In this article, we wanted to take a moment and answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance after being prescribed Budesonide or one of the common brand names:

• Entocort,
• Plumicort,
• Rhinocort Aqua,
• Uceris.

To treat a wide variety of pre-existing medical conditions, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, when taken orally and as a preventative medication for asthma sufferers when inhaled.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

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

Yes, people who have been prescribed Budesonide can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. The only problem is that because Budesonide is a prescription medication that can be used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions, it’s also quite possible that someone who has been prescribed Budesonide won’t be able to qualify.

This is why, one of the first things that we here at IBUSA need to know once it becomes clear that an individual has been prescribed Budesonide is…

“why?”

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

Life insurance companies “care” if an individual has been prescribed Budesonide because having been prescribed this medication will be the first “clue” a life insurance company will have that you have been previously diagnosed with a potentially serious medical condition.

The good news is that…

IIf this doesn’t seem to make much sense to you, it’s probably because your condition would most likely be classified as a “mild” one, in which case you’re probably not going to have all that much to worry about. In fact, if your condition is considered “really mild,” you may even be able to qualify for a no-medical exam term life insurance policy!

However, if it makes complete sense to you why a life insurance company might want to know more about “why” you’ve been prescribed Budesonide, chances are your condition is more serious than the average case.  In this situation, most (if not all) life insurance underwriters are going to want to ask you a series of questions about your Budesonide prescription and the underlying medical condition that it is treating.

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

Common questions you’ll likely be asked once a life insurance underwriter learns that you’ve been prescribed Budesonide in the past will likely include questions such as:

• When were you first prescribed Budesonide?
• Who prescribed your Budesonide? A general practitioner or a gastrointestinal specialist?
• Why have you been prescribed Budesonide?
• Have you been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease?
• If so…
  • • What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
    • Are you taking any other medications aside from Budesonide to help you manage/treat your Crohn’s disease?
    • Have you ever required surgery to treat your Crohn’s disease? Or has surgery been recommended?
    • In the past 12 months, have any of your Crohn’s disease medications changed in any way?
    • What symptoms do you currently suffer from?
    • How well is your treatment working?
    • Have you ever been hospitalized due to your condition?
  • Have you been screened for colon/rectal cancer?
• Have you been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis?
• If so…
  • • • What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
      • Are you taking any other medications aside from Budesonide to help you manage/treat your Ulcerative Colitis?
      • Have you ever required surgery to treat your Crohn’s disease? Or has surgery been recommended?
      • In the past 12 months, have any of your Ulcerative Colitis medications changed in any way?
      • What symptoms do you currently suffer from?
      • How well is your treatment working?
      • Have you ever been hospitalized due to your condition?
    • Have you been screened for colon/rectal cancer?
• Have you been diagnosed with Asthma?
• If so…
  • • • • When were you first diagnosed with Asthma?
        • Is Budesonide the only medication that you’re using to treat your Budesonide?
        • In the past 12 months, have any of your Asthma medications changed in any way?
        • When was the last time that you suffered from an asthma attack?
        • In the past 12 months, how many asthma attacks have you suffered from?
      • Have you ever been hospitalized due to an asthma attack?
      • 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?

What you’re going to find with each of these three medical conditions generally is that provided that your case is considered a “mild” one, most (but not all) life insurance companies will still consider an individual “eligible” for a preferred rate when applying for coverage.

The only problem is knowing exactly what constitutes a “mild” case is difficult for each of the three conditions which Budesonide treats, and getting an actual life insurance underwriter to tell you is simply next to impossible.

This is why…

Suppose you have been prescribed Budesonide in the past. In that case, you’re going to want to make sure that you definitely “shop” around a bit before actually submitting your life insurance application to any one insurance company. This way, you can get a general “feel” about how a life insurance company may “view” your life insurance application before you go through the entire process of applying.

Because…

The truth is, while some individuals may be able to qualify for a Preferred rate, the vast majority of individuals won’t. This means that you’re definitely going to want to make sure you know “which” life insurance company will provide you with the “best” opportunity for success prior to applying.

This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to discuss here in this article, 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 can 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.”

Now, will we be able to help out everyone who has been prescribed Budesonide?

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 Final Expense Insurance Companies as well. This way if 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!