Category: High Risk
Can breast cancer survivors get life insurance?
Yes, and we help you get approved with life insurers that specialize in high-risk.
Breast cancer life insurance underwriting depends on:
We specialize in cancer life insurance and will help you find affordable life insurance from top-rated companies.
After you complete all treatment, most life insurers postpone offering coverage for a period of time.
After the postpone period, a flat extra charge may be added to your price.
While flat extras are temporary (3-5 years), they are expensive and add $600 – $1,000 per every $100,000 of coverage.
For most breast cancer survivors, a “standard” or possibly a “standard plus” is the best rate that will ever be available.
The cancer stage is the starting point for life insurance companies.
While many other factors impact life insurance underwriting, all carriers start with the breast cancer stage.
Keep in mind that the following are general guidelines as every cancer history is uniquely different.
Stage zero breast cancer, also commonly referred to as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
This is the earliest form of breast cancer.
It may be possible to obtain life insurance 3-6 months after treatment has been completed.
You may be able to get a “standard” or “standard plus” rate with some companies.
If you had lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), the same underwriting rules as DCIS apply.
The best way to start is with a copy of the pathology report.
The reason why is that slight variations may result in significantly different underwriting outcomes.
Details that we need to know about your DCIS history include:
How was the DCIS treated?
The above factors determine when life insurance is available.
For this client, Prudential offered the best option at a non-smoker plus (standard plus) final offer.
We use a quick quote process that allows us to shop life insurers quickly for underwriting feedback.
The benefit of a quick quote is you’ll receive preliminary quotes upfront before you complete an application.
Most Stage 1A and Stage 1B cancers are insurable within 3-6 months of treatment.
The following weigh more favorably in underwriting:
Stage 1c breast cancers follow the underwriting rules for stage 2 cancers as mentioned later in this article.
If your breast cancer was ER-Positive, standard life insurance rates are possible.
If not ER-Positive, most insurers will postpone offering life insurance for 1-2 years after all treatment.
A temporary flat extra (3-5 years) of $500-$750 per every $100,000 of life insurance is added to the standard rate.
If your cancer was stage 1C breast cancer, please follow the guidelines for Stage 2 cancers mentioned below.
Stage 2 breast cancers require a postpone period before life insurance will be available.
The waiting period depends on factors such as:
Stage 2A breast cancers typically require 5-year waiting periods after completion of all treatment.
Stage 2B breast cancers require 5-10 year postpone periods before life insurance is available.
When life insurance is available, it’s common to see underwriting offers as follows:
Standard rates plus a table rating and a flat extra will apply.
The table rating is permanent and adds 50% to standard rates.
The temporary flat extra will add $1,000 – $1,500 per every $100,000 of coverage you apply for.
The difference between Stage 2A and 2B cancers is the length of time that the flat extra will last.
Standard rates plus the 50% table rating and the temporary flat extra expense.
Stage 3 breast cancer requires postpone periods of 10-15 years.
Life insurance is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Best-case scenarios require a 50-100% table rating and a flat extra expense.
The flat will add $1,500 – $2000 per every $100,000 of life insurance range.
The type of life insurance available for stage 4 breast cancers is limited to guaranteed issue life insurance policies.
For estate planning cases involving a survivorship policy, one insured may be listed as uninsurable.
Underwriters need to know:
Don’t worry if you do not have all the answers to the following. We’ll work with the information you have available.
Have you been denied life insurance due to breast cancer?
Some of the common misconceptions about life insurance for breast cancer survivors include:
Of the 100+ life insurers in America, less than 10 of these companies specialize in life insurance for breast cancer survivors.
This is where we can help you with our underwriting expertise.
We’ll help you find the best life insurance companies based on your individual breast cancer history.
Something for you to keep in mind is that you should re-shop the market each year when a flat extra is involved.
The reason why is that we may find a company next year that doesn’t require the flat extra.
First off, there is never any pressure or obligation with our service.
You get the information you need to make an informed decision about life insurance.
At any time should you change your mind, simply tell us to close your file!
With our process, we’ll gather your medical history and reach out to life insurers for underwriting feedback.
It takes 3-4 days to receive all preliminary underwriting feedback.
We’ll tell you what each company has to say and what to expect in terms of price.
Or call us at Toll-Free 800-909-2040 to discuss. Thank you.
We take our responsibility seriously and will do whatever we can to make sure you end up with the best life insurance company based on your unique life insurance needs and situation.
Kind words from happy customers who have a lot to say about our service!