In this article, we wanted to take a moment and try and answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance after they have been prescribed Fioricet to help treat and hopefully minimize the number of headaches one can suffer from.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been prescribed Fioricet?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been prescribed Fioricet?
• What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
• What rate (or price) can I qualify for?
• What can I do to help insure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been prescribed Fioricet?

Short answer:  Yes

Long answer:  It depends.

You see, because Fioricet is one of those “kinds” of medications that can tend to make a life insurance underwriter a bit never because while it may not be used to treat for “life threatening” its “presence” on a life insurance application can certainly stir up a hornet’s nest during the underwriting process. This is because, even though Fioricet is only used to help treat those suffering from headaches, it is technically considered a controlled substance and can potentially cause someone taking it to suffer from paranoid or suicidal ideation, in addition to impaired memory, judgement and coordination.

It also has…

The ability to enhance the effects of other narcotics including alcohol and can cause ones’ breathing to slow which in extreme cases could possibly lead to death!  Which makes answering our next question pretty easy…

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been prescribed Fioricet?

Life insurance companies are interested in the fact that you have been prescribed Fioricet because when abused, this medication can be quite dangerous.  This is why most (if not all) traditional life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of questions about your Fioricet usage and the pre-existing medical condition which it is treating so that they can get a better understanding of what kind of “risk” you would pose should the decide to approve your application.

What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?

Common questions you’ll likely be asked by an insurance company regarding your Fioricet usage may include:

• When were you first prescribed Fioricet?
• Who prescribed your Fioricet (a general practitioner or a psychiatrist?)
• How often do you take your Fioricet?
• In the past 12 months has your Fioricet prescription changed?
• Are you taking any other prescription medications to help you treat the headaches your suffering from?
• Do you have any history of drug or alcohol abuse?
• Have you ever attempted or contemplated suicide?
• Have you ever suffered from any psychotic episodes?
• Do you have any issues with your driving record?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months have you applied or received any form of disability benefits?

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

In our experiences here at IBUSA, we’ve found that for the most part, having been prescribed Fioricet is either not going to affect one’s life insurance application at all (for those not abusing the medication) or is going to be the deciding factor in their denial.

You see, because Fioricet is a medication that is really only used to treat headaches, unless you’re suffering from headaches so severe and so frequent that they prevent you from being able to live an otherwise normal life, having them shouldn’t prevent you from being able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.  And, even if they are severe, chances are you still may be able to qualify for coverage a lower (or more expensive) rate assuming that you’re not fully disabled by these occurrences.

However…

If it is shown, or if it is suspected that you may be abusing your Fioricet or using it at a frequency beyond what an insurance underwriter might feel is acceptable, it quite possible (and even likely) that you may be denied coverage entirely and need to pursue an alternative insurance product like a guaranteed issue life insurance policy or an accidental death policy.

What can I do to help insure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

In our experiences here at IBUSA, what we have found that seems to work the best for helping folks who have been prescribed Fioricet is to first make sure that there isn’t any “hint” that the medication may be being abused.  From there, we like to make sure that we fully understand exactly what “kind” of headaches you are experiencing and be sure that we fully understand how they are/or aren’t affecting your overall quality of life.

With this…

Information in hand, we then like to “shop” your life insurance application with two or three of the several dozen different life insurance companies that we work with so that we can get a general idea about how an insurance underwriter from each of these companies might “view” your life insurance application.  This will give us a better idea about “which” life insurance company might be the “best” for you without having to go through the entire process of applying for coverage.

From there…

We generally have a pretty good idea about which life insurance companies might be the “best” for you, we then allow you to compare your options and choose which ones you might like to apply with.  This way, you’re not dependent on the underwriting decisions of just one life insurance company.  Instead, you’re forcing several of them to compete for your business!

So, if you think you it’s time to purchase a quality life insurance policy for yourself and those that you love, and you’re looking to work with an expert that knows what it takes to find coverage for those with a pre-existing medical condition like yours, give us a call and let us show you what we can do for you!