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 having been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy.

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy?
• 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 Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy?

Yes, individuals can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy after having been diagnosed with brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy. In fact, they may even be able to qualify for a Preferred Plus rate class.

Which…

It makes a lot of sense when you fully understand brachial palsy and how it affects an individual’s life after they are diagnosed with it.  After all, while being diagnosed with Brachial Palsy isn’t something that one might wish to have happen to themselves, its certainly is not equivalent to being diagnosed with a serious “life-threatening” medical condition, which is why an individual may even be able to qualify for a Simplified Issue Life Insurance or No Medical Exam Life Insurance Policy as well.

Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy?

Now, because in a lot of situations, individuals who have been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy can and often will be able to qualify for a Preferred Plus rate, it makes sense to wonder why then a life insurance company “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with this condition.

To understand this…

We must first realize that while the terms Brachial Palsy or Erb’s Palsy (Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy) are often used interchangeably to describe, a particular set of symptoms caused due to damage done to the brachial plexus, “how” this damage occurred will be what could become of interest to a life insurance company.

For example…

In cases where an individual developed brachial palsy during the “birthing process” known as Erb’s Palsy, insurance companies are going to understand that this damage occurred as no fault to the patient. They will, therefore, probably not consider it a factor in determining what kind of “rate” an individual might be able to qualify for.

Conversely, if an individual suffered from an injury that caused them to develop brachial palsy, knowing how and why that injury would play a factor in determining what “kind” of rate an individual might be able to qualify for. 

This is why…

Before being approved for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, you may likely be required to answer a few questions about how you developed your Brachial Palsy and whether or not it’s causing you to suffer from any serious consequences to your overall lifestyle.

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 diagnosed with Brachial Palsy?
• Who diagnosed your Brachial Palsy?
• What caused you to become inflicted with this condition?
• What symptoms do you suffer from now as a result of your condition?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?

What “rate” can I qualify for?

When it comes to understanding what kind of “rate” an individual might be able to qualify for after having been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy, there really are only two things one needs to consider. First, we’ll need to consider what caused your Brachial Palsy, and second, we’ll need to know just how much your condition is affecting your ability to live a so-called “normal” life.

Now with regards to “how” or “why” you developed Brachial Palsy, what we’ll want to know is whether your condition was caused later on in life as a result of some accident that could theoretically happen again.

In cases like these…

We’re not worried about those who were born with Brachial Palsy or who developed it after some kind of accident that could happen to anyone. What we’re looking for here are situations where maybe one’s profession or hobbies puts them at an increased risk for somehow suffering from a similar accident that could end up even worse than just ending up with Brachial Palsy (think skydiving or hot air balloon pilot).

Once that…

Has been figured out, the next possible factor that may come into play is how well an individual is coping with their injury?

• Are they able to live on their own?
• Are they working full time?
• And are they currently receiving any disability benefits?

The answers to these three questions will usually give us a good idea about whether or not someone’s Brachial Palsy diagnosis will have any meaningful effect on the outcome of their life insurance application.

The good news is…

That for the vast majority of individuals who do apply for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy after having been diagnosed with Brachial Palsy, their diagnoses won’t affect the outcome of their life insurance application whatsoever! 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, 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 will not only 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 should be completely honest with your life insurance agent before applying for coverage. By doing so, you will help him or her narrow down what options might be the “best.” So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today and see what we can do for you!

Now, will we be able to help out everyone who has been previously diagnosed with Brachial Palsy?

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 Burial Life Insurance Companies so that if someone isn’t able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, chances are there may be some other “type” of product that they CAN qualify for.