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 Biliary Colic.

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Gallstones or Biliary Colic?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Gallstones or Biliary Colic?
• What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
• What “rate” can I qualify for?
• How can I help ensure I get the “best life insurance”?

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Gallstones or Biliary Colic?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with gallstones or biliary colic can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. They may even be eligible for a no-medical exam life insurance policy at a Preferred rate. The only problem is that if you’re currently suffering from a gallstone attack or haven’t fully recovered from one, chances are your life insurance application will be “postponed” until the insurance company is confident that you’ve made a full recovery.

Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Gallstones or Biliary Colic?

The main reason why most of the best life insurance companies (in our opinion) are going to “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Biliary Colic is that they want to make sure that this is “all” that an individual has been diagnosed with and that their gallbladder attack isn’t a symptom of a more extensive more severe condition known as Cholecystitis. For this reason, let’s briefly define each condition to understand better what we’re discussing when comparing biliary coli vs. cholecystitis.

Biliary Colic Defined:

Biliary Colic is a term used to define a medical condition that occurs when a gallstone becomes “stuck” or logged within a bile duct, which connects the gallbladder to the liver. As a result of this blockage, a patient will typically begin to feel pain in the middle to upper right portion of their abdomen. This pain can last for a few minutes up to a few hours, depending upon how long it takes for one’s body to “pass” the stone through the blocked bile duct.

Cholecystitis, on the other hand…

Cholecystitis is a term used to describe inflammation within the gallbladder itself. Unlike a gallbladder attack, Cholecystitis requires immediate medical care mainly because the pain associated with it is typically much more severe and likely to last much longer.

The good news…

Both of these conditions are treatable, and once it has been determined that an applicant is no longer suffering from either of these medical conditions, they should be considered eligible for a traditional life insurance policy. This is why, even though neither of these two medical conditions is likely to play a significant role in the outcome of one’s life insurance application, one should be prepared to answer a series of medical questions about their condition so that a life insurance underwriter can feel more comfortable about moving forward with your life insurance application.

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

Typical questions you’ll likely be asked may include:

• When was the first time you suffered from a gallstone attack?
• Who diagnosed your “attack” as a gallstone attack? Your primary care physician? A specialist? Or yourself?
• How many episodes have you suffered from?
• In the past 12 months, have you suffered from a gallstone attack? If so, have you only suffered from a single attack within the past year?
• Have you also been diagnosed with Cholecystitis?
• In the past two years, have you been hospitalized for any reason?
• Has your doctor recommended any particular treatment options?
• Options such as:
  • • Medications?
    • Surgical procedures?
  • A special diet?
  • Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
  • Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
  • 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?

 “This brings us to an important point we should mention.”

First…

If you think you have a medical issue, don’t use us or the internet to diagnose yourself. After all, if you do and you’re correct, you’re still going to need to see the doctor, and if you’re wrong, the time you spend being your doctor could harm yourself!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained; we’re certainly not doctors. We are all a bunch of life insurance agents who just happened to be good at helping individuals find and qualify for the life insurance they’re looking for. So please don’t mistake any of the medical information we discuss 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 Biliary Colic… that’s it! This brings us to our next topic, which is…

What “rate” can I qualify for?

As you can see, many factors can come into play when determining what kind of “rate” an individual might qualify for after being diagnosed with Biliary Colic. This is why knowing what kind of “rate” you might qualify for is almost impossible without first speaking with you directly.

That said, however…

We can tell you that if you have been diagnosed with Biliary Colic and have made a full recovery since your last gallstone attack, it is reasonable to assume that your diagnosis shouldn’t play a significant role in the outcome of your life insurance application. 

In fact, if it appears like your gallstone attack is not something likely to develop into a “chronic” situation, or if you’ve had your gallbladder removed to avoid future attacks, there is a perfect chance that your Biliary Colic diagnosis won’t play ANY part in the outcome of your life insurance application.

Or, in other words…

Whatever “rate” you would have been able to qualify for before being diagnosed with biliary congestion ought to be the same “rate” you would qualify for after being diagnosed with biliary colic.

The good news is…

Regardless of your situation, we at IBUSA can help because we have extensive experience helping folks with pre-existing medical conditions like yours. We are committed to helping all our clients find the “best” life insurance policy they can qualify for. This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss, which is…

How can I help ensure I get the “best life insurance”?

In our experience here at IBUSA, we have found that usually, the folks who seem to see 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 precisely what you’ll find here at IBUSA.

Now, can we help out everyone previously diagnosed with Biliary Colic?

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 you CAN qualify for. So, if you’re ready to see what options might be available, call us!