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 Protonix or its generic form, Pantoprazole, to help treat Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and/or minimize the damage done to one’s esophagus due to an overproduction of stomach acid.

Protonix has also been found to be useful for individuals who have been diagnosed with stomach tumors known to produce high levels of stomach acid.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been prescribed Protonix can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.  In fact, they may even be able to qualify for a Preferred rate.  The only problem is that because Protonix is used to treat such a wide variety of different pre-existing medical conditions, just knowing that you’ve been prescribed it usually isn’t going to be enough information to process your life insurance application.

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

The main reason why a life insurance company is going to “care” if you’ve been prescribed Protonix is because Protonix isn’t really a medication that is widely prescribed to those just suffering from “mild” acid reflux.

Typically, Protonix is usually reserved for folks who can’t seem to find relief from “over-the-counter” remedies and, therefore, need a “bit” more help in reducing the amount of stomach acid that their body produces.  As a result, you’ll usually find that a higher percentage of Protonix users have previously been diagnosed with either GERD or Barrett’s esophagus.

Additionally…

Because Protonix is also commonly prescribed to individuals who have been diagnosed with stomach acid-producing tumors, most life insurance companies are going to want to ask individuals who have been prescribed Protonix in the past about “why” they have been prescribed Protonix and how “serious” their underlying pre-existing medical condition is.

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

• When were you prescribed Protonix?
• Who prescribed your Protonix? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• Why have you been prescribed Protonix?
• Have you been given a specific diagnosis?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with cancer?
• In the past 2 years, have you needed to be admitted to a hospital for any reason?
• Are you currently taking any other prescription medications?
• In the past 12 months, have any of your prescription medications changed in any way?
• 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, as you can see, most life insurance companies are going to be pretty interested in the fact that you’ve been prescribed Protonix. Still, we be remiss if we didn’t also point out that in addition to the fact that you’ve been prescribed Protonix, most life insurance companies are also going to be interested in a wide variety of other factors.

Factors such as:

• Your age?
• Your height and weight?
• Whether or not you like to use any tobacco products?
• How well do you drive?
• What if any, dangerous hobbies or activities you like to participate in?
• Do you have any set plans to travel outside of the United States within the next 12 months or so?
• Etc, etc…

This is why…

Without knowing a lot more about an individual, it’s pretty much impossible for a life insurance agent to “guess” what kind of rate you may or may not qualify for. That said, however, there are a few “assumptions” one can make based solely on the fact that you have been prescribed Protonix, which “tend” to hold true most of the time.

Assumptions such as…

If you’re only using your Protonix to help you treat your gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) and haven’t experienced any significant damage to your esophagus, there is a “decent” chance that you may still be considered eligible for a Preferred rate, provided that your Protonix is working well at keeping your stomach acid at a normal or healthy level.

Now, if you have been prescribed Protonix to treat your GERD and you’re still struggling with symptoms from your GERD on a pretty regular basis, you may still be eligible for coverage only now you’ll probably only be able to qualify for a Standard or “normal” rate at best.

Lastly…

Suppose you have been prescribed Protonix to help you deal with symptoms directly related to stomach tumors. In that case, this diagnosis will ultimately be the driving force behind what kind of “rate” you may be eligible for and will usually depend on the “stage” of cancer you cancer developed into and the last date of treatment you received prior to going into remission (those currently receiving treatment will generally be ineligible for coverage).

The good news is that…

Here at IBUSA, we have a ton of experience helping folks with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions find and qualify for the coverage that they’re looking for. So, all it really comes down to is you giving us a call and letting us show you what we can do for you. This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss, which is…

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

Because life insurance companies tend to use many “random” factors in determining who they will and won’t insure and at what price, we here at IBUSA have found that the “best” way for us to ensure that our clients find the “best” life insurance policy that they can qualify for is to be sure to know our stuff and offer a ton of options.

You see…

By only employing true life insurance professionals who have extensive experience helping people with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions and then providing them with a wide range of options to offer their clients, we here at IBUSA truly do offer a one-stop shop for people looking to protect their families.

Which is why…

Our advice to anyone looking to purchase a life insurance policy is to be sure that the insurance agent they choose to work with is truly an expert and that he or she has dozens of options for you to consider. Even if they are the greatest life insurance agent in the world, if they don’t have access to the “best” life insurance policy for you, what good is that going to do you?

So, what are you waiting for?  Give us a call today, and let us earn the right to protect your family today!