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 Poliomyelitis.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Poliomyelitis can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. In fact, some may even be able to qualify for some of the best no medical exam life insurance companies at a Preferred rate!

The problem is…

That simply having been diagnosed with Poliomyelitis isn’t going to be enough information for a life insurance underwriter to be able to make any kind of informed decision because the consequences of being diagnosed with Poliomyelitis can vary significantly from one patient to the next. 

This is why, before being approved for a traditional life insurance policy, most (if not all) of the top-rated life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of questions about your Poliomyelitis so that they can get a better understanding about how “serious” your condition might be or have been.

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

The main reason why a life insurance company is going to “care” if you have been diagnosed with Poliomyelitis is that in some cases, this infections disease can manifest itself as Paralytic Polio which is a condition that most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to be concerned about.

This is why…

We wanted to take a moment to discuss exactly what Poliomyelitis is and highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications of this disease so that we can better understand what a life insurance underwriter will be looking for of when making his or her decision.

Poliomyelitis Definition:

Poliomyelitis is an infectious viral disease that can affect the central nervous system and can cause someone to suffer from temporary or permanent paralysis. Now we “say” that this virus can affect the central nervous system because, generally speaking, most doctors and/or medical researchers will refer two different “kinds” of polio: Paralytic Polio and Non-paralytic Polio.

Nonparalytic Polio Defined:

Nonparalytic Polio or “abortive polio” is a “version” of this disease where the individual is exposed to the Poliovirus. However, the virus does not enter into the central nervous system and does not damage any neurons.

Symptoms may include:

• Flu-like symptoms,
• Fever,
• Headaches,
• Nausea or vomiting,
• Neck and back pain,
• Muscle stiffness,
• Muscle tenderness,
• Meningitis.

Paralytic Polio Defined:

Paralytic Polio is considered the more serious “version” of this disease. Fortunately, Paralytic Polio is much rarer than Non-paralytic Polio and will typically mimic many of the early symptoms of Non-paralytic Polio for the first week or so, however after that; victims will then begin experiencing symptoms of muscle loss.

Symptoms of Paralytic Policy may include:

• Severe muscle loss and or weakness,
• Loss of reflexes,
• Partial or full paralysis.

 “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 Optic Neuritis… 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 you first diagnosed with Poliomyelitis?
• Who diagnosed you with Poliomyelitis? A general practitioner or specialist?
• What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
• What “type” of Poliomyelitis have you been diagnosed with?
• Are you still suffering from symptoms of your infection?
• 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 (or price) can I qualify for?

As you can see, there are a lot of variables that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual who has been diagnosed with Poliomyelitis. This is why it’s pretty much impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for without first speaking with you directly.

That said, however…

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

Category #1.

Individuals in this category will be those who have been previously diagnosed with Poliomyelitis, recovered, and not have any “kind” of lingering effects from their infection. Individuals like these will find that most (if not all) life insurance companies aren’t going to use their previous Poliomyelitis diagnosis as a reason to discriminate against them.

This means that whatever rate they would have been able to qualify for PRIOR to being diagnosed with Poliomyelitis ought to be the same rate they will be able to qualify for now.

Category #2.

Will then consist of everyone else, including those who may suffer from moderate to severe residual effects from their Poliomyelitis infection. Now some of these individuals may still be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy; however, it’s pretty safe to assume that most of them will only be able to qualify for a “sub-standard” rate at best!

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 Poliomyelitis?

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!