Multiple sclerosis doesn’t have to be a barrier to life insurance. With the right knowledge and planning, you can still protect your family’s financial future.
While multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered a high-risk medical condition for life insurance, it doesn’t mean you’re uninsurable.
We show you how to find the best policies available.
- What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- How Does MS Impact Life Insurance Eligibility and Rates?
- Life Insurance Underwriting Outcomes for MS
- Step-by-Step Guide to Obtaining Life Insurance with MS
- Expert Recommendations: Top Life Insurance Carriers for MS
- FAQ About Life Insurance and MS
- Take Action: Get Your Personalized Life Insurance Quotes Today
What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system, affecting millions, according to the MS Society.
MS occurs more frequently with women than men.
The immune system attacks the myelin (the protective cover of nerve fibers) and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body.
Types of Multiple Sclerosis 1
Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) – A single neurologic inflammation of your central nervous system that places the patient at a higher risk for future development of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS)2
Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) – The most common type (85%) of MS, with attacks followed by periods of remission.
Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) – Progressive worsening of neurologic functions, shorter remissions, and some disability.
Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) worsens neurologic functions with little to no remissions.
Common MS symptoms include:
- Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs
- Lack of coordination, unsteady walk
- Tingling
- Vision problems
- Cognitive problems, mood disorders
Underwriting is more difficult for more severe symptoms.
If cognitive health issues and mood disorders progress, the types of life insurance policies available may be limited to guaranteed issue final expense policies.
How Does MS Impact Life Insurance Eligibility and Rates?
We’ll ask you the following underwriting questions about your MS history in order to provide you with accurate quotes.
- What type of MS do you have?
- How many attacks per year do you have on average?
- What was the date of your last episode?
- What symptoms and complications do you have?
- Do you fully recover in between episodes?
- What types of diagnostic tests have you had? Spinal tap, MRI, Evoked Potential test, etc.
- What were the results of those tests?
- What medications do you take?
- What treatments have you received?
- Have you developed any cognitive impairments?
- Do you have any history of anxiety, depression, bipolar, etc?
- Do you have any other medical conditions? Heart disease, cancer history, diabetes, etc.
A major factor for life insurance underwriting is the time since your last attack.
Since there are no specific tests to detect MS, neurologists often perform tests to rule out medical conditions that may mimic MS.
Spinal Tap – a sample of spinal fluid is analyzed for antibodies associated with MS and to rule out other conditions.
MRI – An MRI is done to look for lesions on the brain.
Evoked Potential Tests – Electrical signals from your nervous system are recorded in response to visual or electrical stimuli. Electrodes measure how quickly the signals travel through your nervous system.
Life insurance companies may have you complete their basic cognitive tests as part of a paramed exam.
Life Insurance Underwriting Outcomes for MS
Something to keep in mind is that rates tend to improve as more time passes between episodes/attacks.
We may be able to get you one rate today, and if 12 more months pass with no episodes, it’s worth it to revisit the market for a better rate.
How We Get You The Best Rate
If you were to try and get the best rate on your own, you would need to apply to every company separately, answer all their questions, and wait until you receive an underwriting decision.
Instead, we use a Quick Quote process that gets underwriting feedback in about 3 business days.
A quick quote is a summary of your medical history that we shop to life insurance companies that specialize in MS.
The benefit to you is that you’ll know which companies are best before you apply.
General Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Underwriting Guidelines3 4 5
| Time Since the Last Attack | Possible Underwriting Offers |
| Less Than 1 Year | Postpone for most cases |
| 1 Year – 2 Years | Table 2-6 Rating |
| 3 – 5 Years | Standard – Table 5 Rating |
| 6-10 Years | Standard – Table 3 Rating |
| 10 Years or Longer | Standard Plus Rates, possible preferred |
Sample Life Insurance Rates for MS
The best offers go to those with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS).
