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 a Sick Sinus Syndrome or Sinus Node Disease.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with a Sick Sinus Syndrome?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with a Sick Sinus 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 a Sick Sinus Syndrome?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome or Sinus Node Disease can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.

The only problem is…

Simply knowing that you have been diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome isn’t going to be enough information for a life insurance underwriter to make his or her decision about your life insurance application.

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 Sick Sinus Syndrome.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with a Sick Sinus Syndrome?

Pretty much any time an individual has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition that has to do with one’s heart, you can pretty much assume that most (if not all) of the top life insurance companies are going to “care” about it.

This is particularly true…

When the cause of the condition being discussed can be due to a wide variety of different factors many of which may have their own implications when it comes time to determine what “kind” of life insurance you’ll be able to qualify for and what “price” you may have to pay for such coverage.

This is why…

We wanted to take a moment and discuss what Sick Sinus Syndrome is as well as highlight some of the most common symptoms/complications of this disease so that we can 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.

Sick Sinus Syndrome Defined:

Sick Sinus Syndrome is a term that is often used interchangeably with Sinus Node Disease or Sinus Node Dysfunction to describe a group of heart rhythm problem (arrhythmias) which are caused when the heart’s natural pacemaker (sinus node) does not perform properly.

Symptoms may include:

• Bradycardia, slower than a normal pulse,
• Fatigue,
• Dizziness or lightheadedness,
• Shortness of breath,
• Chest pains,
• Difficult concentrating,
• Confusion,
• Heart palpitations,

Causes may include:

• Other heart related medical conditions which may have caused scarring or damage to one’s heart electrical system,
• Scar tissue from previous heart surgery,
• Exposure to certain medications such as:
  • Calcium channel blockers,
  • Betta blockers,
  • Etc…
• Idiopathic or unknown causes.

Fortunately…

There are a variety of different therapeutic methods one may pursue to help either treat or minimize many of the symptoms that can arise once someone develops Sick Sinus Syndrome, including by not limited to certain medications or the implantation of a pacemaker.

“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 Sick Sinus Syndrome… 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 Sick Sinus Syndrome?
• Who diagnosed your Sick Sinus Syndrome? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
• Has a “cause” for your Sick Sinus Syndrome been determined?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you been diagnosed with heart disease?
• Have you ever suffered from a heart attack or stroke?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
• 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 Sick Sinus Syndrome. 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 Sick Sinus Syndrome will usually fall into one of two categories that we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

The first group of folks that we’ll encounter will be those who have been diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome with a “known cause.” In cases like these, what you’re typically going to find is that whatever the underlying pre-existing medical condition “is” or “was” that caused someone to develop Sick Sinus Syndrome will ultimately be what determines what “kind” of life insurance policy someone will be able to qualify for as well as what “rate” they will be expected to pay. For more information, we would encourage you to check out our Pre-existing Medical Condition page.

Category #2.

The second group of folks that we’ll commonly encounter will be those who have been diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome absent any pre-existing medical condition which could be blamed, or it’s development.

In cases like these, what you’re generally going to find is that many life insurance companies will be willing to provide a traditional life insurance policy at a “high risk” or “sub-standard” rate provided that they symptoms that they are suffering from are not too severe. In cases like these, what you’ll usually find is that most folks will typically qualify for rates ranging between Table D-H.

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.

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 Sick Sinus 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 if 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!