How do life insurance underwriters view a person who has Crohn’s Disease?

Locating life insurance for people who have been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis is exceedingly difficult because of the risk which is considered extreme by the majority of insurers.

Most insurers will not approve an application for a standard life insurance policy for people who have cystic fibrosis because their life expectancy can be substantially reduced.

The only insurers that generally provide coverage are those companies that specialize in issuing policies for people who have high risk health issues. Even within these companies there are a number of restrictions that will determine whether an application is approved or declined.

The underwriters who review an application for a person with CF will carefully examine a person’s lung function, and the overall medical condition of the applicant. Generally, the disease would have to be considered as being in the mild or possibly moderate stages before approval might be considered.

Other factors may include whether the person is continuing to work in a full-time capacity and if they are able to perform their daily activities. The degree of pulmonary function will be scrutinized and an insurer would want to know if there were any severe episodes in the proceeding 2 years or so.

Obtaining life insurance for people with Cystic Fibrosis can be very challenging.

What is the health risk of Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic Fibrosis is a disease which is genetically inherited and a genetic disorder which mainly affects Caucasians. The disease affects the secretion glands which produce either mucus or sweat. The disease can impact a variety of organs including the lungs, sinuses, the pancreas, liver, intestine and even the sex organs.

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CF causes changes to the production of mucus which is both slippery and watery in its normal states. With CF, mucus can become both sticky and thick. Mucus can build up in the lungs and result in obstructing the airways. It also allows for bacterial infections to develop and result in the lungs being infected and permanently damaged.

The pancreas can experience the tubes and ducts being blocked which prevents the enzymes it produces from reaching the small intestine.

The amount of salt produced by the sweat glands can be more excessive which can result in a mineral imbalance in the blood, and can cause dehydration and even accentuate heat stroke.

The condition can be treated in some capacity by a variety of medications and other medical regimens, and although life expectancy has been extended there is an increased risk of respiratory failure.

Finding life Insurance with Cystic Fibrosis

Obtaining life insurance for people with Cystic Fibrosis is exceedingly difficult. The majority of traditional life insurance companies simply will not issue a policy to someone who has been diagnosed with this condition.

Alternatively, a person with cystic fibrosis can seek out a company which specializes in high risk health issues and should be aware that their application will be closely scrutinized. The criteria used by these specialized companies to approve or decline an application may vary.

Although the policies may not be very large, a final resort for people with this medical condition might be to obtain a Guaranteed Death Benefit policy which typically has smaller amounts of coverage and higher premiums.


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