Life insurance with Epilepsy - Epilepsy Message Board

Phantom_309 · 02-23-2004, 01:38 PM

I have had epilepsy since early 2001. I have had a total of 5 grand mal seizures (the last two were within a couple hours time period). I had the last two seizures after being switched from Dilantin to Depakote. After I had the last two seizures, Phenobarbitol was added to my meds and I haven't had a single seizure since Oct. 10th, 2002.

Anyway..........

I have a baby boy that is due to be born March 9th and I was going to look into getting life insurance. How does having a pre-existing medical condition such as epilepsy affect my chances of getting a good life insurance policy? Am I going to be charged much more than a person without an existing medical condition?

Thanks!

Karla · 02-24-2004, 11:56 AM

I have 3 life insurance policies and was never denied due to epilepsy. They didn't jack the price up either. I think you will find them fare to you.

Phantom_309 · 02-24-2004, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karla

I have 3 life insurance policies and was never denied due to epilepsy. They didn't jack the price up either. I think you will find them fare to you.

Thanks,

I'll see what happens because I was going to try and get insurance anyway. Just wanted to be a little more prepared.

mommajessibelle · 02-25-2004, 07:20 AM

[I was wondering the same thing about life insurance me and my husband were just talking about that the other night as we have 3 children I did try to get one and was denied it was somewhere around 4 years ago though

Lisa T · 02-25-2004, 08:57 AM

Hey guys it just so happens that my hubbie sells insurance, so I asked him to jump on here and give you some info.....

The company I work for issues policies based on an individual's medical history. The main factor that determines if you can get life insurance, whether or not it gets rated(higher premium), or denied is how your doctor writes your medical records.

When I write a policy on someone with a medical history, such as epilepsy, I am required to fill out additional forms related to that persons condition. The company will order medical records from your doctor(s), hospitals (if you have been hospitalized), and therapists. They will also order a driving record from your driver's license. I can tell you that if your driving privileges have been suspended due to epilepsy, there is a greater risk of being rated or denied for life insurance. Again, each person is evaluated individually.

When you fill out an application to a life insurance company, you are asking the company to cover your life for a specified amount of coverage based on your medical history. This is called a proposal. After checking your medical history and driving abstract, the company can respond in one of three ways. First, they agree with your proposal and issue the policy as asked. Second, they could ammend the proposal and offer a lessor amount of coverage for the same premium. Third, they could deny you life insurance and simply say "I,m sorry" and return your initial premuim.

When your application comes back from underwriting, it is not an official life insurance policy until you sign a receipt agreeing to the terms of the issued policy. If you sign off on it, you usually have a free look period of 10 days to look the policy over.

I hope this answers your concerns. What do you have to lose if you don't apply. If you do not agree with the policy as issued, you can get your money back within the free look period. Please contact Lisa with any further questions.

There you go guys, hope this helped out alittle.... anymore questions let me know and I can ask Randy for you!

Have a good one!
Lisa