In this article, we wanted to take a moment and try and answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance with Polyarteritis Nodosa, also commonly referred to as Vasculitis or Systemic Necrotizing Vasculitis.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN)?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Polyarteritis Nodosa?
• 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 Polyarteritis Nodosa?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Polyarteritis Nodosa can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.

The only problem is…

That simply knowing that someone has been diagnosed with this condition isn’t going to be enough information for a life insurance underwriter to be able to make his or her decision about your life insurance application.

This is why…

Prior to being approved for a traditional life insurance policy, one should expect to have to answer a series of medical questions and perhaps even allow an insurance company access to your medical records so that they can get a better understanding of your situation.

It’s also 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 Polyarteritis Nodosa.

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

The main reason why most of the top-rated life insurance companies are going to “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Polyarteritis Nodosa is that, in some cases, this disease can cause someone to suffer from some pretty significant complications.

Which is why…

We wanted to take a moment and briefly describe what Polyarteritis Nodosa and highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications so that we can get a better idea of what a life insurance underwriter will be looking for making his or her decision about your life insurance application.

Polyarteritis Nodosa Defined:

Polyarteritis Nodosa (Pan) is a disease where one’s small and medium-sized arteries become inflamed. As a result, the affected arteries are no longer able to effectively provide food and oxygen to the tissues and/or organs they are supposed to supply.

Common symptoms may include:

• Unexplained weight loss,
• A decrease in appetite,
• Fatigue,
• Fever,
• Muscle and joint pain.

Serious complications may include:

• Gangrene,
• Organ infarction,
• Aneurysm ruptures within various organs,
• Stroke,
• Encephalopathy,
• Etc…

Unfortunately…

The exact cause of Polyarteritis Nodosa remains a mystery; however, there does seem to be some correlation linking PAN with the uses of several different medications/vaccinations in addition to possible exposure to certain bacterial and/or viral infections. For this reason, most treatment options will focus on minimizing the harmful effects of this disease by utilizing medications that will help suppress the immune system and relieve inflammation. The use of hypertension medications may also be helpful in some situations.

“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 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 Polyarteritis Nodosa… 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 Polyarteritis Nodosa?
• Who diagnosed your Polyarteritis Nodosa? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
• In the past 12 months, have you used any tobacco or nicotine products?
• 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 a 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 Neuritis. 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 Neuritis will usually fall into one of three different categories that we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

This first group will consist of those who have been diagnosed with Polyarteritis and are either currently experiencing symptoms or have just gone into remissions absent any significant complications. In cases like these, what you’re generally going to find is that most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to want to wait until you have recovered and by “”symptom-free for a minimum of one year.

Category #2.

Individuals who will fall into this category will be one’s that have been diagnosed with Polyarteritis Nodosa and recovered from their infection over a year ago and don’t suffer from any significant complications as a result of their disease. In cases like these, we’ll typically find that most will be considered eligible for coverage, and some may even be able to qualify for a Preferred rate depending on how “mild” their infection was and if they are in good health otherwise.

Category #3.

The last group that we’ll commonly encounter when trying to help someone that has been diagnosed with Polyarteritis Nodosa and has developed some pretty significant complications as a result of this condition. In cases like these, what we typically find is that most life insurance companies aren’t going to be willing to approve their application which will put us in a situation where we will need to pursue a Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance policy should a client still wish to purchase a life insurance policy for themselves.

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!