The following examples are all based on $500,000 – 20-year term life insurance with rates as of 6-28-2024
| Age 35 | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Plus | $338 | $398 |
| Table 2 | $462 | $551 |
| Table 3 | $524 | $628 |
| Table 4 | $585 | $705 |
| Table 5 | $647 | $782 |
| Table 6 | $709 | $859 |
| Age 40 | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Plus | $442 | $542 |
| Table 2 | $618 | $767 |
| Table 3 | $706 | $880 |
| Table 4 | $794 | $993 |
| Table 5 | $882 | $1106 |
| Table 6 | $970 | $1219 |
| Age 45 | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Plus | $677 | $865 |
| Table 2 | $970 | $1252 |
| Table 3 | $1117 | $1445 |
| Table 4 | $1263 | $1639 |
| Table 5 | $1410 | $1832 |
| Table 6 | $1557 | $2026 |
If you’ve had normal neurologic examinations, no symptoms, and long periods between episodes, a “standard plus”
Step-by-Step Guide to Obtaining Life Insurance with MS
Getting life insurance starts with a quick quote. This is where we summarize your medical history and shop high-risk companies for underwriting feedback.
It takes about 3 business days to hear back from all companies and at that time we can tell you what to expect in terms of price.
Once we have the feedback, we can provide you with quotes for term, universal or whole life insurance coverage.
Expert Recommendations: Top Life Insurance Carriers for MS
It’s important to remember that not every life insurance company specializes in underwriting MS.
In fact, the best life insurance companies for MS include:
MS Underwriting by Corebridge Financial
AIG-Corebridge – Have not updated their MS guidelines recently, but underwriting continues to be favorable in our experience.
Corebridge uses the following severity index when evaluating applicants:
- Mild – Table 3
- Moderate – Table 6
- Severe – Table 8
- Extreme – Decline
If you’ve had a diagnosis of benign MS with no symptoms for 5+ years, it’s possible to obtain a standard plus rate with Corebridge.
Underwriting MS with Banner Life
Banner Life Underwriting for MS – Banner’s Dialogue underwriting newsletter mentions three applicant scenarios:
- A 50-year-old with RRMS, no episodes in the past 10 years, normal neuro workups with recent follow-up = Standard Plus rating.
- A 35-year-old with RRMS, diagnosed 5 years ago, one episode per year with last episode 10 months ago = Standard Plus Table 2 rating.
- 30-year-old with PRMS, diagnosed two years ago, wheelchair bound with recent hospitalizations = DECLINE
How John Hancock Underwrites MS
John Hancock Underwriting for MS – Offers The Underwriting Edge and underwrites multiple sclerosis based on the severity of the disease and time since the last attack.
Underwriting uses its own proprietary severity criteria chart to assess rates, with some examples of moderate MS underwriting here:
| Time Since Last Attack | Under Age 40 at Onset | Over Age 40 at Onset |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 year | Postpone | Postpone |
| 1-3 years | Table 8 | Table 6 |
| 3-5 years | Table 6 | Table 4 |
| 5+ years | Table 4 | Table 3 |
| 10+ years | 2 table credit | 2 table credit |
John Hancock also considers the age at onset, secondary symptoms, and the rate at which MS is progressing.
The Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is considered as part of underwriting.
Underwriting MS with Prudential
Prudential Underwriting for MS – Prudential offers agents its Rx for Success newsletters to provide agents with guidance regarding medical conditions.
Suspected MS – If you haven’t had tests completed and there’s no current evidence of MS or treatment recommended, Prudential looks at the length of time since your last episode/attack:
- Two years or less = Table 3 rating
- Three to four years = Table 2 rating
- Greater than four years = Standard rates
We’ll make sure you get matched with the top companies based on your individual MS history.
FAQ About Life Insurance and MS
You have questions about life insurance with multiple sclerosis and we have the answers.
Take Action: Get Your Personalized Life Insurance Quotes Today
If you have MS, we can help you with your life insurance.
Please take a few minutes to submit your request; we will provide accurate quotes based on your health history.
Recent Articles:
- Nationalmssociety.org/understanding-ms/what-is-ms/types-of-ms ↩︎
- RGA Reinsurance Group of America – Reflections Volume 33 – Advances in Multiple Sclerosis ↩︎
- Prudential Rx for Success – Multiple Sclerosis ↩︎
- Legal and General America – Issue # 20 – Multiple Sclerosis ↩︎
- Academy of Life Underwriting – Disorders of the Nervous System ↩︎
- Ipipeline LifePipe Instant Quotes and Illustrations ↩︎
