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 Cyclosporine or one of the common brand names that it is sold under including:

• Gengraf,
• Neoral,
• Restasis MultiDose,

And Sandimmune to help treat a wide variety of medical conditions, including:

• Preventing organ recipient rejections,
• Rheumatoid arthritis,
• Psoriasis,

As well as treat chronic dry eye when applied in a liquid form.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been prescribed Cyclosporine?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been prescribed Cyclosporine?
• What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
• What rate (or price) can I qualify for?
• What can you 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 Cyclosporine?

Yes, individuals who have been prescribed Cyclosporine can and will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. In fact, many of them may even be able to qualify for a no-medical exam life insurance policy at a Preferred!

The only problem is that Cyclosporine is such a useful medication that can be used to treat a wide variety of different medications. At the same time, it is true that some folks may be able to qualify for a Preferred Plus rate class after having been prescribed Cyclosporine; there are some who may be using their Cyclosporine to treat a more “serious” medical condition who may not be able to qualify for such a rate.

In fact…

Some folks simply may not be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy at all, which is why most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to want to know more about “why” you’ve been prescribed Cyclosporine prior to making any kind of decision about the outcome of your life insurance application.

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

Life insurance companies “care” if an individual has been prescribed Cyclosporine in the past because, in some cases, its prescription will be the first clue that someone has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition that can be quite serious. This is why once a life insurance underwriter sees that you have been prescribed Cyclosporine, the first thing that their going to want to get a firm understanding of is… 

“why?”

From there, they’re likely to ask you a series of additional questions, all designed to learn how “serious” your pre-existing medical condition is so that they can get an idea of what “kind” of risk you would pose to them as a possible insured.

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

Common questions you’ll likely be asked about your Cyclosporine prescription may include:

• Why have you been prescribed Cyclosporine?
• Who prescribed your Cyclosporine?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with any serious medical conditions?
• Have you ever required an Organ Transplant?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis?
• Are you currently still taking your Cyclosporine?
  • If so, when do you anticipate being done with it?
• What symptoms led you to be prescribed Cyclosporine?
• Do you still suffer from any lingering effects as a result of the underlying pre-existing medical condition that led you to be prescribed Cyclosporine?
• 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?

Now as you can see by looking at the previous questions, most of these are designed first to separate those folks who are simply using their Cyclosporine to treat a minor or less serious medical condition like Psoriasis or Chronic Dry Eye from those who have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis or organ failure.

The reason for this…

Is because if you have been diagnosed with a more serious medical condition, the fact that you’ve been prescribed Cyclosporine in the past isn’t going to be the “main” determinant of what kind of rate you will be able to qualify for, the underlying pre-existing medical condition will be. In cases like these, we would invite you to check out the articles we have written that focus on these conditions where we can go into greater detail (see pre-existing medical conditions list).

Now as for those who have been prescribed Cyclosporine to treat their Chronic Dry Eye or Psoriasis, what you’re generally going to find is that absent any serious consequences as a result of these diseases, you ought to be able to qualify for a Standard rate.

That said, however…

With both of these medical conditions, there are those who can and often will be labeled “extreme” cases where it’s possible that they too may be labeled “higher-risk” applicants, which is why we want to shift gears a bit and take a minute to discuss exactly…

What can you 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 who can help guide you through the application process and 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 Cyclosporine?

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!