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 Sciatica.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Sciatica?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Sciatica?
• What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
• What rate (or price) can I qualify for?
• How can I help ensure 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 Sciatica?

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

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

Most top-rated life insurance companies will “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Sciatica because, in some cases, suffering from Sciatica can cause debilitating pain. Pain may cause people to change things about their lives and/or start taking certain medications, which can ultimately affect one’s life insurance application.

This is why, we wanted to take a moment to describe Sciatica and highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications associated with this “condition” so that we might better understand what a life insurance company will be looking for when deciding on your life insurance application.

Sciatica Defined:

The term “Sciatica” refers to pain caused by an “issue” with the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that runs from one’s lower back down each leg.

Symptoms of Sciatica may include:

• Lower back pain,
• Pain in one’s behind or leg that only worsens when sitting,
• Hip pain,
• Shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand,
• Weakness or numbness, making moving or walking difficult.
• Etc…

Serious complications may include:

• Debilitating pain,
• Loos of feeling and/or semi-paralysis of one’s leg(s),
• Loss of bladder or bowel control,
• Permanent nerve damage.

Fortunately…

There are a variety of treatment options for those suffering from Sciatica. Options include cold and heat therapy, pain medications, chiropractic techniques, and specific surgical interventions.

“This brings us to an important point we think we ought to mention.”

First…

If you have a medical issue, don’t use the internet to diagnose yourself. After all, if you do and you’re correct, you’ll still need to see the doctor, and if you’re wrong, the time you spend being your own doctor could harm you!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained; we’re certainly not doctors. All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happened to be good at helping individuals find and qualify for the life insurance they’re looking for. So please don’t mistake any of the medical information we discuss 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 being diagnosed with Sciatica… 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?

Now, as we stated earlier, the only real reason why a life insurance company is going to “care” if you have been diagnosed with Sciatica is that they are going to want to make sure that your Sciatica isn’t preventing you from living a “normal life” (whatever that is).  And it’s not causing you to potentially abuse any number of different pain medications you may or may not have been prescribed.

For this reason…

What you’re going to find is that most (if not all) life insurance companies don’t spend much time asking you about your Sciatica. Instead, they’ll use a series of other questions to learn more about whether or not you’ll make an acceptable candidate for their insurance.

A series of questions that will look something like this:

• How old are you?
• What are your current height and weight?
• Have you been diagnosed with any pre-existing medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or depression?
• Have you ever suffered from a stroke or heart attack?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
• Do you have any surgical procedures planned, or has your primary care physician suggested you may need one performed soon?
• Have any of your immediate family members (mother, father, brother, or sister) ever been diagnosed with cancer, heart disease, or diabetes?
• Have any of your immediate family members ever suffered from a heart attack or stroke?
• In the past 12 months, have you used any tobacco or nicotine products?
• In the past two years, have you been hospitalized for any reason?
• Do you have any issues with your driver’s license, such as multiple moving violations, a DUI, or a suspended license?
• Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?
• Do you have plans to travel outside the United States within the next year?
• Do you actively participate or plan on participating in any dangerous hobbies?
• 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, a wide variety of factors can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual can qualify for. For this reason, it’s almost impossible to know what kind of “rate” an individual might qualify for without first speaking with them.

That said, however, it’s fair to say that if you have been diagnosed with Sciatica, then the chances of this diagnosis wouldn’t play a role in the outcome of your life insurance application. This means that whatever “rate” you may have been able to qualify for before being diagnosed with Sciatica should be the same “rate” you would qualify for AFTER being diagnosed with Sciatica.

“Which is great!”

It segues very nicely into the next topic, which is…

How can I help ensure I get the “best life insurance” for me?

In our experience here at IBUSA, what works best for folks who have been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition where the “severity” of the condition is often “subjective” is for the applicant to make sure that they first find a proper life insurance professional who will work as an advocate for them. Such an agent that’s able to help guide you through the application process and be perfectly “frank” with you about what options may or may not be possible for you.

From there…

You’ll also want to make sure that the very same agent you have chosen has access to dozens of different life insurance companies because, after all, it doesn’t matter how “great” of a life insurance agent you might have if they don’t have access to the “best” life insurance policy for you! Now, does it? Lastly, before applying for coverage, you should be completely honest with your life insurance agent. By doing so, you will help them narrow down what options might be the “best. “

Now, can we help out everyone previously diagnosed with Sciatica?

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 so that if someone isn’t able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, chances are there may be some other “type” of product that they CAN qualify for.

So, if you’re ready to explore your options, call us!