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 Gout.
Questions that will be directly addressed will include:
- Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Gout?
- Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Gout?
- 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 if I have been diagnosed with Gout?
Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Gout 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 Preferred rating when applying for a no exam term life insurance policy!
The only problem is…
That while it is true that Gout isn’t considered a “life-threatening” medical condition, if left untreated or poorly managed, studies have shown that having frequent Gout “episodes” can increase one’s chances of developing some pretty serious medical conditions later on in life.
This is why…
Prior to being approved for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, one should expect to have to answer several questions about their Gout so that a life insurance underwriter can get a better idea about how serious your condition is and what “kind” of risk you would pose to them should they decide to approve your application.
Why do life insurance companies care if I’ve been diagnosed with Gout?
If you ask most people who have ever experienced Gout, they will all pretty much agree that it is a terrible thing to experience. That said, however far fewer would agree that it is something that ought to affect the outcome of their life insurance application!
But the truth is…
Frequent “gout” attacks combined with poor or no management of this condition can lead to some pretty serious consequences. Which is why we wanted to take a moment and discuss what Gout is. As well as discuss some of the serious consequences that can occur so that we can all have a better understanding of “why” a life insurance company is likely to “care” if you have been diagnosed with it in the past.
Gout Defined:
At its core, Gout is actually a form of inflammatory arthritis that can develop when someone has high levels of uric acid in their blood. When this occurs, the uric acid ends up forming small needle-like crystals within a patient’s joints, causing one to suffer from sudden and severe bouts of pain.
Symptoms may include:
- Sudden and severe joint pain,
- Redness and swelling of the joints,
- Feeling like you big toe is on fire!
- Difficulty walking,
- Etc…
Long term consequences of Gout may include:
- Permanent joint damage and/or deformity,
- Loss of mobility or range of motion,
- Bone loss,
- Development of Toppi which are “chalky” lumps or deposits that form underneath the skin,
- Kidney stones,
- Chronic kidney disease,
- Etc…
It’s these potential long term consequences that will make a life insurance company “care” about the fact that you have been diagnosed with Gout in the past and why most life insurance companies are going to want to ask you a series of medical questions about your Gout before approving your traditional life insurance application.
What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
nsurance companies will likely ask for a variety of information regarding your gout to determine your risk level and insurance options. Some common questions they may ask include:
- When were you diagnosed with gout?
- How often do you experience gout flare-ups?
- What medications do you take for gout?
- Have you ever been hospitalized for gout or related complications?
- Have you experienced any joint damage or related complications as a result of gout?
- Do you follow a specific diet or exercise regimen to manage your gout?
- Have you ever had kidney stones or kidney damage related to gout?
- Do you have any other medical conditions that may be related to or exacerbated by gout?
- Are you a smoker or consume alcohol regularly?
- Have you ever been denied insurance coverage or had an insurance claim denied due to gout or related complications in the past?
Based on your answers to these questions, the insurance company will assess your risk level and determine whether or not they are willing to offer you coverage. They may also ask for additional medical records or request a medical exam to further evaluate your health. Depending on the severity and frequency of your gout flare-ups and related complications, the insurance company may offer specialized insurance policies or higher premiums to cover the increased risk.
Now at this point…
We usually like to take a moment and remind folks that nobody here at IBUSAs any kind of “official” medical training, 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 pre-existing medical conditions like this one, find and qualify for the life insurance coverage that they are looking for.
But…
Not so great if you’re looking for answers to any specific medical questions. In cases like these, we would recommend that you contact a true medical professional who has the training to help. For everyone else, you’re in luck because now we’re going to get into some of the “nitty-gritty” about what you may or may not be able to qualify for.
What rate (or price) can I qualify for?
Now as you can see, by the questions above, most life insurance companies aren’t going to have a whole lot of “specific” question for someone who has been previously diagnosed with Gout because all they’re going to want to know is:
- How frequently do you suffering from Gout?
- How you’re treating your Gout?
- And if you’ve developed any permanent consequences due to your Gout?
From there, most life insurance underwriters will have enough information for them to make their decision about what kind of “rate” that you will be able to qualify for.
The problem is…
Unless you’re someone who has only suffered from one or two separate “episodes” of Gout in which case your previous diagnosis probably won’t have a significant effect on the outcome of your life insurance application, knowing what kind of rate that you might be able to qualify for is pretty much impossible!
This is because…
If you are someone who frequently suffers from Gout, different insurance underwriters representing different life insurance companies are going to have an enormous amount of “subjectivity” when making their underwriting decisions. This is why, if you are someone like this, you will want to be very careful with which life insurance company you ultimately decide to apply with.
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 Gout?
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.
