what about life insurance?

[mysmile*]

Hi i am new to this forum, I was diagnosed a few years ago and don't really know too much about whats happening to me yet, i do know that i have a very low viral load what ever that means, I am a single mother of a two year old boy, who thank the lord is neg for hcv, what i am wondering is can we get life insurance, i dont want much, just 30,000 or so to help my mom to take care of him just in case i do not make it till he is all grown up...does any one know this answer or have any tips where to look for a policy??  thanks, mysmile*

[jonihs]

The only thing I know about life insurance is that G.I.P.A. said companies will not insure you until you have been SVR 5 yrs. She said that might go lower the more people who stay clear. But I'm sure no company would cover you now , but I hope I'm wrong. If you find one, post it and let us know. Good Luck! Joni

[litecloud]

am new here also, but if your job has health insurance, sometimes they offer life insurance no questions asked. I have a 100K policy. Good luck

[Ambush]

Due to the HCV, you are uninsurable.  There's no sense in trying to hide your status as it is on record and the policy would not be paid.I did read something here about possible insurablility 5 years after clearing the virus.
ambush

[oldhippiechick67]

Yup, Ambush is right about that.  I luckily got life insurance somehow in March last year, and was diagnosed in June with HepC
and why the insurance co missed that on the blood they took from me is beyond my understanding.  I heard too that once you have it no company will cover you until you have cleared the virus through treatment and are clear 5 yrs later.  I am not an insurance expert, that is all I have read and heard about on these hep C sites.  Your son would get some Social Security as a death benefit if you were to die from it, which is unlikely (unless your liver biopsy shows serious liver damage/cirrhosis stage 3 or 4 and you drink and do drugs like a maniac).  The Docs say our chances of dying from Hep C are pretty slim....unless the liver is real bad like I said.  Anyways, I hope that helps answer some of your concerns.

[ral]

Hi Mysmile welcome. I read a thread here a few weeks ago about someone who got life insurance even though they had hep C there are somemore aggresive (aggressive) companies out there. go back thru the archives or maybe someone here will re-post the article. Or actually now that I think about it I read it in one of my Hep C magazines I will try to find it tonight or tomorrow and post the pertinant data. Good Luck. GOD BLESS you will be OK and your baby.

Bob L

[ral]

Hi Mysmile welcome. I read a thread here a few weeks ago about someone who got life insurance even though they had hep C there are somemore aggresive (aggressive) companies out there. go back thru the archives or maybe someone here will re-post the article. Or actually now that I think about it I read it in one of my Hep C magazines I will try to find it tonight or tomorrow and post the pertinant data. Good Luck. GOD BLESS you will be OK and your baby.

Bob L

[HepCinLA]

I got life insurance thru Hartford (but I pay way more than my husband does for basically the same coverage).

[ral]

Hi mysmile*

I can't find the my copy of the article yet but it was in the last Hep C Connections magazine.

They are in Denver Co and thier Phone # is 303.860.0800 or 1.800.522.HEPC

Their website is www.hepc-connection.org

Good Luck it was an article on Life Insurance

Bob L

[ral]

You Don't Think About Life Insurance Until You Can't Get It!”
“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.”
--Winston Churchill
By a Hep C Connection client seeking life insurance

Hepatitis C shocks the system in so many ways. First, there's the horror of being diagnosed and dealing with myriad health issues. Then, there's the equally daunting challenge of making sure one's family is financially supported in the event of debilitation or death.

As the principal of a financial services firm, I've always placed enormous importance on providing for my family, company and charities I support in the event that I were to be hit by the proverbial bus. One bus that I would never have anticipated hit me head-on in 1987. While working in Europe, I was declined for a life insurance policy because of “hepatitis.” One of England's most prestigious liver specialists said I had chronic and persistent hepatitis and to come back in 10 to 15 years.

Fortunately, I had purchased some life insurance years earlier. But my family financial plan dictated additional coverage--coverage that now was seriously jeopardized. I worried about it every week. It was the one glaring hole in my otherwise rock-solid family financial plan.

Ultimately, my hepatitis C grew into stage 4 fibrosis, but I continued to feel fine I exercised regularly, ate right, took high-quality vitamins, didn't drink alcohol and generally found it hard to reconcile this insidious disease with my seeming good health.

Life insurance companies reconciled it very easily. Time after time, I was declined because of hepatitis C. It didn't matter that I was living a healthy lifestyle; it didn't matter that I was fully functional; it didn't even matter when I improved my liver to stage 2 fibrosis, no thanks to Interferon treatments that didn't work. Being in financial services, I had friends who were big guns in life insurance. I even knew actuaries. They all said “no way. ”I became so distraught that I considered exiting my business, which I'd nurtured for many years, to find a corporate position that provided automatic life insurance.

Then I met Robert Myers, who understood substandard underwriting and had stellar relationships with key insurance companies. He submitted me to 81 companies; all declined. Following the advice of one of my heroes, Winston Churchill, Rob never, never, never, never gave up. He contacted three firms with whom he had worked extensively, and made a compelling case for underwriting me. Ultimately, I ended up with table two coverage, just below standard.      All of this has reinforced my strong belief that life is about overcoming adversity. That takes perseverance, and the willingness to find a way where none has existed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



New Life Insurance Vistas Open for Hepatitis C-Challenged
‘Uninsurable' tag no longer applies
By Mark Lusky

Hepatitis C is not a death sentence for acquiring life insurance. However, the insidious nature of the disease--lack of symptoms, long latency periods and unpredictable progression--have stymied the life insurance industry, which thrives on predictability.

