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 Urticaria or Hives.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

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

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Urticaria 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 a no-exam term life insurance policy at a Preferred rate! 

The only problem is that simply knowing that you have been diagnosed with Urticaria really doesn’t tell anyone about how “severe” your condition may or may not be. This is why many folks will often be surprised by how many questions they’ll often be asked by a life insurance company so that they can determine just how “sever” your Urticaria can become.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Urticaria or Hives?

The main reason why many of the best life insurance companies may choose to “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Urticaria or Hives is that at the end of the day, Urticaria or Hives are created as a result of an “allergic reaction”.

And…

As many of us know, sometimes allergic reactions can become quite serious, even life-threatening. This is why we wanted to take a moment and discuss what it means to be diagnosed with Urticaria 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.

Urticaria Defined:

Urticaria or hives is defined as an “outbreak” or “response” to certain allergens, which causes one’s body to begin developing swollen, light red bumps or plaques called wheals that will appear all over one’s body or be contained to just a small area.

Symptoms may include:

• Angioedema,
• Itching,
• Painful swelling,
• Etc…

Serious complications may include:

• Anaphylaxis, or whole-body allergic reaction.
• Difficulty breathing is caused by swelling within one’s throat, blocking one’s airway.

Common causes may include:

• Insect bites,
• Use of certain medications,
• Stress,
• Too much direct sunlight,
• Excessive exercise,
• Exposure to certain foods or alcohol,

Fortunately…

Many folks who suffer from Urticaria won’t require any “type” of treatment. However, when treatment is required, many folks will find relief using non-sedating antihistamines such as cetirizine or fexofenadine in addition to any number of “over the counter” antihistamines that can be purchased at your local pharmacy.

“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 cause great harm to yourself!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we are 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 Urticaria… 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?

• When were you first diagnosed with (or suffer from) Urticaria?
• How often do you “get” hives?
• When was the last time you developed hives?
• In the past 12 months, how many times have you suffered from hives?
• Do you know what causes you to develop hives?
• Have you ever suffered from any serious complications as a result of Urticaria?
• In the past two years, have you been hospitalized for any reason?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Are you taking any prescription medications?
• Have you ever been prescribed or received treatment from an Epipen?
• 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, many variables can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual diagnosed with Urticaria might qualify for. 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 Urticaria will usually fall into one of two different categories. There will be those who have been diagnosed with Urticaria and have suffered from some pretty significant allergic reactions. And there will be those who have been diagnosed with Urticaria who haven’t.

As for those…

For people who have been diagnosed with Urticaria and haven’t suffered from any “serious” complications, you’ll generally find that most (if not all) life insurance companies aren’t all that concerned about it. This usually means that whatever “rate” you would have been able to qualify for PRIOR to being diagnosed with Urticaria should be the same “rate” that you would be able to qualify for AFTER being diagnosed with Urticaria.

Now if…

You are someone who has been diagnosed with Urticaria AND have suffered from some serious complications as well, what you’re generally going to find is that you may still be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy. Only now most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to become much more interested in “what” causes your allergic reactions and how “serious” they can become.

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, 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 help 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 Urticaria?

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 Burial Life 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.