How do life insurance underwriters view individuals with breast cancer?

Life insurance for people with breast cancer is generally considered a higher risk to insure by life insurance underwriters, but how they assess a person’s condition can vary substantially

Assessing an individual who has had breast cancer will depend on the type of cancer and the length of time since the individual was last treated. The majority of companies will not even considering insuring a person who has been recently diagnosed or is still receiving treatment.

Most companies will postpone underwriting a policy until a certain period of time has elapsed since the last treatment.

The majority of companies will consider you for a policy if you have been diagnosed with Stage 0, Stage1, and Stage 2 breast cancer, but coverage and policies may vary for the different types.

There are a variety of ways in how different life insurance companies will assess the insurability in finding life insurance for people with breast cancer. Some of the main assessment components that an insurance company will consider in their assessment include:

  • Your age
  • The type of breast cancer
  • When the cancer was diagnosed
  • The stage of breast cancer
  • The size of the tumor
  • Were the lymph nodes involved and did the cancer spread
  • What type of treatment or sugary occurred
  • Have there been any relapses
  • The start and finish of the treatment

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What are the types of breast cancer?

Breast cancer can appear any time after puberty although it is more prominent in older persons. Breast cancer is treatable and curable but the success rate can vary from individual to individual.

Breast cancer is comprised of 2 types which include:

  • Noninvasive breast cancer – Also called (in situ) which means that the cancerous cells have remained in their place of origin and not spread to the surrounding tissue. There are 2 types which are referred to as DCIS (Ductal carcinoma in situ) and is a type which won’t likely become an invasive cancer. The second type is LCIS ( Lobular carcinoma in situ) which is considered a pre-cancerous lesion
  • Invasive breast cancer – Refers to a type of breast cancer which has spread beyond the membranes that line the lobules or ducts. Invasive cancer can also spread to other parts of the body such as lymph nodes.

Breast cancer can begin in various areas of the breast such as the mild ducts, milk producing lobules and can occasionally be found in the connective tissue.

Finding life Insurance with breast cancer

Finding life insurance for people with breast cancer is obtainable but how different insurance companies rate a person can vary quite substantially. Another variable is that the waiting period used can also vary because for some companies it can be as long as 5 years.

Some insurers will also charge an additional surcharge or flat fee onto the premium for a certain period of years. The amount of charge and length of time for the flat fee can also vary quite significantly because some companies are much more lenient than other life insurance companies.

Those who have a stage 3 or stage 4 breast cancer may have to opt for a policy from a high risk company or settle for a Guaranteed Death Benefit Policy.


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