If you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you may wonder if life insurance is available. If you’ve previously been denied, you may think there’s no chance.
We have good news…most men are insurable soon after prostate cancer treatment, and in some active surveillance cases may be insurable now!
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Life Insurance for Someone with Prostate Cancer
More men are choosing active surveillance when they have localized prostate cancer.
From a medical standpoint, it can be a great option…from a life insurance standpoint, things get complicated quickly.
But that’s why we’re here to help you.
If you are currently age 60 or older, a number of options exist.
For those aged 59 and younger, limited options exist.
| TYPE | Age 45-59 | Age 60+ |
|---|---|---|
| Term | NO(1) | YES |
| Universal | NO(1) | YES |
| G. I. | YES | YES |
| Accident | YES | YES |
With active surveillance (and watch and wait), your entire PSA history is needed in order to get offers.
Under Age 60 – Stable PSA levels are needed for 3-5 years.
Age 60 or older – Stable PSA levels are needed for 12 months.
Ideal active surveillance candidates criteria:
- Age 60 or older when diagnosed
- Stage 1 cancer cells
- Gleason Score of 6 or less
- Stable PSA for 3 years or longer
- Regularly scheduled visits with your urologist.
Standard rates are available after a 12 month postpone period.
Unfavorable factors that may affect insurability:
- Age 55 or younger when diagnosed
- PSA Level of 10 or greater
- Gleason Score of 7 or greater
- Stage T2 or greater
NOTE: If you’ve had genetic testing such as the Oncotype DX GPS test, let us know.
If treatment is recommended, you’ll be postponed until after treatment.
Life Insurance After Treatment
Life insurance for prostate cancer survivors is available.
Your cancer history and the type of treatment received determine availability.
See below for full details.
Radical Prostatectomy
Getting coverage is possible in as little as 3 months after an open radical prostatectomy or laparoscopic surgery if:[1]
- Pre-treatment PSA levels of 10 or less
- Gleason score of 6 or less
Post-surgical pathology staging of T2b or less- Negative (clear) surgical margins
- PSA level less than 1.0 after treatment
- Age 60 or older at time of diagnosis
- No family history of prostate cancer
Standard rates are possible and Prudential will consider their non-smoker plus rate.
If you don’t meet the above, you’ll have to wait 12 months to get life insurance.[2]
Are preferred rates ever available?
Prudential may offer preferred rates in 2 years [3] after radical prostatectomy.
John Hancock will consider preferred rates 10 years after radical prostatectomy.
Both require that you meet the above criteria.[4]
Unfavorable factors that affect underwriting:
- Pretreatment PSA 11-20
- Gleason 7
- Cancer stage T3a
- Hormone therapy prior to treatment
- Diagnosed between age 50 – 55
- Positive surgical margins
- PSA >1.0 after surgery
- Gleason 8
- Cancer stage T3b or greater *
- Hormones after treatment *
- Any Recurrence *
- Diagnosed prior to age 50 *
* Requires a 5 year postpone[1]
If you had lymph nodes tested, let us know if they were cancerous or not.
Let us know if you’ve had other health issues as they will impact underwriting.
Radiation Therapy
Life insurance is available 12 months after completing radiation therapy.
Underwriters want to see that treatment worked and cancer is in remission.
The following is considered ideal:
- A pre-treatment PSA level of 10 or less
- Gleason score of 6 or less, and some Gleason 7 (3+4)
- Post-treatment PSA level of 0.2 or less.
- PSA level stable for more than 12 months
- Age 60 or older at time of diagnosis
If you meet the above, some life insurers will consider “standard” rates or possibly a “non-smoker plus” rate.
Your entire PSA history (dates and level) is needed from the time it first became elevated until now.
You’ll also need your prostate tissue biopsy report.
The biopsy evaluates tissue samples and provides an estimated cancer stage and Gleason Score.
Unfavorable radiation therapy factors:
- Gleason Score of 7 (when it’s a 4+3)
- Under Age 60 when diagnosed
- Hormonal Therapy
- PSA Increase of 1.0 or more above your nadir
- Gleason Grade of 8 or greater.
PSA increases greater than 2.0 ng/ml is considered a recurrence of cancer.
Cancer recurrence requires a 5 year postpone period.
A quick note about radiation – The type of treatment and dose of radiation doesn’t matter as much as the outcome.
Types of radiation therapy include:
- Internal radiation such as brachytherapy.
