The Truth About Rheumatoid Arthritis and Life Insurance

Many people that inquire about life insurance for themselves and have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) find themselves facing one of the following three situations:

• Recent Diagnosis – you’ve been recently diagnosed with RA and want to secure a life insurance policy, but they want to wait and see how your illness progresses
• Premium Increase – you’ve been able to find a life insurance company that will insure you, but they’ve increased the premium to an unaffordable rate
• Applied and Been Declined – you’ve applied for life insurance but are finding that insurers aren’t willing to accept the risk of insuring you

How do Life Insurance Companies View Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Many life insurance companies react negatively to applicants with RA. Though it’s not a fatal disease, there can be complications, and there are side effects from some drug treatments that can represent a risk to insurers.

As you may have found out, insurers will investigate your condition thoroughly before issuing you a life insurance policy. They’ll obtain and examine your doctor’s records to see the type of arthritis you have, the degree of limitation or pain you experience, how long you’ve had RA, and which medications you’re taking to treat it.

Insurers are also often concerned with RA moving beyond your joints. The Mayo Clinic reports that about 40% of RA patients also experience problems with their skin, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs or tissues. These complications will cause insurers to increase your premiums or refuse to cover you.

The type of drugs you take to manage your RA also serves as an indicator to life insurers regarding the severity of your condition. After obtaining your medical information, some life insurance companies will change how they classify you depending on which medications you’re taking. They factor in that some drugs carry more significant risks and are more likely to cause side effects.

There Is a Solution For You

There are highly reputable life insurance companies, such as Mutual of Omaha, AIG, Liberty Bankers Life, and Gerber life, that offer life insurance policies to people with chronic RA. Depending upon the severity of your RA, one of the following two policy types will provide you with the coverage you’re looking for:

Simplified Issue Life Insurance is an excellent option for you if you have mild to moderate RA. This coverage requires no medical exam and only requires that you answer questions related to your medical condition. The insurer may obtain a pharmacy report or a Medical Information Bureau report if you’ve applied for life insurance from another company.

Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance is perfect for you if you have severe RA. Guaranteed issue life requires no medical exam, and no health questions are asked. You can’t be turned down if you’re age 45-85, and it’s available from A+ rated life insurance companies.

Professional Agent Oscar Young Can Help You Oscar has helped thousands of people with RA and other conditions that have made it difficult or impossible for them to obtain life insurance. Oscar will get you the coverage you need at an affordable rate with a top-rated company. You can learn more on his www.LiteQuote.com or by calling him at (312) 625-0133. He’s looking forward to helping you.