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 they have suffered from a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD).

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I’ve suffered from a Ventricular Septal Defect?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve suffered from a Ventricular Septal Defect?
• 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 suffered from a Ventricular Septal Defect?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect 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! The only problem is simply knowing that an individual has previously been diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect isn’t enough information for a life insurance underwriter to aid the outcome of your life insurance application.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve suffered from a Ventricular Septal Defect?

Any time an individual has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition that affects the heart, it’s a pretty safe bet that most (if not all) of the top life insurance companies will “care” about it. This is particularly true if the pre-existing condition in question can lead to heart failure when “severe” and left untreated.

This is why we wanted to take a moment to discuss a Ventricular Septal Defect and highlight some of the disease’s most common symptoms/complications to help you better understand what a life insurance underwriter will look for when deciding on your life insurance application.

Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) Defined:

A Ventricular Septal Defect is a “defect” that affects the ventricular septum, the wall of tissue within the heart that divides the left and right ventricles. The size of this defect can vary from just a “pinpoint” to the complete absence of a ventricular septum, with larger defects causing more problems/difficulties.

Common symptoms may include:

• Poor eating and failure to thrive in newborns,
• Fast breathing or breathlessness,
• Fatigue,
• Dizziness,
• Difficulty concentrating.

Serious complications may include:

• Aortic insufficiency,
• Damage to the electrical conduction system of the heart during surgical treatments,
• Failure to thrive,
• Heart failure.

Fortunately…

Not all Ventricular Septal Defects are large enough to warrant surgical treatment. For those that are, surgical treatments are available, in which a trained professional can either “plug” or “patch” the abnormal opening between the ventricles, thereby “curing” one of these diseases or abnormalities.

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

First…

If you think 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 really 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 you have been diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)… 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?

Typical questions you’ll likely be asked may include:

• When were you first diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect?
• Who diagnosed your Ventricular Septal Defect? A general practitioner, a pediatrician, or a specialist?
• What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
• Have you had your Ventricular Septal Defect surgically treated?
  • If so, when?
  • If not, why has your doctor determined you don’t need surgery, or have they planned on in the near future?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• Have you ever suffered from a heart attack or a stroke?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
• What are your current height and weight?
• In the past 12 months, have you used any tobacco or nicotine products?
• In the past two years, have you been admitted to a hospital 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, many variables can come into play when determining what kind of “rate” an individual is diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect. This is why knowing what kind of “rate” you might qualify for is almost impossible without first speaking with you directly. That said, however, most individuals diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect will fall into one of three categories, which we can make some “assumptions” about that will generally hold true.

Category #1.

The group will consist of those who have been diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect, have had it surgically repaired, and don’t suffer from any other pre-existing medical conditions. Individuals like these will typically find that most life insurance companies aren’t necessarily going to use their previous VSD diagnosis as a reason to discriminate against them.

These will be…

The “types” of individuals who may be able to qualify for a Preferred rate despite their previous VSD diagnosis are listed below.

Category #2.

This group will consist of those who have been diagnosed with a Ventricular Septal Defect but have yet to have it surgically repaired due to its small size. Their primary care physician may be “monitoring” their condition or may have already concluded that because their VSD is so small, it doesn’t pose a threat to their overall health.

In cases like these, while qualifying for a Preferred rate may still be possible, most life insurance companies consider these folks a Standard or “normal” risk. In some cases, however, particularly if they suffer from any symptoms at all, they may have to settle for a “substandard” or Table Rate (usually ranging around table A-H).

Table rates…

These are life insurance rates typically reserved for “higher risk” applicants. They range from Table A, which would be considered the “best” or least expensive table rate, to Table J, which would be considered the “worst” or most expensive table rate.

Category #3.

The last group that we’ll commonly encounter will be those who are either suffering from complications due to their VSD (treated or not) or have been diagnosed with some “other” pre-existing medical condition.

This is where…

You’ll likely find that most life insurance companies will typically determine that these folks are too risky to provide a traditional life insurance policy. As a result, we’ll need to look at some “alternative” products, such as a Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Policy, should these “types” of applicants still want to qualify for a life insurance policy.

The good news is…

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 they can qualify for. This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss, which is…

How can I help ensure 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 precisely what you’ll find here at IBUSA!