Ask a “mainstream” life insurance agent dealing with “mainstream” companies about hep C life insurance, and you're likely to get a blank stare. But, there are life insurance companies willing to underwrite hepatitis C under some conditions, and there are agents and brokers out there who specialize in this type of coverage. There are even scenarios whereby hepatitis C-challenged individuals may even receive standard rates. It's called “impaired risk” coverage, something that the average life insurance agent does not handle. It's a highly specialized field requiring practitioners who focus on acquiring insurance for impaired risk candidates.

Underwriting Guidelines
“Rated” refers to higher risk that carries higher premiums, because of factors that may affect life expectancy; “standard” is the typical risk consumer with average premiums; “preferred” indicates a better-than-average candidate with good rates.

Life insurance specialist Robert J. Myers, in Denver, Colorado, points out, “Those I talk with assume that they're uninsurable. Ten to 15 years ago, life insurance underwriters agreed, giving an ‘uninsurable' label to anyone with hepatitis C. Now, underwriters have more experience, and they understand that there are cures. It's not a death sentence. Normal life expectancies can be achieved. So, underwriters are willing to talk about it.”

Not only are hepatitis C-challenged people considered for policies, some are achieving standard or near-standard ratings, according to Myers. “Many people think they're either standard risks or uninsurable. They don't realize there's a dimmer switch--actually 17 tables between standard and uninsurable,” he explains.

Myers has just begun handling hepatitis C cases, but with other diseases, such as cancer, he's found many coverage opportunities. “Life insurance companies are a lot more lenient with major medical issues than they were even five to 10 years ago. I've had patients with inoperable cancer get insurance years later that's only a notch or two below standard; some even get standard rates,” Myers emphasizes. Each table under standard increases rates approximately 15-20 percent, Myers estimates, with the highest rating costing about four times that of standard.

There is a catch. Myers's clients--generally in poor health and ranging in age from 50 to 90--typically can afford $500,000 to $1 million in life insurance, which coupled with Myers's positive reputation with key insurers, plays a role in approvals. There are occasions when he's been able to get policy approvals after medical underwriting rejections, based on the business case he can make for the prospective insured as a company asset.

Myers estimates that ninety-five percent of his clients buy life insurance to help beneficiaries pay their estate tax liability.

So far, Myers has a perfect hepatitis C batting average. His first hepatitis C insured is a Hep C Connection client who considered himself uninsurable. “Life insurance was the one big, empty hole that he couldn't fill in his financial plan. It was his biggest financial concern. He not only has hepatitis C, but has gone through treatment that hasn't taken. He could be on the list for a liver transplant.

“We were able to get him insured for one table below standard, which is almost marathon runner rates. He started jumping up and down with happiness. This gives hope to an area of life that hasn't been an option,” Myers points out.

Two other issues emphasized by Myers are completeness of the application and timing. “If something's missing, it won't make it. All requested information going back five years must be included. And no fluff,” Myers says.

Regarding timing, Myers points out that insurance companies often get more aggressive toward business development at different times of the year, thereby easing approval qualifications. “This doesn't mean someone should wait to apply for life insurance; it does mean that what's uninsurable today may not be uninsurable tomorrow.”

These windows of life insurance opportunity are opening wider as underwriters--along with the rest of the world--understand hepatitis C better, and feel more comfortable with predicting the future.

Editor's Note: Consider the comments of those interviewed as a guideline only. Contact Regina Schuler, Hep C Connection, 1-800-522-HEPC, for more information.

[DebbieDo]

I got hepatitis when i was 20 yrs old in 1969.......I was young and away from home and i never thought it was a disease THEN.I was told to get plenty of sleep and stay away from alcohol.  I pretty much did most of my life....I had a son in 1975 (healthy)..And In 1977 I bought life insurance, they never gave me a physical and when asked if i ever had a serious disease I said NO>........because i truely thought that i never did......so now what......will i have insurance when i die, will they investigate my health......Its not like i will be worth millions......just curious, since the subject has been brought up.....Deb  :)~

[fsplink]

My husband has life insurance with New England Financial and they are the ones who discovered his hepatitis and they still issued him a policy. The rates did go up though.

[n2cats15]

I have farmers insurance - my agent her in Denver says that she has written several life insurance polices for people with hep C.  Good luck to you!

[mysmile*]

Thank you all so much for your hospitality and encouragement.  I have since been denied several times and have pretty much found that i can get life ins.  however it is extremely expensive.  Much more so than a student such as my self can afford.  The other question that i have is kind of embarrassing, i am just wondering if you are already infected with hcv, and you have sexuall relationships with another infewcted individual, is it possible to raise your viral load that way?

Thanks mysmile*

[tedinoregon]

an update:

I just had a term life policy underwritten by State Farm Insurence (Agent Bruce Goodman in Sacramento, CA).  I was underwritten as a class 5, which is not bad.  A $100k term life policy costs $50/mo.  Over time my class rating can go down and premiums will cost less.  Also, will be able to apply for universal life in a year or so after staying "undetectable."  This is GREAT news for those who have cleared the virus.

I have been undetectable since Nov 2007.  I started tx in Oct 2007 and ended in Feb 2008.  HepC type 2.

[nygirl7]

Wow that is something to make sure this stays at the top over..........maybe people are starting to understand that this disease usually isn't what kills you and if you are UND it certainly most likely isn't going to!

Thanks Ted - I hope this is true here in NY / CT as well.  I do NOT want to leave my kids with the big fat nothing they'll get if I lose my life insurance at my job and have nothing else to count on!

As broke as broke a I am.............this is something I need to do!