Speak with an experienced advisor! You may wonder if you can get osteoarthritis approval for life insurance. We can assure you it is possible to get affordable life insurance protection if you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Our agents at Life-Wealth-Win can help you tremendously here!
As we get older, arthritis in our joints is common. As our bodies age, things just wear out here and there. The joints in our body are often the first place that starts hurting. The joints in our body are often the first place that starts hurting. My father has osteoarthritis, my mother in law has rheumatoid arthritis, and I’m sure I’ll have it someday too!
In this article, we will discuss your eligibility for insurance with osteoarthritis and the medical condition.
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is often called degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis. It is the most common chronic condition of the joints within the human body.
Osteoarthritis affects approximately 27 million Americans. It can affect any joint in the body, but most often occurs in the knees, hips, lower back, neck, small joints of the fingers, at the base of the thumb, or in the big toe. That is a lot of places for a body to hurt, huh?
A “normal” joint comprises a firm, rubbery material, called cartilage. This cartilage covers the end of each bone. This cartilage provides a smooth surface for the bones to glide back and forth on during joint motion. The cartilage also acts as a cushion between the bones.
When you have osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down between the joints in your body causing pain, swelling, and difficulty in moving the joint.
Osteoarthritis gets worse over time, and the bones may wear down and develop growths called “spurs”; these can cause even more pain.
In advanced cases of osteoarthritis, the cartilage wears away, and the bone ends rub against each other. This leads to even more damage to the bones and even more pain.
Who normally gets osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is most common in people who are older than 65 years old. Many things can cause osteoarthritis; the most common are:
- Increasing age
- Obesity
- Previous joint injury
- Overuse of a joint
- Weakened muscles
- Genetics
Osteoarthritis life insurance eligibility – will it affect my ability to get life insurance?
Because certain health conditions can negatively affect a person’s life expectancy, insurance companies will review all medical issues happening within your body. They will also want to understand the potential risk of insuring you, based on a complete understanding of your medical conditions.
You should have no problem getting life insurance if you have osteoarthritis.
While osteoarthritis is not considered a life-threatening medical condition, it can affect the patient’s quality of living, range of movement, and ability to perform important daily activities. These are all things the insurance companies will want to know before offering you life insurance coverage.
What will the life insurance companies want to know about my osteoarthritis?
They will want to know the same things they would want to know about a healthy person. Besides the normal life insurance questions, the insurance companies will want to know:
- Your level of physical impairment
- How much pain and discomfort you are experiencing
- Any disability or inability to perform work or life activities
- The medications you are taking (or have taken in the past)
- The amount of time since your initial diagnosis
What will my life insurance cost?
As with all life insurance, your age and health information will have the greatest impact on your life insurance costs. In the early stages of osteoarthritis, pain relief can be accomplished with over-the-counter medications, such as Aleve, Advil, or aspirin.
If your pain or treatment plan requires you take prescription medicines, this may have more of an impact on your life insurance rates than if you use over-the-counter medications. It depends on the medications you’re taking.
Some medications used to treat more severe forms of arthritis can have a negative impact on other parts of your body. They may also potentially increase your life insurance premiums.
So how do I apply for life insurance coverage?
Your best bet at getting the best rates possible is to work with an independent life insurance agency, like Life-Wealth-Win, with access to 50+ life insurance companies. This allows us to shop around for you to find the insurance companies that will view your osteoarthritis medical impairment most favorably.
If you have osteoarthritis, you may have other health conditions the insurance underwriters will also want to know about. This is where having an independent life insurance agency can benefit you; especially if they have a good relationship with the life insurance company underwriters!
If you want Life-Wealth-Win to help you find the best life insurance company and rates, just fill out our instant quote form or call us directly at (888) 435-4342.
What type of life insurance policy can I get if I have osteoarthritis?
Depending on your age, you should qualify for most term life insurance policies available through most companies.
As you get older and fall outside the age range of term life insurance policies, we can still get you into whole life or guaranteed issue life insurance policies.
No-Exam life insurance policies are often a great fit for arthritis sufferers. The underwriting guidelines are more forgiving, and you need not submit to a medical examination (which can sometimes uncover other health issues).
Where can I find the best life insurance? osteoarthritis?
That is the easy part! Call us, and we will do the shopping for you. We will just need basic information about your age, health, and lifestyle, and we will get back to you with an answer within 24 hours.
Insurance companies often specialize in specific medical conditions for life insurance coverage. This gives them a greater competitive advantage, because they understand the medical problem and associated underwriting difficulties better. This helps underwriters be more precise with their policy approval and rates.
Insurance company health problem specialization can help you get lower life insurance premiums!
What will my life insurance cost if I have osteoarthritis?
This would depend on your age and your overall health. If your health is good, and your osteoarthritis is not causing any other medical problems, you should be able to qualify for a standard insurance class rating.
If your osteoarthritis is causing additional health issues or if you have other non-related medical conditions the insurance companies view as a risk, you may fall into a substandard category for life insurance. This means you can still get life insurance coverage, it will just cost a little bit more than a standard insurance class rating.
When should I get my life insurance?
If you have a family history of arthritis, we recommend you get life insurance before you are diagnosed with arthritis or any other medical problems. This will assure you get the best life insurance rates possible.
If you already have arthritis, get your life insurance right away.
Your arthritis will get worse over time, you will be older next year, and your life insurance coverage will be more expensive tomorrow than it is today…get insured now!
What if I have severe pain due to osteoarthritis arthritis?
This may cause you to fall into a lower rate class with the insurance companies. Don’t worry about what rate class you fall into; just get some life insurance as early as you can and at a rate that will fit into your budget.
Often simplified issue policies or guaranteed issue life insurance policies will be the easiest plans to get approved. Fully underwritten policies may cause a higher table rating or get you denied for life insurance.
Should I go with the fully underwritten life insurance policy?
A fully underwritten life insurance policy will require that you submit to a brief medical exam. The insurance company will send a qualified examiner to your home, where they will ask you a series of health questions, take a blood and urine sample, check your height and weight, and ask you some additional medical and lifestyle questions.
The insurance companies will also want to understand what medications you are taking or have taken in the past. They will review your medical records for prescription and medical information that relates to your health and your osteoarthritis condition.
They will also review your medical records to assess the risk level you present before they issue you a life insurance policy. The more risk you present to them, the higher your insurance premiums will be. This is why you should always get your life insurance policy sooner versus later (before you get older or sicker)!
The insurance companies may also look at any current or past MRIs or x-rays to assess any cartilage wear or bone erosion. This will help insurance company underwriters determine the correct insurance rating class for you.
We can help you understand your options and match you with the right life insurance company that will get you the best rates!
Which life insurance carriers are the best for me and my arthritis?
Competition is your friend here! Even though you have osteoarthritis, many insurance companies will want you to be their valued client! The key is to find the right insurance companies that want to have you as a customer.
Our job at Life-Wealth-Win is to connect you with the insurance companies that will get you the best rates!