- External radiation such as EBRT- IMRT, IGRT, 3D-CRT, SBRT, and Proton Beam.
We’ll also need to know about other prostate disorders you may have had such as BPH, prostatitis, and high-grade PIN.
Prostatectomy and Radiation
Underwriting more closely follows radiation treatment guidelines when,
You’ve had a surgical procedure removing your prostate and had external beam radiation therapy.
This represents a more extensive cancer and underwriting will be on a case-by-case review.
Prostate Cancer Underwriting Questions
Underwriters need to know:
- When were you diagnosed?
- What was your PSA level at the time of diagnosis?
- How was cancer treated?
- Radical Prostatectomy
- Radiation
- Active Surveillance – Watch & Wait
- Other
- The date of surgery or the start of treatment?
- The end date of all treatment?
- What stage and grade was cancer?
- What was the Gleason score?
- Were surgical margins positive or negative?
- Has cancer reoccurred?
- Have you had any genetic testing?
Once we have all underwriting feedback, we’ll provide you with accurate quotes from all companies willing to offer coverage.
Denied Due to Prostate Cancer?
Have you been denied because of prostate cancer?
Many declines are due to working with the wrong life insurer as only a few specialize in high-risk cases.
Life Insurance Success Stories
Here are some actual clients that we have helped.
Gleason 6 – Radical Prostatectomy
- Age 55 at the time of diagnosis
- Stage T1b Prostate Cancer
- PSA was 6
- Gleason was a 6
- Radical prostatectomy 2 years ago
- No further treatment required.
- No recurrence
Approved – Non-Smoker Plus rates
Gleason 7 – Radical Prostatectomy
- Age 54 when diagnosed
- Stage T1c prostate cancer
- PSA was 6
- Gleason = 7 (3+4)
- Radical prostatectomy 3 years ago
- No further treatment required.
- No recurrence
Approved – Standard Non-Tobacco rates plus a 3-year flat extra expense of $600 per every $100,000 of coverage.
Gleason 7 is the reason for the more expensive life insurance rate.
Active Surveillance Treatment Plan
- Age 69 when diagnosed
- Stage T1a
- Historical PSA of 5.0
- Rising PSA Level
- 5.1 at diagnosis
- 5.6 at 6 months
- Gleason 6
- Active Surveillance
Approved – Standard Non-Tobacco rates.
For the active surveillance history, life insurers were concerned about the 0.5 increase in 6 months.
But, it was documented that he planned to start treatment should his PSA reach 6.
Radiation using Brachytherapy
- Age 68 when diagnosed
- Stage 1
- Pre-Treatment PSA = 6.5
- Gleason Score – 6
- Brachytherapy treatment
- Post-Treatment PSA Level has been 0.8 – 1.0.
- No recurrence
Approved – Standard Non-Tobacco rates.
For brachytherapy cases, underwriters focus on PSA levels after reaching your nadir (lowest level).
FAQ
The following are the most common questions we receive.
You can get life insurance if you meet the criteria we described above.
Life insurance is available if you meet the active surveillance criteria described.
Prudential, Lincoln Financial Group, John Hancock, and Protective Life are some of the best insurance carriers.
Some companies specialize in radiation and active surveillance, while others specialize in radical prostatectomy.
Keep in mind that only a few companies specialize in high-risk coverage, that’s why it’s important to work with us.
Radical prostatectomy is favored in the early years, but radiation and active surveillance receive similar offers as more time passes.
We found a great resource for understanding your diagnosis at the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Ready to take your next step?
Request your quote today!
Conclusion
There’s never any pressure or obligation with our service.
We provide you with underwriting feedback from insurance carriers that specialize in high-risk underwriting.
We show you exactly how your cancer history affects life insurance underwriting and rates.
You’ll receive accurate quotes based on your medical history.
Thank you.
Michael Horbal
Author
Michael Horbal is the founder and owner of RiskQuoter.com and a licensed life insurance agent who has helped thousands with affordable protection for families and businesses.
References
[1] Prudential Financial, Inc. (2017) Prostate Cancer [PDF file]
[2] Lincoln National (2020) Prostate Cancer Life Insurance Application Result
[3] Prudential Financial, Inc. (2016) Good News for Clients Treated for Cancer [PDF file]
[4] John Hancock Insurance (2018) Field Underwriting Guide – Your Guide to Underwriting Impairments, Part II Pg. 23 [PDF file]
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