Life Insurance after a Stroke
Getting life insurance after a stroke can be complicated. But, it doesn’t have to be with our help. You have a lot of questions, and we have the answers.
Botley Life Agents will help you determine how much life insurance will cost, how to get quotes, and how you can qualify for life insurance once you have had a stroke. This will save you time and money.
What Is Stroke?
The Mayo Clinic describes a stroke as a medical emergency, where an interruption in the blood supply to the brain prevents brain tissue from receiving oxygen and vital nutrients.
The subsequent loss of brain cells can only be stopped by immediate treatment, to lessen the degree of potential brain damage and related complications.
The onset of a stroke may have one or all of the following characteristics, including: Slurred speech and confusion, paralysis of the face, arms or legs, impaired vision, dizziness, severe headache, and loss of balance or the inability to walk.
Stroke Facts
As a stroke survivor, you are among the fortunate because this condition is the leading cause of death in the United States.
Each year, according to studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 130,000 people throughout the country die from stroke. That figure means that 1 out of every 19 deaths is the result of stroke.
At the same time, more than 795,000 Americans have a stroke annually. Nearly 610,000 people from this overall total are survivors of their first stroke, while the remaining 185,000 (or one in four Americans) have had at least one prior stroke.
The overwhelming majority of strokes are ischemic strokes, which involve blockage of blood flow to the brain. Indeed, 87% of all strokes fall under this classification.
The financial toll from this one condition is almost $37 billion, with regard to medical expenses, long-term disability costs, lost days of work, hospitalization bills, and medication and rehabilitative fees.
Stoke which is also known as the “silent killer,” often strikes without any warning signs or symptoms. So, when it comes to buying life insurance you are a high risk applicant. However, you can still get life insurance after having had a stroke in many cases.
We are fully aware that life insurance for stroke survivors, or the effort to buy term life insurance after having had a stroke, is a serious task. Here is what you need to know to get covered.
Stroke Underwriting
The life insurance underwriting guidelines concerning stroke distinguish between a “full stroke,” which features the symptoms described above, and a “mini-stroke,” which doctors refer to as a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).
The latter is a temporary condition that does not cause permanent brain damage. Since this experience is brief, and entered into a patient’s medical records only after he or she mentions the symptoms, the diagnosis is quite different from a conventional stroke.
The following information will further govern the underwriting process:
- The occurrence of a stroke within the last year.
- Residual effects or irreversible complications from a previous stroke.
- What medications a stroke survivor takes.
- What follow-up procedures a stroke survivor has had
- If an applicant has another significant medical condition(s).
Possible Outcomes
Best case: Table 2-4 with a history of TIA stoke
Typical case: Table rating 2-4 with a flat extra
Worst case: Decline