://str.sg/w9qV Help cancer survivors in their rehab journey: https://str.sg/w9qC About Great Eastern: https://str.sg/w9qy Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh Edited by: Eden Soh Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv  SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.