Life Insurance with Cervical Cancer. 

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 Cervical Cancer.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer?
• 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 have been diagnosed Cervical Cancer?

Yes, women who have been previously diagnosed with Cervical Cancer can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. The problem is, that like most other “types” of cancer, most (if not all) of the best life insurance companies are going to require that someone has completed their treatment and been declared “cancer-free” before they will be considered eligible for coverage.

Most companies…

Will also require that one maintain their “cancer-free” status for a period of time (usually 2-5 years), which will be dependent on what “stage” of cancer that you recovered from. 

This is why, prior to being approved for coverage, you should expect to be asked quite a few questions about your Cervical Cancer diagnosis.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer?

Pretty much any time an individual has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition, it’s safe to say that most life insurance companies are going to want to learn a little bit more about it before making any decisions about your life insurance application.

Now…

When the pre-existing medical condition in question happens to be Cervical Cancer, well, you can bet that that is going to pique an insurance underwriter’s interest. After all, Cervical Cancer does account for nearly 4,300 deaths each and every year.  

The good news is…

That this number is relatively small compared to the overall number of women diagnosed with Cervical Cancer each year; however, it’s still a large enough number for most life insurance companies to become concerned.

This is why, before being approved for a traditional life insurance policy, most insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of medical questions to get a better idea of just how “serious” your Cervical Cancer was or is.

Cervical Cancer:

Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that affects the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens at the top of the vagina.  The cervix helps to keep the baby inside the uterus during pregnancy and also helps to prevent infections from entering the uterus. Cervical cancer is usually caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted infection.

Cevical cancer is also one of the most common types of cancer in women and can often be treated successfully if it is detected in its early stages.  Cervical cancer is typically staged using the Roman numerals I through IV. The stages are used to describe the extent of the cancer and help guide treatment decisions. Here is a brief overview of the stages of cervical cancer:

• Stage I: The cancer is limited to the cervix and has not spread to nearby tissues.
• Stage II: The cancer has spread beyond the cervix to the upper part of the vagina or to the tissues surrounding the uterus.
• Stage III: The cancer has spread to the lower part of the vagina or the pelvic wall.
• Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the bladder, rectum, or distant organs.

Symptoms of Cervical Cancer:

Some common symptoms of cervical cancer may include:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding, such as bleeding between periods, after sexual intercourse, or after menopause
• Vaginal discharge that is heavy, foul-smelling, or contains blood
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Pelvic pain

It is important to note that these symptoms can also be caused by other conditions, such as infections or hormonal imbalances.

Cervical Cancer Treatment:

Treatment for cervical cancer often involves a combination of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The specific treatment plan will depend on the stage of the cancer and the overall health of the patient.

Surgery is often used to remove cancerous tissue and may involve procedures such as a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), removal of lymph nodes in the pelvis, or removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and may be given externally (from a machine outside the body) or internally (using a device placed inside the vagina).

Chemotherapy uses medications to kill cancer cells and may be given orally or intravenously.

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

When applying for life insurance, the insurance company may ask you for information about your cervical cancer, including:

• When were you first diagnosed with Cervical Cancer?
• What symptoms, if any, led to your diagnosis?
• Who diagnosed your Cervical Cancer? A gynecologist or an oncologist?
• What stage of Cervical Cancer were you diagnosed with?
  • Stage 1: The cancer is fully contained within the cervix.
  • Stage 2: The cancer has spread from the cervix to the uterus, but hasn’t spread to the walls of the pelvis or lower part of the vagina.
  • Stage 3: The cancer has spread int the lower part of the vagina and the walls of the pelvis.
  • Stage 4: The cancer has spread to organs outside of the pelvic area, often attacking one’s bladder and rectum.
• How was your Cervical Cancer treated?
  • • Chemotherapy,
    • Surgery,
    • Radiation,
    • Etc…
• Are you still treating your Cervical Cancer? If not, what was the date of your last treatment?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical condition?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications now?
• How often do you see your primary care physician?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied for disability benefits?

With this information in hand, most life insurance companies will generally have a pretty good idea about what “kind” of insurance an individual may be able to qualify for as well as what “price” they may be expected to pay for such a policy.

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

Now, as one can see, there are many factors that can come into play when trying to determine what “kind” of rate an individual might qualify for. This is why it’s almost impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might qualify for without first speaking with you directly.

That said, however…

There are a few “assumptions” one can make about someone who has been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer that will generally hold true and allow us to provide some with a general idea about what they may or may not be able to qualify for.

For example…

If you are currently treating your Cervical Cancer right now or have just become “cancer-free” (two years or less), chances are you will NOT be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy right now.

Instead…

Your application will either be DENIED life insurance or POSTPONED coverage until you have been cancer-free for a minimum of two years (maybe even longer) depending upon what stage of cancer you have recovered from.  Individuals who find themselves in this situation will either need to wait till they become eligible for traditional life insurance coverage or they may decide to purchase an “alternative” product like an Accidental Death Policy or a Final Expense Insurance Policy.

Now for those who…

Have been cancer-free to at least two years, what you’re likely going to find is that you may be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy the only problem is that you’re probably not going to be able to qualify for anything better than a Standard or “normal” rate. When you really think about it, it isn’t so bad, because the truth is, this is actually the same rate most folks qualify for anyways, even if they haven’t been diagnosed with cancer in the past!

But…

We should warn you that these “Standard” rates for Cervical Cancer survivors are usually reserved for those who diagnosed their condition early one (stage 1 or maybe 2) and usually five or more years removed from their last treatment date. For everyone else, what you’re likely going to find is that you may still be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy only now you may have to settle for a “sub-standard” rate.

This brings us to our next topic, which is…

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

In our experiences here at IBUSA, we’ve found that usually, the “best” approach in helping someone find the “best” life insurance policy for them is to first:

• Fully understand what an individual is trying to achieve by purchasing their life insurance policy.
  • Are you looking to:
    • Cover the cost of a mortgage?
    • Replace lost wages?
    • Protect a child or spouse?
    • Or just cover one’s final expenses?
• Then provide one with plenty of options to choose from so that you’re not limited to just one or two different options.

This is why…

We here at IBUSA choose to work with so many different life insurance companies so that when it comes time to help you decide “which” life insurance company is going to be the best for you, we don’t have to apply a…

“One Size Fits All”

Approach. Instead, we can make dozens of different life insurance companies compete for your business.

So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today and experience the IBUSA difference.