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 after being diagnosed with Uterine Cancer or Endometrial Cancer.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer?
• 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 have been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer?

Yes, some women who have been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy. The only problem is that simply knowing that someone has been “diagnosed” with Uterine Cancer isn’t going to be enough information for the insurance company or us to determine whether or not you’re going to be able to qualify for coverage.

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

Just about any time an applicant has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition, it’s pretty safe to say that most of the best life insurance companies are going to want to learn a little bit more about that condition before making any decisions about their application.

Now, when the pre-existing medical condition in question happens to be called CANCER, well then, you no longer need to wonder whether or not an insurance company is going to want to learn more about your condition because until they do, that’s pretty much all they’re going to want to talk about.

The good news is…

Unlike many other “kinds” of cancer, Uterine Cancer does have a very high survival rate, which will certainly make it easier for an individual to be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, particularly if they were able to diagnose and treat their cancer before it was able to spread.

This is one of the reasons why most life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of questions all about your Uterine Cancer so that they can first get a better idea about what type of “uterine “cell” was involved. As well as what “stage” your cancer grew too before being treated/cured.

What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?

• When were you first diagnosed with Uterine Cancer?
• What led you’re your diagnosis?
• Did you begin to experience any symptoms?
• What “type” of Uterine Cancer were you diagnosed with?
  • • Adenocarcinoma: This is caused by endometrial cells and represents over 80% of all Uterine Cancer cases. This type of Uterine cancer is commonly referred to as Endometrial Cancer.
    • Sarcoma: This is caused by cells that make up the supporting tissues of the uterine gland. These types of Uterine Cancers only represent approximately 2-4% of all Uterine Cancer cases.
• What stage did your cancer ultimately get to?
  • • Stage 0:  Cancerous cells are only found along the outer wall of the womb.
    • Stage 1: Cancerous cells have begun to invade the endometrium and myometrium, which is the layer of tissue supporting the endometrium layer.
    • Stage 2:  Cancerous cells have begun to spread into some of the surrounding connective tissue beyond the myometrium. At this point, the cervix may also be affected.
    • Stage 3:  Cancerous cells will now be present in other nearby organs, possibly including the vagina, ovaries, and maybe some lymph nodes.
    • Stage 4:  Cancerous cells have continued to invade other more distant parts of the body, including possibly the bladder, rectum, or even orders further away, such as one’s lungs or bones.
• Are you currently treating your Uterine Cancer? If not, when was your last date of treatment?
• What treatment options were used?
  • Surgery?
  • Chemotherapy?
  • Radiation?
• How often do you visit your primary care physician?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• 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?

With this information in hand, most life insurance companies will generally have a pretty good idea about what “kind” of insurance an individual may be able to qualify for and what “price” they may be expected to pay for such a policy.

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

Now, as one can see, there are a lot of factors that can come into play when determining what “kind” of rate an individual might be able to qualify for after they have been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer.  This is why it’s pretty much impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for without first speaking with you directly.

That said, however, there are a few “assumptions” one can make about someone who has been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer that will usually remain true, allowing us to provide you with some “general ideas” about what someone in this situation might be able to qualify for.

For example…

If you are currently treating your Uterine Cancer right now, or you have just become “cancer-free” (two years or less), chances are you will NOT be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy right now. Instead, your application will either be DENIED or POSTPONED until you have been cancer-free for a minimum of two years and, maybe even longer, depending upon what stage of cancer you have recovered from.  Sometimes, individuals in this situation may want to consider purchasing an Accidental Death Policy or a Final Expense Insurance Policy, which won’t discriminate against them for having been diagnosed with Uterine Cancer.

Now, as for those who…

Have been cancer-free for at least two years, what you’re likely going to find is that you may be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy. The only problem is that you’re probably not going to be able to qualify for anything better than a Standard or “normal” rate.  

When you really think about it, it isn’t so bad because the truth is, this is actually the same rate most folks qualify for anyway, even if they haven’t been diagnosed with cancer in the past! But we should warn you that these “Standard” rates for Uterine Cancer survivors are usually reserved for those who were diagnosed with their condition early on (stage 1 or maybe 2) and are usually five or more years removed from their last treatment date.  

For everyone else, you’re likely to find that you may still be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy, but now you may have to settle for a “sub-standard” rate. This brings us to our next topic, which is…

What can I do to help ensure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?

In our experiences here at IBUSA, we’ve found that usually, the “best” approach in helping someone find the “best” life insurance policy for them is to first:

• Fully understand what an individual is trying to achieve by purchasing their life insurance policy.
  • Are you looking to:
    • Cover the cost of a mortgage?
    • Replace lost wages?
    • Protect a child or spouse?
    • Or cover one’s final expenses?
• Then, provide plenty of options so that one is not limited to one or two different options.

This is why…

We at IBUSA choose to work with so many different life insurance companies that when it comes time to help you decide “which” company is going to be the best for you, we don’t have to apply a…

“One Size Fits All”

Approach. Instead, we can make dozens of different life insurance companies compete for your business.

So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today and experience the IBUSA difference.