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 they have been diagnosed with Colon Polyps.

Questions that will be directly answered will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Colon Polyps can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. In fact, they may even be able to qualify for a term life insurance policy without a medical exam at a Preferred rate provided that they have been “dealt” with and proven to be benign in nature.

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

The main reason why most of the best life insurance companies are going to be interested in the fact that an individual has been diagnosed with a Colon Polyp or Colon Polyps is that if left untreated, some of these polyps may have the ability to develop into colon cancer, which can prove fatal if discovered in its later stages.

This is why…

Once a life insurance company learns that an individual has been diagnosed with a Colon Polyp, this will usually trigger a series of additional questions that most life insurance companies (if not all) will want to know the answers to before making any “definitive” decisions about an individual’s life insurance application. 

This is also why it’s important that you and the life insurance agent that you choose to apply for coverage with is familiar with this pre-existing medical condition and is aware of what kind of questions that a typical life insurance company is likely to ask.

Colon Polyp Defined:

Colon polyps as small clusters of cells that form on the lining of one’s colon. The good news is that most colon polyps are benign or non-cancerous and are generally considered harmless to those affected by them. The problem is that some colon polyps can develop into cancerous or neoplastic tumors, which can be quite difficult to treat, particularly in their later stages.

Unfortunately…

Unless each polyp is excised and examined on its own, it’s pretty much impossible to know for sure “which” polyp might become dangerous later on vs. which ones will remain harmless for the rest on one’s life. This is why most life insurance companies will be unwilling to insure anyone with a traditional term or whole life insurance policy if they have been diagnosed with a colon polyp and not had it removed immediately.

To make matters worse…

Many individuals who suffer from Colon Polyps won’t experience any symptoms of their disease until later upon which their disease may have entered into more dangerous phases. This is most doctors will routinely advise anyone aged 50 to 75 years of age to get screened for colorectal cancer and for those who may have a family history of colon cancer to start their screening even earlier!

Especially if…

You are experiencing any symptoms which could be related to having an existing colon polyp including:

• Rectal bleeding,
• Unexplained abdominal pain,
• Stool color changes,
• Iron deficiency,
• And/or unexplained bowel habit changes.

“Which brings us to an important point that we think we ought to mention.”

First…

If you think you have a medical issue, don’t use the internet to 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 you’re on doctor could cause great harm to yourself!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we ware is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happened to be really good at helping individuals 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 Colon Polyps… that’s it! This brings us to our next topic, which is…

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

Common questions you’ll likely be asked may include:

• How old were you when you were first “screened” for colon cancer?
• Were your polyps discovered as part of a routine screening?
• How many colon polyps were discovered?
• Where any of your polyps determined neoplastic?
• Have you been diagnosed with colon cancer?
• What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
• Have all of your polyps been removed?
• When was the last time you had a colonoscopy?
• Have any of your immediate family members (mother, father, brother or sister) ever been diagnosed with colon cancer?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
• In the past two years, have you been admitted into a hospital for any reason?
• 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?

As you can see, there are a lot of factors that can come into play when it comes time to determine what kind of “rate” an individual might be able to qualify for after they have been diagnosed with a colon polyp.

And the crazy thing is…

Up until this point, we’ve only discussed factors directly related to being diagnosed with a colon polyp. You see, in addition to the questions that we’ve listed above, most life insurance companies are also going to be interested in other factors as well.

Factors such as:

• Your current height and weight.
• Your driving record/
• Family medical history.
• Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?
• Do you participate in any dangerous hobbies?
• Etc…

This is why it’s pretty impossible to know for sure what kind of “rate” you might qualify for without actually speaking with you directly.

That said however…

There are a few “assumptions” that one can make that will generally hold true that may provide you with a “basic” idea of what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for. For example, if you have been diagnosed with one or two colon polyps and have had them removed and examined and it has been determined that they were not cancerous, chances are, if you don’t have a family history of colon cancer, these colon polyps will probably not affect the outcome of your life insurance application.

Or to put it another way…

Whatever rate you would have been able to qualify for PRIOR to being diagnosed with a colon polyp should be the same rate that you would be able to qualify for AFTER having been diagnosed with a colon polyp.

Conversely…

If you have been diagnosed with a colon poly and either hasn’t had it removed yet, or have found that it may be cancerous, chances are you’re not going to be immediately approved for a traditional life insurance policy and may have to wait until you have had your polyp removed or you have been definitively determined cancer-free for a set period of time until which point you would then become eligible for coverage.

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, 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 colon polyp?

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 if 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!