Migraine Headaches and Life Insurance.

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 Migraines.

Questions that will be addressed will include:

• Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Migraines?
• Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Migraines?
• 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 Migraines?

Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with Migraines 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 some of the best no medical exam life insurance companies at a Preferred rate!

The problem is…

That the “severity” and “frequency” upon which someone might suffer from a migraine can vary significantly from one individual to the next which, can and often will, play a major role in the determining qualify of life of an individual which can play a major role in the outcome of one’s life insurance application.

Additionally…

Because headaches can often be a symptom of some other “kind” of pre-existing medical condition, most (if not all) of the top-rated life insurance companies will want to make sure that your Migraine is simply a migraine and not a symptom of some other more “serious” medical condition.

Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Migraines?

As we just stated, there are essentially two major reasons why a life insurance company is going to “care” if you have been diagnosed with Migraines. The first reason is that they will want to make sure that your diagnosis isn’t preventing you from being able to live a “normal” life (whatever that is) and second, they’ll want to make sure that your Migraines aren’t actually a symptom of some other pre-existing medical condition such as:

• Meningitis,
• Intracranial pressure abnormalities,
• Aneurysm,
• Tumors,
• Traumatic brain injury.
• Etc…

Which is why we wanted to take a moment and actually discuss what a Migraine is as well as highlight some of the most common symptoms of a Migraine so that we’ll have a better idea of exactly what a life insurance underwriter will be looking for when making his or her decision about your life insurance application.

Migraines Defined:

Migraines are defined as a type of reoccurring headache that can cause moderate to severe pain that arrives in throbbing or pulsating waves. This pain is often only felt on one side of the head.

Common symptoms may include:

• Dull aching headache that grows into a throbbing pain,
• Sensitivity to light, noises and sometimes even certain smells,
• Loss of appetite,
• Nausea and/or vomiting,
• Fatigue,
• Diarrhea,
• Etc…

Common causes of Migraines may include:

• Stress,
• Depression and/or anxiety,
• Tiredness,
• Physical overexertion,
• Etc…

Fortunately…

Some folks can use certain medications to both reduce the frequency of Migraines that they suffer from as well as minimize the severity of the pain that they experience from ones that do occur. If you do suffer from Migraines, it’s important to seek proper medical care so that you don’t have to suffer needlessly.

“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 harm yourself!

Second…

Nobody here at IBUSA is medically trained, and we’re certainly not doctors. All we ware 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 Migraines… 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 was the first time that you suffered from a Migraine?
• How frequently do you suffer from Migraines?
• When was the last time you suffered from a Migraine?
• Is there anything specific that causes you to suffer from a Migraine?
• How severe are your Migraines?
• Have you been diagnosed with any other pre-existing medical conditions?
• How are you currently treating your Migraines and/or what steps are you taking to minimize the frequency of your Migraines?
• Are you currently taking any prescription medications right now?
• In the past two years, have you been hospitalized 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, there are a lot of factors that can come into play when trying to determine what kind of “rate” you might be able to qualify for after having been diagnosed with Migraine headaches. 

This is why it’s almost impossible to know for sure what kind of “rate” you might qualify for without first speaking with you for a few minutes.

That said however…

There are a few “assumptions” that we can make about how a life insurance underwriter will typically view an applicant who has been diagnosed with Migraines that will generally hold true and hopefully provide you with a “basic” idea about what you may or may not be able to qualify for.

For example…

If you are someone who has been diagnosed with Migraines at least one year ago and don’t suffer from any other pre-existing medical conditions which could be the “cause” of your Migraines, it’s reasonable to assume that most life insurance companies aren’t going to use your diagnosis as a reason to discriminate against you provided that your Migraines are preventing you from being able to live a “normal” life. 

And by “Normal” we…

Mean that you are able to maintain steady employment (when applicable) and aren’t receiving any disability benefits due to your condition.

Now…

As for those who may be suffering from Migraines as a result of some other pre-existing medical condition or suffer from such severe Migraines that they may prevent them from being able to live a “normal” life (whatever that means), what you’re generally going to find is that in most cases you will likely be considered a “high-risk” applicant. 

In some cases…

You may not even be able to qualify for a traditional life insurance policy. In cases like these, we’ll often recommend taking a look at either a Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Policy or an Accident Death Policy.

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!