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 Quadriplegia or Tetraplegia.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

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

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

The only problem is…

That because suffering from Quadriplegia is such a traumatic event that can affect so many different aspects of one’s life, most life insurance companies are going to “automatically” consider someone who has become Quadriplegic a “high risk” applicant regardless of their overall health status.

This is why…

You may also 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 Quadriplegia.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Quadriplegia or Tetraplegia?

There are many different reasons why a life insurance company is going to “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Quadriplegia. Reasons such as, it affects on one’s ability to perform daily tasks, such as caring for oneself as well as working a full-time job in addition to many of the potential medical complications that can occur weeks, months or even years after one loses their ability to move.

This is why…

We wanted to take a moment and just briefly discuss what Quadriplegia is as well as highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications of this disease/injury so that we may gain a better understanding of what a life insurance underwriter will be looking for when making his or her decision about your life insurance application.

Quadriplegia Defined:

Quadriplegia or Tetraplegia is a medical condition that is defined by a partial or total paralysis of all four limbs and torso, caused by either some sort of illness or injury. Paralysis in cases like these will usually include loss of both sensory and motor control.

Common symptoms may include:

• Flaccid quadriparesis or limp muscles,
• Spastic Quadriplegia, unusually stiff or tight muscles,
• Inability to walk,
• Loss of bladder control,
• Depressed reflexes,

Life-threatening complications may include:

• Increased risk of infections including Pneumonia,
• Increased risk of Asthma,
• Bradycardia.

Common causes include:

• Motor vehicle accidents,
• Falls,
• Victim of violence,
• Sports or hobbies,
• Diseases such as:
  • Polio,
  • Muscular Dystrophy,
  • Cerebral Palsy.

Now at this point…

We usually like to take a moment and remind folks that nobody here at IBUSA has any kind of “official” medical training, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happen to be really good at helping folks with pre-existing medical conditions like this one, find and qualify for the life insurance coverage that they are looking for.

But…

Not so great if you’re looking for answers to any specific medical questions. In cases like these, we would recommend that you contact a true medical professional who has the training to help. For everyone else, you’re in luck because now we’re going to get into some of the “nitty-gritty” about what you may or may not be able to qualify for.

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 Quadriplegia?
• What caused your Quadriplegia?
• Do you retain any mobility, or do you suffer from complete paralysis?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Do you require the use of a ventilator?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
• 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 Quadriplegia. 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…

It’s safe to say that if you have been diagnosed with Quadriplegia, chances are it’s going to be pretty difficult to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. In fact, even those who are able to qualify for coverage will only be able to do so at a very high Table Rate.

Table rate Defined:

Table rates are life insurance rates that are typically reserved for “higher risk” applicants and range from Table A, which would be considered the “best” or least expensive table rate, all the way to Table J which would be considered the “worst” or most expensive table rate.

Now when it comes…

To folks that have been prescribed with Quadriplegia, what you’re generally going to find is that most life insurance companies aren’t going to consider anyone with this condition eligible for anything better than a Table I. Which means that in addition to it being rather difficult to qualify for coverage, if you do, it’s probably going to be pretty expensive.

This is why…

Once we exhaust all of our “traditional” life insurance options, we also like to have our clients take a look at some of the Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance policies that they may be able to qualify for as well so that they can decide for themselves which option may be best for them.

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 top-rated 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!

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