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 Lidoderm or one of the common brand names that it’s sold under, including:

• Anecream,
• Buffered Lidocaine
• Glydo,
• Lidocaine,
• Lidotrex,
• Xylocaine,

As well as several others to help treat irregular heartbeats (Arrhythmia) or, in some cases, to help alleviate pain or numb the skin, particularly in individuals recovering from nerve pain after shingles.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been prescribed Lidoderm can and often will qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. Some, many may even be able to qualify for a Preferred Plus rate class depending upon “why” an individual has been prescribed Lidoderm.

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

Life insurance companies may become “interested” in the fact that an individual has been prescribed Lidoderm is because it is commonly used to help folks treat arrhythmias, which can have an effect on the outcome of one’s life insurance application. Additionally, because Lidoderm can also be prescribed to individuals suffering from shingles, if one has just recently been prescribed Lidoderm for this reason, it’s conceivable that a life insurance company may want to “postpone” an individual’s life insurance application until which point they are no longer treating their shingles and are able to demonstrate that they are not suffering from any “lingering” effects of such an attack.

This is why…

It’s not totally uncommon for an individual who has been prescribed Lidoderm to be asked multiple questions about their Lidoderm prescription and about the underlying pre-existing medical condition that has warranted its prescription in the first place.

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

Common questions you might be asked may include:

• When were you first prescribed Lidoderm?
• Who prescribed your Lidoderm? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• Why have you been prescribed Lidoderm?
• Was it to help treat an arrhythmia?
• If so:
  • • What kind of Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) have you been diagnosed with?
    • When were you first diagnosed with your Arrhythmia?
    • What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
    • Do you suffer from any symptoms now?
  • How many PVCs or premature ventricular contractions do you typically experience? Few or Many?
  • Was it to help treat nerve pain?
  • Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
  • Are you taking any other prescription medications?
  • Have any of your prescription medications changed in any way over the past 12 months?
  • 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?

Whenever we’re dealing with a medication like Lidoderm, which can be used for such a wide variety of reasons, it is pretty much impossible to be able to give someone an “idea” about what kind of rate they may be able to qualify for without speaking with them directly.

There are, however, a few “assumptions” that we can make that will generally hold true. For example, suppose you’ve been prescribed Lidoderm to help you treat pain commonly associated with a Shingles outbreak, and you have recovered from your infection and don’t suffer from any lingering effects of your attack. In that case, chances are the fact that you have been prescribed Lidoderm won’t play any role in the out of your life insurance application.

Or, in other words…

Whatever “rate” you would have been able to qualify for PRIOR to being prescribed Lidoderm should be the same “rate” that you would be able to qualify for AFTER having been prescribed Lidoderm. This would also be the case for most other reasons Lidoderm would be prescribed with regards to some type of acute pain treatment provided that the underlying cause of own pain isn’t related to some type of “chronic” medical condition.

Now, as for those…

Who is using their Lidoderm to help them treat an Arrhythmia? What you’re generally going to find is that a life insurance underwriter is going to need to go into a lot of detail about your particular Arrhythmia before making any kind of decision about the outcome of your life insurance application. Because the truth is, simply having been diagnosed with Arrhythmia isn’t going to tell us all that much. With just that information, we can tell you that some folks may be able to qualify for a Preferred rate. In contrast, others may discover that they are no longer eligible for a traditional life insurance policy!

The good news is…

That here at IBUSA, we have a ton of experience helping folks with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions, so it’s not going to matter all that much to us how mild or serious your condition is because it’s not going to affect how we go about trying to find all of our clients the “best” life insurance policy that they can qualify for. This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to discuss, 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 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 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 Lidoderm?

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 explore your options, just give us a call!