Life Insurance with a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

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 suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack TIA or Mini Stroke.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I’ve suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or Mini Stroke?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or Mini Stroke?
• 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’s dive right in!

Can I qualify for life insurance if I’ve suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or Mini Stroke?

Yes, individuals who have suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or a “mini” stroke can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.  In fact, some may even be able to qualify for some of the best no medical exam life insurance companies at a Preferred rate!

The only problem is…

That because a TIA or mini stroke could be a symptom of some other more “serious” pre-existing medical condition, most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to want to learn more about your TIA prior to making any kind of definitive decisions about your life insurance application.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been suffered from a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or Mini Stroke?

Given the fact that Transient Ischemic Attacks or Mini Strokes are quite common and usually the affects of having one go away after about 24 hours, it’s safe to say that most top ranked life insurance companies aren’t all that concerned about that fact that an individual has suffered from one.

Instead…

The insurance companies are going to be much more concerned about “why” one individual might be more prone to suffer from one than another.

For this reason, we wanted to take a moment and discuss exactly what a Transient Ischemic Attack is as well as highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications so that we might be able to gain a better idea of what a life insurance underwriter will be looking for when making his or her decision about your life insurance application.

Transient Ischemic Attack or Mini Stroke Defined:

A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or “Mini” Stroke is a stroke that last only a few minutes.  It usually occurs, when the blood supply to a particular part (any part) of the brain is momentarily blocked.  As a result, an individual will begin experience symptoms similar to a “full blown” stroke only in these cases, the symptoms will not last long.

Common symptoms may include:

• Weakness, numbness or paralysis one side of the body.
• Paralysis may include parts of one’s face, arm or legs,
• Slurred or garbled speech,
• Vision difficulties,
• Dizziness,
• Loss or coordination,
• Severe headache

Risk factors may include:

• Family history of strokes,
• Over the age of 55,
• Being a male,
• Hypertension (high blood pressure),
• Diabetes,
• Smoking.

Fortunately…

Many of these symptoms will quickly disappear within the first 24 hours and in some cases people may only experience symptoms of their TIA for just a few minutes.

For this reason, many individuals who suffer from a TIA may not even seek out medical treatment.  And for those that do, Aspirin combined with clopidogrel (Plavix) will often be prescribed.

Which brings us to an important point…

First, If you think you have a medical issue, don’t use the internet to try and diagnose yourself.  After all, if you do and your correct, you’re still going to need to see the doctor, and if you’re wrong, the time you spend being your own doctor could really cause great harm to yourself!

Second, Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained and we’re certainly not doctors.  All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happened to be really good at helping individual find and qualify for the life insurance that they’re looking for.  So please don’t mistake any of the medical information that we talk about as medical advice because it’s not!

We’re just…Trying to “prep” you for what it might be like to apply for a life insurance policy after you have been diagnosed with Transient Ischemic Attack or Mini Stroke… that’s it!  Which brings us to our next topic which is…

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

When applying for life insurance, insurance companies will typically ask for detailed information about your medical history, including any past or present health conditions.

Now, if you have suffered from a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke, they will likely ask for information about your TIA, including when it occurred, what symptoms you experienced, and whether you received treatment.

They may also ask about any other health issues you have, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, as these conditions can increase the risk of stroke.

Additionally, they may also ask about your lifestyle, including your diet, exercise habits, and any risky behaviors such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, as these factors can also impact your risk of stroke and other health issues.

It’s important to be honest and transparent when completing a life insurance application. Providing accurate and complete information will help the insurance company assess your risk profile and determine the most appropriate coverage and premiums for your situation.

Also, it’s a good idea to know what is in your medical records and to discuss your health history with your doctor before completing the application to ensure that you have all of the necessary information.

What life insurance rate can I qualify for if I’ve had a TIA?

Your life insurance rates are determined by your life insurance health rating the company you apply with assigns to you.

And as you can see, there are a lot of variables that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual who have suffered from a previous Transient Ischemic Attack or Mini Stroke.

This is why it’s difficult to know what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for without first speaking with you directly.

That said…

Most individuals who have suffered form a previous TIA will usually fall into one of two different categories that we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

The first group will be those who suffered form a TIA made a full recovery and don’t seem to have any “other” pre-existing medical conditions or family history of cardiovascular disease.

In cases like these, what you’re typically going to find is that most life insurance companies will make “note” of one’s TIA but not spend too much time dwelling on it.

Instead…

They’ll spend most of their time focusing on whether or not you appear healthy now, in which case many life insurance companies will still allow someone who has suffered from a TIA to still be able to qualify for a Preferred rate.

Category #2.

The second group of folks that we’ll commonly encounter will be those who have suffered form a TIA, made a full recovery but either have a family history or cardiovascular disease or suffer from so other “type” of pre-existing medical condition which could be contributing to the fact that they have suffered from a previous TIA.

In cases like these…

What you’re likely to find is that it may still be possible to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, only now you’re probably not going to be able to qualify for a Preferred rate.

Instead, you’re probably going to have to settle for either a Standard rate or a sub-standard Table rate ranging form Table A to H.

Life Insurance Table Rates

Table rates are substandard health ratings that are typically reserved for “higher risk” applicants and range from Table A, which would be considered the “best” or least expensive table rate, all the way to Table J which would be considered the “worst” or most expensive table rate.

The good news is…

That regardless of your situation, we here at IBUSA can help because we have tons of experience helping folks with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions like yours and are committed to helping all of our clients find the “best” life insurance policy that they can qualify for.

Which 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?

In our experience here at IBUSA, what we have found that usually the folks who seem to find the “best” life insurance policy for them are those that:

• Take their time reviewing their options.
• Ask a lot of questions.

And seek out those life insurance agents who not only have experience working with individuals who have been diagnosed with a wide variety of pre-existing medical conditions, but also have access to dozens of different life insurance companies so that when it comes time to helping a more “challenging” case, they don’t have to rely on a…

“One size fits all approach!”

The good news is that this is exactly what you’re going to find here at IBUSA!

Now will we be able to help out everyone who has been previously diagnosed with a TIA?

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 so that in the event that 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 see what options might be available to you, just give us a call!