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 Enbrel or its generic form Etanercept to treat a wide variety of pre-existing medical conditions, including:

• Rheumatoid arthritis,
• Psoriatic arthritis,
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis or Stills disease.,
• And ankylosing spondylitis.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

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

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

But… 

We have to warn you, qualifying for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy can be challenging at times which is why you’re going to want to make sure that you’ve done your homework before you decide to apply with an individual life insurance company.

It’s also why…

You may want to consider avoiding certain no medical exam term life insurance policies, which may “automatically” deny your application simply due to your Enbrel prescription.

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

Life insurance companies “care” if you’ve been prescribed Enbrel because it is a prescription medication that is solely used to treat pre-existing medical conditions, which most (if not all) life insurance companies will consider “pretty serious”.

And by…

“Pretty serious” we mean that most (if not all) life insurance companies will typically view each of the four medical conditions which Enbrel is used to treat as “serious” enough to affect the outcome of one’s life insurance application and in some causes could be considered cause enough actually to deny one a life insurance policy all together!

This is why…

Before being approved for a traditional life insurance policy, what you’re probably going to find is that most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of questions about your Enbrel prescription and the pre-existing medical condition that it is being used to treat so that they can get a better idea about what “kind” of risk that you might pose to them should they decide to offer you coverage.

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 has determined that you have been prescribed Enbrel will probably include:

• When were you first prescribed Enbrel?
• Who prescribed your Enbrel? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• Why have you been prescribed Enbrel?
• Have you been given a definitive diagnosis?
• Have you been diagnosed with:
  • Rheumatoid arthritis,
  • Psoriatic arthritis,
  • Juvenile idiopathic arthritis or Stills disease,
  • Ankylosing spondylitis.
• How long have you been taking your Enbrel?
• How well is Enbrel working for you?
• Is Enbrel the only prescription medication that you’re using to treat your condition?
• Over the past 12 months, have any of your prescription medications changed in any way?
• How often do you experience “flare-up” or “attacks”?
• Has your condition prevented you from living a “normal” life?
• 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?

The good news about each of the medical conditions that Enbrel can be used to treat is that none of them will cause an applicant to be “automatically” denied coverage. 

This means…

That “in theory,” just because you have been prescribed Enbrel or been diagnosed with a condition where Enbrel might be helpful, you still “ought” to be able to qualify provided that your condition isn’t too severe.

“But here lies the problem.”

Unfortunately, because there really isn’t a “test” one can take to determine how severe one’s ankylosing spondylitis is or how severe their rheumatoid arthritis is, insurance underwriters will look for “clues” in ones:

• Medical history,
• Prescription medication profile,

And lifestyle traits in an effort to determine how “severe” one’s condition actually is. 

Now…

As we’re sure you can imagine, this “subjectivity” that can come into play can often cause an individual to either have to pay a lot more for their insurance than they might otherwise have too or in some cases could lead them to be denied coverage when in truth they ought to be able to qualify had they chosen to apply with the “right” life insurance company.

This is why…

We here at IBUSA will often choose to have several different life insurance companies take a preliminary look at an individuals application before actually submitting it because the truth is, with these types of cases, it’s not all that uncommon to find one life insurance company willing to insure someone at a Standard rate. At the same time, another one might be unwilling to provide coverage at all!

This leads us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss here with you 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 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 before 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 Enbrel?

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!