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 Claudication.

Questions that will be answered will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Claudication?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Claudication?
• 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 Claudication?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Claudication can and sometimes will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. That said, however, because Claudication is often “viewed” as a symptom of peripheral artery disease, by most life insurance companies, what you’re going to find is that qualifying for a traditional life insurance policy can become quite challenging at times!

This is why…

We here at IBUSA will usually advise anyone who has been previously diagnosed with Claudication to avoid applying for any type of term life insurance policy without a medical exam because these “types” of life insurance policies tend to be more difficult to qualify for if you have any type of pre-existing medical condition.

Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Claudication?

As we just stated, the main reason a life insurance company will “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Claudication is that, at the end of the day, Claudication is a condition caused when an individual begins suffering pain as a result of insufficient blood flow to the legs (and sometimes arms).

This pain can result during normal resting periods, which would be considered a more “serious” case of Claudication, or only during exercise, which would typically be referred to as Intermittent Claudication.

Claudication Symptoms may include:

• Lower extremity pain during exercise (intermittent Claudication).
• Lower extremity pain at rest.
• Pain or discomfort in one’s lower extremities, including feet, calves, thigh, hips, and/or rear end.
• Skin discoloration.
• Development of skin ulcers.
• Etc…

Fortunately…

Some medications can be used to help individuals reduce the pain they suffer from as a result of their condition and help dilate the affected blood vessels, which may cause this condition to occur. This is why an individual’s prognosis will usually be favorable, provided they are properly treating their condition.

That said, however…

For those who either lack the means to treat their condition or choose to ignore their situation properly, you’ll generally find that about ¼ of patients will worsen over time, which is why most life insurance companies will want to know how “well” you are “managing” your condition before they make any definitive decision about your life insurance application.

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 Claudication?
• Who diagnosed your Claudication? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
• When do you typically experience symptoms related to your Claudication?
  • During rest?
  • Only while exercising?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with heart disease, cancer, or diabetes?
• Have you ever suffered from a heart attack or stroke?
• What (if any) prescription medications are you currently taking?
• Over the past 12 months, has your condition improved? Worsened? Or remained stable?
• What are your current height and weight?
• In the past two years, have you been hospitalized for any reason?
• In the past 12 months, have you used any tobacco or nicotine products?
• 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 “official” medical training, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who just 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?

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual might be able to qualify for after having been diagnosed with Claudication or Intermediate Claudication, which is why it’s pretty much impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for without actually speaking with you for a minute or two!

That said, however…

There are a few “assumptions” that we can make about folks who have been diagnosed with Claudication, which will generally hold true so that you can get a basic idea of what you might be able to qualify for.

For example…

We don’t really need to speak with you to know that if you have been diagnosed with Claudication, chances are you’re not going to be able to qualify for a Standard or better rate, which means that if you are able to qualify for coverage, you’re most likely only going to be able to qualify for a “high-risk” rate.

Additionally, if you have used any kind of tobacco or nicotine products within the past 12 months, your chances of beginning able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy will be significantly reduced even further than someone who has simply been diagnosed with Claudication and isn’t a tobacco user!

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.

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 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 Claudication?

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 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!