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 with Osteomyelitis.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Osteomyelitis can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. The only problem is that because Osteomyelitis can be a serious medical condition, most life insurance companies (if not all) will want to make sure that you have made a full recovery from your infection before considering an individual “potentially” eligible for coverage.

Which is why…

You may want to consider avoiding applying for a no medical exam term life insurance policy as well, seeing how these policies tend to be more difficult to qualify for after someone has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition like Osteomyelitis.

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

Essentially, there are two main reasons why a life insurance company is going to “care” if you have been diagnosed with Osteomyelitis. The first reason they’re going to care is that Osteomyelitis is a pretty serious medical condition to be diagnosed with. 

The second reason why a life insurance company is going to “care” about the fact that you’ve been diagnosed with Osteomyelitis is because, it’s not easy to develop Osteomyelitis which is why a life insurance company is going to want to know “how” this happened.

For these reasons…

We wanted to take a moment and just review what Osteomyelitis is a well as highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications that can arise so that we’ll have a better idea of what exactly a life insurance underwriter will be looking for when making his or her decision about your life insurance application.

Osteomyelitis Defined:

Osteomyelitis is a term used to describe a somewhat rare and potentially serious condition whereby one’s bone becomes infected. These “infections” can occur in several different ways, including:

• Exposure via some sort of surgical procedure,
• Trauma event whereby a bone is exposed,
• A bacterial blood infection which is able to spread to one’s bones,
• Most common types would include:
  • • Staphylococcus,
  • Pseudomonas,
  • Or via an injection point in or around a bone.

Common symptoms may include:

• Flu-like symptoms,
• Nausea,
• Tenderness and/or swelling around the affected bone,
• Heat or warmth on the skin surrounding the affected bone.
• Lost range of motion.

Serious complications may include:

• Bone abscess,
• Bone Necrosis,
• Blood poisoning (septicemia)

Fortunately…

Doctors are usually able to treat Osteomyelitis with few complications provided that the infection is diagnosed early, and plenty of antibiotics are administered (typically intravenously).

“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 try and 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 own doctor could really harm 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 skin cancer… 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:

• When were your first diagnosed with Osteomyelitis?
• Who diagnosed your Osteomyelitis? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• How many times have you ever developed Osteomyelitis?
• Do you know how you obtained this infection?
  • Surgical procedure?
  • Accident?
  • Other infections that spread to your bones?
  • Injection point transmission?
• How was your Osteomyelitis treated?
  • Surgical treatment?
  • Medications?
  • Both?
• Do you still suffer from any lingering effects of your infection?
• Are you taking any prescription medications now?
• In the past two years, have you been admitted into a hospital for any reason?
• Do you have any history of drug or alcohol abuse?
• Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?
• Do you have any issues with your driving record? Issues such as multiple moving violations, a DUI, or a suspended license?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months, have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

As you can see, there are many variables that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual diagnosed with Osteomyelitis. 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…

Most individuals who have been diagnosed with Osteomyelitis will usually fall into one of two different categories that we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

Will consist of those who have developed Osteomyelitis due to some kind of physical condition which is likely to pass, such as an injury or a “one time” surgical procedure. In cases like these, we’ll generally find that most life insurance companies are still going to be hesitant about insuring someone who has suffered from Osteomyelitis. This is why we typically find that the “best” rate that most of these folks will be able to qualify will be a Standard rate (and even this rate can be tough to get)!

Category #2.

Will consist of individuals who suffer from some type of “pre-existing medical condition”, which has caused them to develop Osteomyelitis. In cases like these, we’re generally going to find that the underlying pre-existing condition, not the Osteomyelitis symptom, is going to determine what kind of “rate” you’ll be able to qualify for.

For more information about the condition that is causing you to suffer from a Heart Palpitation and how it may affect the outcome of your life insurance application, we would recommend that you take a look at our Pre-Existing Medical Conditions page.

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 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 Osteomyelitis?

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 Final Expense 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 see what options might be available to you, just give us a call!