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 Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome?
• 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 Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome 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 knowing someone has been diagnosed with Reiter’s Syndrome isn’t going to be enough information for a life insurance underwriter to make his or her decision because, in some cases, it’s possible for someone’s Reiter’s Syndrome to cause them to suffer from some pretty serious complications. This is why, before being approved for coverage most of the top-rated life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of questions all about your disease.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome?

What you’re generally going to find is that most (if not all) life insurance companies aren’t going to be all that worried about the fact that you have been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis provided that you haven’t developed any “serious” complications due to your condition.

This is why…

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

Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome Defined:

Reactive arthritis is a form of arthritis that occurs as a direct response to some type of infection that is occurring somewhere else on the body. This “type” or reaction is commonly referred to as cross-reactivity.

Common symptoms may include:

• Bloodshot and/or irritated eyes,
• Conjunctivitis
• Blurry vision,
• Urinary problems,
• Swollen toes or fingers,
• Joint pain and stiffness,
• Lower back pain,
• Etc…

Serious complications may include:

• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle),
• Glaucoma,
• Progressive blindness,
• Feet abnormalities,
• Pleural Effusion or fluid in the lungs.

Treatment options may include…

Because Reiter’s Arthritis is caused by some type of infection (commonly Salmonella or Chlamydia Trachomatis) elsewhere on the body. Treatment will usually focus on eliminating the cause of the infection, which will likely involve using antibiotics and then move towards treating the Reactive Arthritis itself through the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Your physician may also choose to drain one’s swollen joints and provide corticosteroid injections to help alleviate any pain.

“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 Reactive Arthritis… 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 Reiter’s Syndrome?
• Who diagnosed your Reiter’s Syndrome? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
• What “type” of infection do you believe caused you to develop Reactive Arthritis?
• How many times have you suffered from this condition?
• When was the last time you suffered from an “attack”?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you developed any serious complications as a result of your Reactive Arthritis?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications now?
• In the past two years, have you been hospitalized 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 many variables that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis. 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 Reactive Arthritis will usually fall into one of two different categories that we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

The first group of folks that we’ll commonly encounter who have been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis are those who suffer from the condition, but haven’t developed any serious complications as a result of their “disease” and don’t seem to suffer from any other pre-existing medical conditions. 

In cases like these, what you’re usually going to find is that most life insurance companies aren’t going to necessarily use this previous diagnosis as a reason to discriminate against you during the application process.

Which means that…

Whatever “rate” that you would have been able to qualify for PRIOR to being diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis will probably be the same “rate” that you will be able to qualify for AFTER having been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis. This is why some people may be able to qualify for a Preferred rate even though they have been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis.

Category #2.

Individuals who will fall into this category will be those that have been diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis, and either has some other “type” of pre-existing medical condition or have begun to develop some other serious complication directly related to their Reactive Arthritis. 

In cases like these, what you’re usually going to find is that whatever this “other” condition is, it will ultimately be what decides the outcome of their life insurance application.

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 Reiter’s Syndrome?

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!