In this article, we wanted to take a moment to answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance after they have been prescribed Atacand or its generic form Candesartan to treat their hypertension and/or minimize symptoms associated with heart failure.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been prescribed Atacand?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been prescribed Atacand?
• 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 after I’ve been prescribed Atacand?

Atacand is one of those “kinds” of medications that is definitely going to make a life insurance underwriter pretty nervous because while it certainly can be used to “just” help those lower their blood pressure, it is also commonly prescribed to those suffering from serious heart conditions including heart failure.

For this reason…

What you’re generally going to find is that for those who don’t have any other “kinds” of heart conditions and are only using Atacand to help them manage their hypertension, being able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy shouldn’t be an issue. Provided that they would otherwise be able to qualify for coverage.

As for anyone else…

Well, it’s really going to depend on what other “issues” you may be suffering from in which case the fact that you have been prescribed Atacand really isn’t going to be the “deciding factor” when it comes time to determine whether or not you will be able to qualify for coverage.

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

Life insurance companies are always going to be interested in anyone taking a medication that is designed to help folks manage their blood pressure or treat a pre-existing medical condition having to do with one’s heart.

Now in most cases…

When we’re dealing with a medication that is primarily used to simply help one lower their blood pressure, the main concern a life insurance underwriter may have is:

“How well is the medication doing in maintaining a healthy blood pressure level?”

And…

“Has the prescription medication that is being used changed in any way over the past 12 months, which could indicate that ones’ blood pressure hasn’t yet been fully stabilized?”

The problem here is that…

In addition to just helping folks maintain a healthy blood pressure level, Atacand is also commonly prescribed to individuals suffering from heart failure. Now, this isn’t necessarily going to be a problem for someone who isn’t suffering from heart failure, but it will likely cause a life insurance underwriter to ask a few additional questions during your application process so that they can rule out this issue for you.

Now…

If you are using your Atacand to help reduce your symptoms of heart failure, then what you’re probably going to find is that you won’t be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. 

In cases like these…

You’ll need to pursue “alternative” products, which won’t require you to have to be able to “medically qualify” for them if you still want to purchase a life insurance policy (We’ll revisit this issue later on during this article).

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

The main things that a life insurance underwriter will most likely be interested in when it comes to having been prescribed Atacand is “how” is the medication working and do you also suffer from any other cardiac issues other than just hypertension. This is why you may get asked questions such as:

• When were you first prescribed Atacand?
• Who prescribed your Atacand? A general practitioner or a cardiologist?
• Are you taking any other prescription medications now?
• In the past 12 months, have any of your prescription medications changed in any way?
• Have you ever suffered from a heart attack or stroke?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with any heart conditions?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions other than hypertension (high blood pressure)?
• How well is your Atacand working to maintain your blood pressure levels?
• Do you know what your blood pressure levels are now?
• How often do you see your primary care physician?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

For individuals who are simply using Atacand to maintain a healthy blood pressure level, what you should expect to find is that your Atacand prescription should NOT necessarily play a major role in the outcome of your life insurance application.

And while…

It may be true that having been prescribed a prescription medication to help you maintain a healthy blood pressure level may prevent you from being able to qualify for a Preferred Plus rate class.

Now…

You still ought to be considered eligible for a Preferred rate, which isn’t bad at all, given how difficult it is to qualify for these Premier rates in the first place! This is, of course, provided that you would otherwise be able to qualify for such a rate, absent having been prescribed any medication to help you treat your hypertension.

Now, as for those…

Who have been prescribed Atacand to help them maintain their blood pressure levels while having been diagnosed with some other “type” of cardiac disease, all that we can tell you is that this underlying pre-existing medical condition is much more likely going to be the “driving force” behind what “kind” of life insurance policy you may or may not be able to qualify for.

What we can tell you…

For sure is that if you have been diagnosed with heart failure, most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to deny your application if you are applying for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. As a result, you may like to pursue an alternative product such as a guaranteed issue life insurance policy or an accidental death policy.

But before…

You get too excited about learning that there may be an “alternative” product for you, we should point out that both of these alternative products will have their pros and cons and should only be purchased after you’ve gained a thorough understanding of each.

This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to discuss today, 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 works best for folks who have been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition where the “severity” of the condition is often “subjective” is for the applicant to make sure that they first find a true-life insurance professional who will work as an advocate for you.

Such an agent…

Will not only help guide you through the application process but also be perfectly “frank” with you about what options may or may not be possible for you.

From there…

You’ll also want to make sure that the very same agent you have chosen has access to dozens of different life insurance companies because after all, it really doesn’t matter how “great” of a life insurance agent you might have if they don’t have access to the “best” life insurance policy for you! Now, does it?

Lastly…

You’ll want to make sure that you’re completely honest with your life insurance agent prior to applying for coverage. By doing so, you will be helping him or her narrow down what options might be the “best.”

So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today and see what we can do for you!