How do life insurance underwriters view a person who has leukemia?

Obtaining life insurance for people with leukemia can be very challenging because leukemia is considered a very high risk form of cancer that can significantly affect the overall life span and health of a person.

However, as the competition among life insurers has risen, there are life insurance products available for those who have been diagnosed with leukemia. Many insurers will likely decline most individuals who apply for a traditional life insurance policy, but there are other products available for those who have this disease.

Generally, it is best apply for a policy when the cancer is in remission. Leukemia can occur in several variations which can also impact how a person is viewed as being at risk by insurers.

If a company is willing to extend a traditional policy, the applicant would likely still be considered in the high risk category and would receive a substandard rating which would result in a much higher premium.

Obtaining life insurance for people with leukemia will be prohibitive for most people who are seeking traditional life insurance but there are other products available which might suffice for most life insurance needs.

What are the health risks of leukemia?

Leukemia is a very serious form of cancer. It is a cancer of the blood cells and generally originates in the bone marrow. It causes the production of abnormal white blood cells which begin to reproduce exponentially and prevents the body from becoming resistant to fight infection.

There are two main types of leukemia which include lymphocytic or lymphoblastic, and myelogenous. Both of these types of cancer are diagnosed as being either acute or chronic. Most adults who develop leukemia usually get either chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

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Leukemia is treated in variety of ways including chemotherapy, radiation or stem cell transplant. Symptoms can be manifested in the form of night sweats and fever, headaches, the tendency to bleed or bruise easily, and swollen stomach caused by an enlarged spleen, extreme fatigue and the loss of weight.

Leukemia may go into remission for a number of years because of the medical treatment and may also relapse.

The cancer is rarely curable but the success rate in how the cancer is treated has been very positive.

Finding life Insurance with leukemia

Finding life insurance for people with leukemia can be very prohibitive for most forms of traditional life insurance policies. Some insurers may extend coverage if a person has experienced a full recovery or has been in a state of long term remission.

In most other instances a person may have to seek other options such as a policy which doesn’t require a medical exam which can be found through a Guarantee Issue policy or may have to opt for a Graded life insurance policy.

These alternative policies are available through regular insurers but the restrictions, limitations, the amount of policies offered and the premiums can vary significantly form company to company.

To obtain this form of policy, a person should seek out the services of a qualified independent agent or companies that specialize in high risk health issues.


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