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 Lyrica or its generic form Pregabalin to help treat diabetic nerve pain or pain associated with suffering from fibromyalgia.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been prescribed Lyrica?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been prescribed Lyrica?
• 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 insure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been prescribed Lyrica?

There really isn’t an easy answer to this question because Lyrica is a prescription medication that is used to treat two different pre-existing medical conditions which most (if not all) life insurance companies take very seriously.  And while having been prescribed Lyrica typically won’t automatically cause one to be denied life insurance coverage, it certainly is going to prevent them from being able to qualify for a Preferred rate and will almost always require an insurance company to order one’s medical records prior to making a decision one’s application for coverage.

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

During the application process, insurance underwriters aren’t all that worried about the fact that you’ve been prescribed Lyrica per say, they’re more worried about “why” you’ve been prescribed Lyrica.  You see, Lyrica by itself isn’t a medication that one would be inclined to abuse and it doesn’t really have any “life-threatening” side effects, the problem is, it typically reserved for folks who suffer from pretty serious diabetes and/or those suffering from fibromyalgia.

Two completely…

Separate diseases that insurance companies take very seriously and consider cause for possible denial.  This is why, prior to making any kind of decision about approving someone who has been prescribed Lyrica, most (if not all) insurance underwriters are going to want to ask you a series of questions about your Lyrica usage.

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

The kind of information that an insurance underwriter will be interested in with regards to your Lyrica prescription will largely depend on “why” you’ve been prescribed Lyrica.  For this reason, we’ll discuss each condition separately.

Questions you’ll likely be asked if you’ve been prescribed Lyrica to treat your diabetes may and probably will include:

• How old were you when you were first diagnosed with diabetes?
• Do any of your immediate family member suffer from diabetes as well?
• What “kind” of diabetes have you been diagnosed with?
• What other medications are you using to treat your diabetes?
• Do you test your blood sugar daily? And if so, what is a typically score?
• When was the last time you had your A1C taken? What was its value?
• What is your current height and weight?
• Have you used any tobacco or nicotine products in the last 12 months?
• Have any of your medications used to treat your diabetes (including your Lyrica) prescription changed in 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?

Questions you likely be asked if you’ve been prescribed Lyrica to treat your Fibromyalgia may and probably will include:

• How old were you when you were first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia?
• Aside from Lyrica, are you taking any other medications to treat your Fibromyalgia?
• In the past 12 months, has your Lyrica prescription changed at all?
• How much pain do you suffer from as a result of your Fibromyalgia?
• How much of your “activities of daily living” or ADL’s are affected by your Fibromyalgia?
• 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?

When it comes time to determining what kind of rate a Lyrica user can expect to qualify for when applying for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, it’s best to consider each condition Lyrica is used to treat for separately.

Therefore, for those suffering from diabetes…

While “technically” it may be possible for one to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, in reality, this is going to be very difficult to do.  Mainly because when it comes time to determined “which” diabetics will and won’t be eligible for coverage, suffering from symptoms like diabetic nerve pain are usually automatic disqualifiers from being able to qualify for coverage.  Mainly because these are symptoms that are usually associated with folks who have yet been able to control their diabetes well.

Now “theoretically”…

Your Lyrica could be preventing you from suffering from these “kinds” of symptoms and your diabetes may now be under control so much so that you could possibly qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy at a Sub-Standard rate however, we here at IBUSA don’t like to get folks hopes up too high.  What we can tell you is that if it looks like you might be able to qualify for coverage, we’ll do everything possible to try and make that happen.

Otherwise we would simply recommend that these folks who prove unable to qualify for “traditional” life insurance coverage take a look at some “alternative” products such as a guaranteed issue life insurance policy or an accidental death policy.

Now…

As for those suffering from Fibromyalgia, unfortunately there really isn’t a “test” or a certain number that an insurance company is looking for when determining who “can” and “can’t” qualify for traditional life insurance coverage.  Instead, what an insurance company will be looking at is “how” is your fibromyalgia affecting your daily life?

Are you living a “normal” life?  Working full time, with few limitations to your daily activities? 

If so, there’s a pretty good chance that you may be able to qualify for a Standard rate.  Which isn’t all that bad when you consider the fact that a “Standard Rate” is considered “Normal”.  The problem is, only the insurance underwriter is going to be able to make this “kind” of decision which brings us to our next segment of this article which is…

What can I do to help insure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

Basically aside from making sure that you’re working with a life insurance professional who fully understands your pre-existing medical condition whether it be diabetes or fibromyalgia and who also has access to plenty of different insurance companies, there’s not a whole lot one can do to help increase their chances at qualifying for the “best” life insurance policy for them.

This is because…

With both of these pre-existing medical conditions, there’s really not much one can do to improve their condition from a life insurance application standpoint other than being sure to apply with a company that will be most “lenient” for your particular condition.

The good news is…

That here at IBUSA, we have plenty of experience helping folks like yourself qualify for traditional life insurance coverage and because we work with so many different life insurance companies you won’t need to spend days and days calling different insurance companies because we can do that for you simultaneously!

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