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 Epoetin Alpha or one of its common brand names, including Epogen or Procrit, to treat symptoms of anemia.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

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

In our experiences here at IBUSA, most of the time, an individual has been prescribed Epogen or Procrit, they will be unable to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, particularly if the individual has just recently been prescribed Epogen, i.e., within the past 5 years.

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

While it may seem silly that a life insurance company would be worried about the fact that an individual has been prescribed a medication that is used to treat and/or manage anemia, it’s not necessarily the symptom of “anemia” that has the life insurance company worried, it’s what’s causing the anemia to occur which is.

You see, while Epogen is a prescription medication that is designed to help treat anemia, it is typically reserved for folks suffering from anemia because they have also been:

• Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease or kidney failure,
• Prescribed Zidovudine which is a medication used to treat HIV,

As well as help treat folks who may be receiving chemotherapy for certain types of cancers.  All conditions which would certainly make a life insurance underwriter “cringe”.

But…

That’s not to say that any one of these conditions would “automatically” cause an individual to be unable to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy; it’s just going to make it REALLY difficult, which is why we say MOST of the time after an individual has been prescribed Epogen they won’t be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.

The good news is that…

Here at IBUSA, we’re never afraid to take on a challenge. While the “odds” may be against us, we still want to make sure that we ask all the right questions so that if it turns out that you may still have a chance at qualifying for coverage, we do our best to make sure that we find the “right” life insurance company for you.  The truth is, even if you have been diagnosed with cancer in the past, or have at one point suffered from kidney disease or even tested positive for HIV, there are still some cases that can still qualify for a traditional insurance policy, so we here at IBUSA always feel it’s worth taking a minute or two and asking the pertinent questions to see if you might be just one of “those” exceptions.

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

• When were you first prescribed Epogen?
• Who prescribed your Epogen?
• Why have you been prescribed Epogen?
• Have you been diagnosed with any pre-existing medical conditions such as:
  • Cancer?
  • Diabetes?
  • Kidney disease?
  • Or HIV?
• What other prescription medications are you currently taking (if any)?
• 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 we have to be honest with you, the questions that we’ve just listed above are just going to be the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to helping an individual who has been prescribed Epogen in the past because all these questions really do is help “nail” down the direction where the rest of an insurance underwriters investigation will take them.

Questions such as:

• If you’ve been diagnosed with kidney disease, what has caused it?
  • Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? If so, what type?
  • When was the last time you had your A1C checked?
• If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, what type?
  • What stage was the cancer discovered at?
  • Are you in remission now?
• Have you tested positive for HIV?
  • If so, what’s your current viral load?
• Ect, ect…

With that said, what we can tell you is that if you’ve been diagnosed with some kind of pre-existing medical condition that has since been “cured” absent any kind of lingering effect, it may be possible for you to be able to qualify for Standard rate provided that there has been “enough” time pass so that an insurance company will feel comfortable enough to extend an offer of coverage to you.  This amount of time will vary depending on the pre-existing medical condition in question as well as the “severity” of that condition at the time of diagnosis.

Additionally…

We should point out that even if one isn’t able to qualify for a Standard rate, it may still be possible to qualify for a sub-standard rate. However, there are going to be a lot of factors that will ultimately come into play, which is why in most of these cases, the insurance companies will want to see an applicant’s full medical file prior to making any kind of decisions one way or another.

This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss with you here 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 profession who will work as an advocate for you. Such an agent who 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”

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