In this article, we wanted to take a moment to answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance after being diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta or Aortic Narrowing.

Questions that will be directly answered will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Coarctation of the Aorta?
• What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
• What “rate” 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 have been diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta 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 no medical exam life insurance policy a Preferred rate!

The only problem is…

Being diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta (CoA or CoAo) can cause some pretty serious symptoms and most (if not all) of the top-rated life insurance companies will want to know more about your condition before they will be willing to make any decisions about your life insurance application.

Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Coarctation of the Aorta?

If you’ve been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition related to your circulatory system or heart, it’s a pretty safe bet that most (if not all) life insurance companies will be interested in learning more.

Especially when…

The pre-existing medical condition in question is one that is defined as a congenital condition whereby the aorta is narrow. Now, it’s possible that some individuals with only a minor narrowing or coarctation may go their entire life without ever knowing that they suffer from this condition; however, for most individuals, diagnosis of aortic narrowing will usually occur early on in life, as a baby they may experience:

• Pale skin,
• Irritability,
• High blood pressure,
• Muscle weakness,
• Cold feet,
• Unexplained nosebleeds,
• Chest pain,
• Etc…

Unfortunately…

Coarctation of the aorta is a lifelong disease that typically won’t “cure” itself without surgical intervention, either with balloon angioplasty or the placement of a stent at the location of the narrowing. The good news is that both of these procedures have become relatively routine and will usually correct any issues someone may be suffering from immediately.

This is why…

Once a life insurance company learns that you have been diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta, the first thing that they’re going to want to know is if you’re currently suffering from any symptoms of your disease and if you’ve received any kind of surgical procedures to help treat it.

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

Common questions you’ll likely be asked may include:

• When were you first diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta?
• Who diagnosed your Coarctation of the Aorta (if diagnosed later in life)? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
• Have you received any kind of surgical procedure to treat your condition?
• Has your primary care physician recommended any kind of surgical procedures to treat your condition?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you ever suffered from a heart attack or stroke?
• Are you taking any prescription medications?
• Have you been hospitalized for any reason within the past two years?
• Have you used any tobacco or nicotine products within the past 12 months?
• What are your current height and weight?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?

Now, at this point…

We usually like to take a moment and remind folks that nobody here at IBUSA has any kind of “official” medical training, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who happen to be really good at helping folks with pre-existing medical conditions like this one find and qualify for the life insurance coverage that they are looking for.

But…

It’s not so great if you’re looking for answers to any specific medical questions. In cases like these, we recommend that you contact a true medical professional who has the training to help. For everyone else, you’re in luck because now we’re going to get into some of the “nitty-gritty” about what you may or may not be able to qualify for.

What “rate” can I qualify for?

Now, as you can see, there are many factors that can be played when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual might qualify for. 

This is why it’s impossible to know for sure what kind of “rate” you might qualify for without first speaking with you directly. That said, however, there are a few “assumptions” that we can make about individuals who have been diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta that might help you get a better idea about what kind of rate might be possible for you.

For example…

Individuals who have been diagnosed with a Coarctation of the Aorta who don’t seem to be suffering from any symptoms of their condition and don’t seem to have any other pre-existing medical conditions dealing with the heart or cardiovascular system, such high blood pressure or high cholesterol may be able to qualify for a Preferred rate provided that they would be able to meet all other requirements for such a rate.

Conversely…

Individuals who are currently suffering from symptoms directly related to their Coarctation of the Aorta or have been told that they may need to receive a surgical procedure to correct their Coarctation of the Aorta, it’s possible that they may not be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy or at the very least they may need to wait until which point that they are no longer suffering from any symptoms directly related to their condition.

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. 

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?

In our experience here at IBUSA, 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.

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 help 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 Coarctation of the Aorta?

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 explore your options, just give us a call!