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 being diagnosed with Endocarditis.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Endocarditis?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Endocarditis?
• 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 ensure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

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

Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Endocarditis?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Endocarditis can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.

The problem is that even when they do, they’re generally going to be considered a “higher risk” applicant and will frequently have other pre-existing medical conditions at play that may “supersede” the significance of having been diagnosed with Endocarditis in the first place.

Which is why…

You may want to consider avoiding applying for a no medical exam term life insurance policy as well seeing how these policies tend to be more difficult to qualify for after someone has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition like Endocarditis.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Endocarditis?

Pretty much any time an individual has been diagnosed with a “heart condition”, it’s pretty safe to say that most top rated life insurance companies are going to “care” about it.  Which is why it really shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to learn that if you have been diagnosed with an infection of the inner lining of your heart it’s something that you’re going to need to talk about when applying for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.

For this reason…

We want to just take a moment and discuss exactly what Endocarditis and mention some of the most common symptoms associated with the disease so that we can have a better understanding of what a life insurance underwriter is likely to ask about and what he or she is going to be focusing on during your life insurance application.

Endocarditis Defined:

Endocarditis is an infection that occurs along the inner lining of one’s heart called the endocardium.  It is usually caused when bacteria, fungi or some other kind of “germ” travels from one part of your body and enters in to the bloodstream.

And while this…

May sound strange or unusual, the truth is, bacteria and “germs” are frequently able to get into one’s bloodstream but most of the time aren’t going to cause all that much trouble.  This is why, millions of people every year AREN’T diagnosed with Endocarditis.

You see…

It’s not all that easy for these types of infections to occur, which is why “when” they occur, they usually affect individuals who may be more at risk of suffering from some type of infection.  People such as those with:

• A compromised immune system,
• A congenital heart defect,
• Damaged heart valves,
• Etc…

It’s also important…

To note that there are actually two “types” of Endocarditis that one can suffer from.  There is the acute type of Endocarditis as well as the sub-acute type of endocarditis.  And if we were doctors, we’d probably be really interested in going into great detail outlining the differences between these two “types” of Endocarditis however from a life insurance prospective, there really isn’t all that much of a difference because an insurance company isn’t going to insure you while you are currently treating your endocarditis, and once it’s cured, they really aren’t going to care all that much about which one you had!

Common symptom of endocarditis may include:

• Fatigue,
• Aching joints and muscles,
• Flu like symptoms,
• Fevers,
• Difficulty breathing,
• Chest pain,
• Etc…

Fortunately…

Because Endocarditis is an infection that is usually caused by a known bacteria or fungi, treating it is usually pretty easy once it has been definitively diagnosed.  This is especially true when diagnosed early prior to the infection becoming too serious!  Which bring us to a very important point that we would like to make to any one currently reading this article which is…

If you think you have a medical issue…

Please don’t use the internet to try and diagnose yourself.  After all, if you do and your correct, you’re still going to need to see the doctor, and if you’re wrong, the time you spend being you’re own doctor could really cause great harm to yourself!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained and we’re certainly not doctors.  All we ware is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happened to be really good at helping individual find and qualify for the life insurance that they’re looking for.  So please don’t mistake any of the medical information that we talk about as medical advice because it’s not!

We’re just…

Trying to “prep” you for what it might be like to apply for a life insurance policy after you have been diagnosed with Endocarditis… that’s it!  Which brings us to our next topic which is…

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

Common questions you’ll likely be asked may include:

• Where were you first diagnosed with Endocarditis?
• Who diagnosed your Endocarditis? A general practitioner or a cardiologist?
• What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
• What medications did you used to treat your Endocarditis?
• Do you still suffer from any lingering affects resulting from your Endocarditis?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other cardiovascular conditions?
• Have you ever suffered from a heart attack or a stroke?
• Are you taking any prescription medications now?
• Do you know why you may have developed Endocarditis?
• Are you considered a “at risk” individual for developing Endocarditis?
• Have you ever had any surgeries preformed on your heart? Or Received an artificial heart valve?
• Has your doctor suggested you may need a surgical procedure on your heart in the future?
• In the past 2 years have you been admitted to the hospital for any reason?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied of or received any form of disability benefits?

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

Now as you can see, there are a lot of factors that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” that an individual might be able to qualify for after having been diagnosed with Endocarditis.  This is why, it’s pretty much impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for without first speaking with you directly.

That said however…

There are a few “assumptions” that we can make that will generally hold true about those that have been diagnosed with Endocarditis which may provide you with a better “idea” about what kind of rate you might be able to qualify for.

For example…

It’s pretty safe to say that if you have been diagnosed with Endocarditis in the past, chances are you’re not going to be able to qualify for a Standard or Better rate.  Which means that you’re most likely going to be considered a “higher-risk” applicant which means that you’re definitely going to want to be more “selective” with which life insurance companies you choose to apply with.

Additionally…

If you are someone who has been diagnosed with a pre-existing cardiac condition, which probably contributed to the fact that you developed Endocarditis, its safe to assume that this “underlying” pre-existing medical condition is probably going to be what really determines what “kind” of insurance you will be able to qualify for and what “rate” you would have to pay once approved!

The good news is…

That regardless of your situation, we here at IBUSA can help because we have tons of experience helping folks with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions like yours and are committed to helping all of our clients find the “best” life insurance policy that they can qualify for.  Which brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss which is…

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

In our experience here at IBUSA, what we have found that usually the folks who seem to find the “best” life insurance policy for them are those that:

• Take their time reviewing their options.
• Ask a lot of questions.

And seek out those life insurance agents who not only have experience working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a wide variety of pre-existing medical conditions, but also have access to dozens of different life insurance companies so that when it comes time to helping a more “challenging” case, they don’t have to rely on a…

“One size fits all approach!”

The good news is that this is exactly what you’re going to find here at IBUSA .

Now will we be able to help out everyone who has been previously diagnosed with Endocarditis?

No, probably not.  But what we can tell you is that in addition to offering a wide variety of different term and whole life insurance policies, IBUSA has also worked very hard to establish relationships with many of the Best Burial Life Insurance Companies as well so that in the event that someone isn’t able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, chances are there may be  some other “type” of product that you CAN qualify for.

So, if you’re ready to see what options might be available to you, just give us a call!