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 Berger’s Disease or IgA Nephropathy.

Questions that will be directly addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease or IgA Nephropathy?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease or IgA Nephropathy?
• 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’ dive right in!

Can I qualify for life insurance after I’ve been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease or IgA Nephropathy?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease or IgA Nephropathy can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.  The only problem is that because there is no known cure for this disorder, individuals who have been diagnosed with, it will typically be considered a “higher risk” applicant.

Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with a Berger’s Disease or IgA Nephropathy?

The best way to understand why a life insurance company is likely to “care” if you have been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease is to first take a look at exactly what Berger’s Disease is and what can happen to those who suffer from this condition.

Berger’s Disease Defined.

Berger’s Disease is a pre-existing medical condition that affects the kidneys when a known antibody by the name of immunoglobulin A (IgA) builds up within the kidney tissues.  As a result of this IgA accumulation, inflammation and swelling will occur within the kidney, thus diminishing the kidneys’ ability to filter waste from one’s blood and, over time, can lead to total kidney failure!

Symptoms that one might experience may include:

• Cola or tea-colored urine.
• Frothy for “foamy” urine.
• Proteinuria.
• Hematuria,
• Hypertension or high blood pressure,
• Fatigue’
• Swelling of the hands and feet.
• Increased susceptibility of allergies.
• Mood swings.

And an increased susceptibility to urinary tract infections (UTI’s).

The good news is…

That with medications, one will typically be able to slow down the progress of this disease.  The bad news is that even despite this ability to slow down the progression of this disease, nearly 50% of all affected patients will eventually end up suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure.

This is why…

Prior to making any kind of decision about who they will and won’t insure, most (if not all) life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of medical questions about your Berger’s Disease so that they can get a better idea about how “serious” your condition is and whether or not you might one day become someone who may end up suffering from complete kidney failure.

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

• When were you first diagnosed with Berger’s Disease or IgA nephropathy?
• Who first diagnosed your Berger’s Disease? A general practitioner or a specialist?
• What symptoms (if any) led to your diagnosis?
• How long have you been treating your IgA nephropathy?
• What symptoms are you currently experiencing due to Berger’s disease?
• Have you noticed that your symptoms are getting better or worse (or no change)?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions or have any other medical conditions that are affecting your kidneys?
• Have you been ever  diagnosed with diabetes?
• What medications are you currently taking now?
• Over the past 12 months have any of your medications changed in any way?
• How is your condition progressing? What type of outlook has your doctor given you?
• Have you ever been hospitalized for any reason in the last two years?
• Are you currently working now?
• In the past 12 months have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?

Now at this point…

We like to remind folks that it’s important to understand that we here at I&E are not medical professionals and we’re certainly not doctors.  All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happen to be really good at helping folks with all sorts of pre-existing medical conditions find and qualify for the coverage that they’re looking for.

So, while we…

May seem to know a thing or two about a particular medical condition like Berger’s Disease, the truth is, all we know is what most life insurance underwriters like to know about your condition and how they’ll use this information to make decisions about who the will and won’t insure.  Which is a HUGE help when looking to purchase a life insurance policy, but really isn’t all that useful in any other situation.

Which is why…

If you do have any specific medical questions, we would encourage you to ask your doctor or seek out a true medical professional and save all the insurance questions for us!

What rate (or price) can I qualify for?

Now, as you can see, there are a lot of factors that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” an individual who has been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease might be able to qualify for.  This is why it’s pretty much impossible to know what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for without first speaking to you directly.

That said however…

There is one “assumption” that we can make about individuals who have been diagnosed with Berger’s Disease which is that if they are able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, it will be at a “sub-standard” rate or a “high-risk” rate class.

Which makes…

Being sure that you are applying with the “right” life insurance company all the more important because this way you can be sure that you’re not only qualifying to the “best” sub-standard rate out there, you’re also getting that “rate” at the best price.  The good news is that “finding” such a policy is pretty much all we do here at I&E so you won’t have to do this part on your own!

This brings us to the last topic that we wanted to discuss here in this article, which is…

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

In our experience here at I&E, what we have found that 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 true-life insurance professional who will work as an advocate for you.

Such an agent…

Will not only help guide you through the application process but also 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 really 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…

You’ll want to make sure that you’re completely honest with your life insurance agent prior to applying for coverage.  By doing so, you will be helping him or her narrow down what options might be the “best”.

So, what are you waiting for?  Give us a call today and see what we can do for you!