Is life insurance available, how do you get it, and what is it going to cost you?
Quick Navigation:
- Can I Get Life Insurance After Prostate Cancer?
- Getting Life Insurance With Prostate Cancer
- How to Get Approved
- Prostate Cancer Underwriting Questions
While cancer underwriting is complicated, we simplify the process for you by shopping the best life insurers!
Can I Get Life Insurance After Prostate Cancer?
YES, life insurance is available after prostate cancer.
Know the answers to these questions. (we’ll help you)
How long do I have to wait to get life insurance?
Here’s where it gets complicated as your specific history coupled with the type of treatment will determine your rate.
Submit your request now and we’ll get right to work and explain everything with your quotes. –>
Some examples:
Life Insurance after Radical Prostatectomy
You may have to wait 12 months with most companies to get life insurance after prostate cancer surgery. [1]
But…
In some specific cases, life insurance is available in 3 months if you meet the following criteria. [2]
- 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
- Post-treatment PSA level less than 1.0
- Age 60 or older at time of diagnosis
- No family history of prostate cancer
Are preferred rates available after prostate cancer surgery?
Not very often, but John Hancock and Prudential do have limited opportunities for preferred rates if you meet the above.
Prudential may offer a preferred rate 2 years [3] after a radical prostatectomy.
John Hancock will consider preferred rates 10 years after a radical prostatectomy if you meet the above. [4]
What happens if you don’t meet the above criteria?
Life insurance is still available but you’ll probably have to wait 12 months or longer.
Additional flat extras and/or table ratings may be added to your rate.
Negative risk factors that affect underwriting include:
- Pretreatment PSA 11-20
- Gleason 7
- Cancer stage T3a
- Hormones 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 under age 50 *
* These factors require a 5 year postpone in most cases [1]
The more negative underwriting factors you have, the more complicated prostate cancer underwriting becomes.
If you’ve had other significant health issues such as heart conditions or other cancers, we need to know about that.
When you submit your request, we’ll review it and let you know what to expect with life insurance rates. –>
Life Insurance after Radiation Therapy
Life insurance is available 12 months after completing radiation therapy.
Life insurers want to see that your treatment worked and your cancer is in remission.
The following is considered ideal for radiation therapy:
- 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
The best life insurance companies will consider a “standard” rate and possibly a “non-smoker plus” life insurance rate.
Your entire PSA history (dates and level) is needed from the time it first became elevated until now.
We’ll also need to know about other prostate disorders you may have had such as BPH, prostatitis, and high-grade PIN.
Negative radiation therapy factors include:
- 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 Score of 8 or greater.
PSA increases greater than 2.0 ng/ml and is considered a recurrence of prostate cancer.
Cancer recurrence typically requires a 5 year postpone period after treatment.
A quick note about types of radiation therapy – The type of treatment doesn’t matter as much as the outcome.
Types of treatment include brachytherapy, EBRT- IMRT, IGRT, 3D-CRT, SBRT, and Proton Beam.
Getting Life Insurance With Prostate Cancer
If you have prostate cancer now and your treatment is active surveillance, here’s what you need to know.
While active surveillance is more common today, life insurers have been slow to react, but…
Underwriting is based on your age, PSA history and the details of your active surveillance program
You can get approved if you meet the following guidelines.
Age 45 – 54 – The only options available to you right now will be a guaranteed issue policy ($25k or less) and/or accidental death.
The only company (Symetra) that was offering coverage to this age range discontinued its program. [5]
Age 55 – 59 – Most companies will postpone life insurance until you are age 60 or older.
In some cases, term life insurance is available, but companies look for 3-5 years of stable PSA levels and urologist follow-up every 6 months.
Age 60 – 64 – Term life insurance is available with a few companies if it’s been 12 months since diagnosis, your Gleason Score was 6 or less, PSA level is 10 or less and stable.
Age 65 or older – Once you are age 65+, more companies become available. Insurers are still looking for 12 months since diagnosis, PSA of 10 or less and stable, and a Gleason Score of 6.
If your Gleason score is a 7, we have a company willing to consider coverage.
What do life insurance underwriters want to know about your active surveillance history?
With active surveillance (and watch and wait), your entire PSA history is needed in order to get life insurance offers from companies.
Underwriters want to know your age when diagnosed, your PSA history, Gleason score, and your follow-up history.
The most ideal active surveillance candidates meet the following criteria:
- Age 60 or older when diagnosed
- Stage 1 prostate cancer
- Gleason Score of 6 or less
- Stable PSA for 3 years or longer
- Regularly scheduled visits with your urologist.
If you meet these criteria, standard life insurance rates are available after the initial 12 month postpone period.
What happens if you don’t “fit” the above criteria?
Life insurance companies look at the number of unfavorable factors when underwriting your file.
Unfavorable active surveillance factors include:
- Age 55 or younger when diagnosed
- PSA Level of 10 or greater
- Gleason Score of 7 or greater
- Stage T2 or greater
If your records indicate that treatment is recommended, life insurance companies will postpone coverage until after treatment.
