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 Klor-Con or its generic form, Potassium Chloride, to treat and/or prevent hypokalemia or low potassium levels in one’s blood.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been prescribed Klor-Con can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life.  In fact, some may even be able to qualify for a Preferred Plus rate!  The only problem is that the underlying pre-existing medical condition, which Klor-Con treats, can be caused by a wide variety of factors.  Some of these aren’t going to be too big of a concern for most life insurance companies, while those might be caused on their own by denying a life insurance application altogether.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been prescribed Klor-Con?

Life insurance companies “care” if an individual has been prescribed Klor-Con because its prescription provides them with a potential “red flag” that they will need to take a look at prior to making any kind of decision about the outcome of their life insurance application.

Now…

We don’t want to scare you by using the phrase “red flag” because, for a lot of individuals taking Klor-Con to treat their hypokalemia, the cause of their hypokalemia isn’t going to be a major concern for most life insurance companies.  However, because hypokalemia can also be caused by:

• Excessive alcohol use,
• Chronic kidney disease,
• Diabetic ketoacidosis,
• Excessive laxative use,
• Etc, etc…

It’s only natural that a life insurance underwriter would want to know more about “why” you’ve been prescribed Klor-Con and how serious the underlying medical condition that has warranted its prescription is.

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

• When were you first prescribed Klor-Con?
• Who prescribed your Klor-Con? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• Assuming that you have been diagnosed with hypokalemia, is there a known cause?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you been diagnosed with Diabetes?
• Are you taking any additional medications other than Klor-Con?
• Are you still taking Klor-Con? If so, do you anticipate a time when you won’t need to anymore?
• Do you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse?
• Do you have any issues with your driver’s license?
• Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?
• 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?

Generally, what we have found to be the case when it comes to helping folks qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy after having been prescribed Klor-Con is that when Klor-Con is being used to treat the “condition” of hypokalemia, usually the Klor-Con prescription won’t really affect the outcome of one’s life insurance application.

This is mainly because…

When hypokalemia itself is considered the actual medical condition and not a “symptom” of some larger, more serious medical condition, it itself can quickly be resolved, and one’s Klor-Con prescription will usually have a set end period.  In cases like these, an individual will likely be able to qualify for whatever “rate” they would have been able to qualify for PRIOR to their Klor-Con prescription, which tells us that having been prescribed Klor-Con in the past really isn’t an issue.

Where we run into trouble is when Klor-Con is being used to treat the “symptom” of hypokalemia, which is a direct result of some more serious medical conditions such as:

• Excessive alcohol use,
• Chronic kidney disease,
• Diabetic ketoacidosis,
• Etc, etc…

In cases like these, the fact that you’ve been prescribed Klor-Con as a way to treat the symptom of hypokalemia which is being caused by one of these underlying medical conditions, really isn’t going to matter all that much because having been diagnosed with one of these conditions will now be the main driving force being used to ultimately determine the outcome of your life insurance application.

And while…

You may still be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy after having been diagnosed with one of these medical conditions; it’s pretty safe to say that most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to want to see that you have made a full recovery and are no longer suffering from any symptoms associated with any of these conditions.

Additionally, it’s in cases like these where you’re really going to want to make sure that you are working with a true life insurance professional with plenty of options to choose from so that they can be sure to be able to offer you a wide variety of options prior to actually applying for coverage.  This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss with you 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 profession 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”

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