Favorable Active Surveillance Factors:
We’re seeing more and more men choose active surveillance for localized prostate cancer.
Life insurers are beginning to improve their active surveillance underwriting.
For example:
One of the tests we now see is the Oncotype DX GPS test.
This test was designed to help men with low-risk cancer decide between active surveillance and treatment.
If you’ve had this test, let us know as we can use it to obtain approvals.
Radical Prostatectomy and Radiation
If you’ve had a radical prostatectomy and radiation therapy, underwriting follows radiation therapy guidelines first.
This is different than if you had a radical prostatectomy, a recurrence and then salvage radiation of prostate cancer.
This scenario is a case by case for underwriting purposes.
How to Get Approved
Here’s what you need to know in order for us to help you.
1. Know Your Dates – Know the date of prostate cancer diagnosis, surgery, start and end dates of any radiation treatment as well as follow-up dates.
2. Have your PSA history available – Underwriters need your PSA history, including both pre-cancer PSA tests as well as your most recent results.
If you’ve had radiation, we need all PSA tests.
3. Get your prostate cancer stage from the biopsy and pathology reports – For a radical prostatectomy, get a copy of the post-surgical pathology report.
For radiation and surveillance, get the biopsy report. The highest stage indicated is used for underwriting purposes.
4. Get your Gleason Score – Your Gleason score is found on the post-surgical pathology report for radical prostatectomies and the biopsy report for radiation or active surveillance.
5. Know what type of treatment you received – Did you have surgery, radiation, both? Make sure you know all dates.
For surgery, it’s also important to look at the post-surgical pathology report to see if margins were positive or clear.
6. Did you have any cancer recurrence? If cancer has returned, it’s important for you to have all the details.
7. Final Step – Submit your quote request to us. It takes 3 days or less to hear back from life insurance companies.
At that time we can start the application with the best life insurance company.
Keep in mind that with our service, there is never any pressure or obligation. We’ll give you the information you need to make an informed decision about your life insurance.
Life insurers will also ask you about any history of BPH or prostatitis before your cancer diagnosis.
Prostate Cancer Underwriting Questions
Underwriters need to know:
- When were you diagnosed with prostate cancer?
- 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 was the prostate cancer?
- What was the Gleason score?
- Were surgical margins positive or negative?
- Has cancer reoccurred?
We use the details of your medical history to reach out to companies with our quick quote process.
A quick quote gets preliminary feedback from all competitive companies in about 3 days.
Once we have all underwriting feedback, we’ll let you know what to expect in terms of underwriting and price.
Denied Life Insurance Due to Prostate Cancer?
Have you been denied life insurance because of prostate cancer?
Make sure you read this guide before you apply for life insurance again.
Many declines are due to working with the wrong life insurance company as only a few specialize in prostate cancer.
Life Insurance Success Stories
We’ve helped many cancer survivors find affordable coverage from the best life insurance companies.
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 at 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 at Standard Non-Tobacco rates plus a flat extra expense of $600 per every $100,000 of coverage. The flat extra lasts for 3 years.
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 at Standard Non-Tobacco rates.
For the active surveillance history, life insurers were concerned about the 0.5 increase in 6 months.
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 at Standard Non-Tobacco rates.
For brachytherapy cases, underwriters focus on PSA levels after reaching your nadir (lowest level).
Increases greater than 2.0 ng/mL is a recurrence of prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer Life Insurance FAQ
We’ve specialized in prostate cancer life insurance since 1998. The following are the most common questions we receive.
You can get life insurance after prostate cancer if you meet the criteria we described above.
Life insurance is available if you currently have prostate cancer and meet the active surveillance criteria described.
The best companies depend on the type of treatment and your details, but Prudential, Lincoln Financial Group, John Hancock, and Protective Life are some of the best.
Yes, absolutely! Some companies specialize in radiation and active surveillance, while others specialize in radical prostatectomy.
If you were denied, keep in mind that only a few companies specialize in prostate cancer, that’s why it’s important to work with a high-risk life insurance specialist like us.
Life insurance companies favor radical prostatectomy in the early years, but radiation and active surveillance receive similar offers as more time passes since diagnosis.
Many times, the first indication that something is wrong starts with an abnormal PSA test or DRE (digital rectal exam).
And while our information is great for life insurance, the best resource we found for understanding your prostate cancer diagnosis is with this guide
It was written by the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF).
Prostate Cancer Life Insurance Conclusion
We provide you with underwriting feedback from the best life insurance companies for prostate cancer survivors.
You’ll learn what to expect in terms of underwriting and price.
We’ll provide you with accurate quotes for term life insurance as well as universal life insurance if you like.
There’s no pressure or obligation with our life insurance service.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your quote request.
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]
[5] Symetra Life Insurance Company (2015) Bluemetric Life Insurance Program – New for Men with Prostate Cancer [PDF file]
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