Guide To Affordable Life Insurance with Crohn's Disease

Can I be approved for life insurance with Crohn's Disease?

Getting life insurance with Crohn’s disease isn’t an impossible task – it can be done.

However, Crohn’s disease patients may not be eligible for all types of insurance policies. Their premium rates may also be higher, depending on the time elapsed since the date of diagnosis, its severity, its nature, and the overall state of health.

We’ve divided this review into three sections and provided links to them here for your convenience. Readers who wish to jump directly to the section that concerns them can do so by clicking on the relevant link.

What information will  life insurance companies want to know about my Crohn's disease?

For underwriting your application, insurance companies will require you to submit details of every symptom you’ve experienced, the treatment procedures you’ve undergone, the prescription medications you’ve used, and subsequent check-ups with your doctor. 

Your general health markers, such as your cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, etc. will be analyzed to learn more about your general state of health. The underwriters will also ask you about your treatments, procedures, prescription, work disability claims, and hospitalizations.

In addition to this, they will also ask about your history of alcohol or drug abuse, life-threatening hobbies or work, and past charges on your driving record (reckless driving, DUI, etc.)

To learn more about how underwriters will review your application, go to What Insurers Will Want to Know.

How much will my life insurance cost and how exactly are my rates affected by my Crohn's diagnosis?

Premium amounts are generally based on the underwriting category that your carrier assigns your profile to. A Crohn’s disease application generally attracts a standard or lower rating, though the chances of the former happening are quite rate. You can read our pricing samples and rating guides pages for a better understanding of this topic. We have also provided sample pricing details for guaranteed issue and simplified issue policies in the web links present here.

How accurate are the Life Insurance with Crohn's Disease quotes I get from your quote tool? 

Our website quote tool provides 100% accurate insurance quotes, subject to the reliability of the data inputted. If you can manage to get your rate class right, you’ll be shown the right quote. But many people mess up this step and are shown incorrect premium quotes that are far from  reality.

No reason to worry if you don’t know your rate class – simply select a reasonable range for an estimate. You may also submit information in our customized quote form, which will help us contact you.

Will I need to take an exam for Crohn's disease life insurance?

For gaining access to the most affordable rates, you’ll need to undergo an exam. Although people with mild Crohn’s disease cases may be allowed to get no-exam policies, serious cases will need you to complete the exam. It’s not time-consuming though – only your urine and blood samples will be collected by a nurse at a time and place of your choosing. This ensures you have a hassle-free application experience.

Some people may find that guaranteed issue or simplified issue policies work best for their case. These policies don’t require any exams to be undertaken. Find out more details about How Term Life Insurance Works by clicking on the link.

How can i improve my underwriting rating and lower my life insurance cost?

You can simply use the services of an insurance agent for improving your underwriting rating. They’ll know what to do and will recommend the steps you need to take to improve your application in order to bag a better rating.

Check out our case study below to learn more about using independent insurance agents.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to insurance is to quit smoking, limit alcohol consumption, and take your exercise and diet seriously. These changes will affect your health markers positively as well.

Making such changes to your life can drastically improve your term life insurance chances and quality of health.

What are the best life insurance companies for Crohn's sufferers? 

Something you should know about life insurance companies – they all have different risk appetites for certain conditions, which show up in their pricing and underwriting methods. There are three major insurance carriers in the market today who provide the best terms for people needing life insurance with Crohn’s disease – Banner, AIG, and Prudential.

To know which companies provide the best insurance policies for your needs, we recommend hiring the services of an insurance agent who is familiar with the ins and outs of the industry. We’ve provided a case study here, just in case you need more help in understanding this concept.

What is the application process for life insurance Crohn's disease?

A regular life insurance application review consists of 8 steps, which remain the same regardless of any pre-existing conditions you have. You have to choose your terms, choose a carrier, complete a medical exam, and sign documents (you can also do it digitally).
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Traditional Term Life Insurance with Crohn's Disease

Although standard rates aren’t impossible, most applicants often wind up with ‘table rated’ or ‘substandard’ insurance offers. The same person may receive different health ratings from different companies, and therefore, different premiums.

That’s why we recommend using an agent experienced in submitting applications of patients with Crohn’s disease. They’ll know which carriers have the most receptive terms and underwriting standards.

The application process remains the same for people suffering from diseases like AFib, Sleep Apnea,  heart attacks, and other conditions as well.

Terms Lengths

You can get a term life insurance policy with a term period of anywhere between 5 – 30 years. Their minimum face value begins at $50000. At the end of the term, you may either choose to renew it at a higher rate or terminate it completely.

Likely Underwriting Classification with Crohn's Disease

Underwriters evaluate applications for life insurance with Crohn’s disease by analyzing every factor before they reach a decision. Two factors can make the biggest differences – patient compliance history and date of diagnosis. Two people who differ in these two aspects may walk out with completely different insurance quotes.

Since every case is unique, it isn’t possible to come up with exact quotes; however, we can give you a rough idea based on our experience. The preferred and preferred plus categories aren’t available for patients with Crohn’s disease.

Best Case Scenario – In case the diagnosis was made after the age of 45 with over 3 years having passed since the last major inflammation instance, you could bag a standard insurance rating (Symptoms should also have been well-controlled with zero hospitalizations). Our quote tool can help you out here.

Mid Case – Patients with a slightly advanced Crohn’s diagnosis who need steroidal drugs occasionally despite good compliance may be assigned mid substandard rates, which can be calculated by multiplying standard rates with 1.5 or 2 (Consult Tables 2/B & 4/D)

Find more details about table ratings here.

Severe Cases – Patients with severe Crohn’s disease and a history of recent hospitalizations and heavy dosage drugs along with other medical conditions may be outright rejected. Simplified issue life insurance options are still available though.

Pricing For Term Life Insurance

While we did talk about Crohn’s disease not being a hindrance to affordable life insurance premiums, that doesn’t automatically mean that these premiums are going to be cheap. Of course, no life insurance premium for someone with a major health condition will ever be as cheap as the ones for healthy, young people.

Since premiums are likely to get costlier with such a major disease, you will need to reduce your benefits for making your premiums affordable. Although it’s not ideal, some cover is better than nothing. Once you’ve reduced your benefits proportionately, you’ll be able to receive insurance at the same price. 

Life Insurance with Crohn's Disease: What Carriers will Take into Consideration

Life insurance underwriters usually ask the following 5 questions to people with Crohn’s disease during their life insurance application process:

• What’s your general state of health?
• Do you have any risk factors?
• A list of your symptoms
• Diagnosis and treatment details
• Aftercare details

You will be required to submit a specific answer if you’ve been asked questions in this outline. Your answers will be cross verified with the results obtained from your application, Medical Information Bureau, Attending Physicians Statement (APS), Script Check, and a telephone call.

What are/were your symptoms

A complete list of your symptoms and a timeline on when they first started to appear will be required by underwriters if you apply for life insurance with Crohn’s disease.

Your Diagnosis and Treatments

Life insurance companies will need you to submit the date when you were first diagnosed along with subsequent flareups and their details. Your medication list will also be required.

Although Crohn’s can be countered with certain lifestyle changes, there are many prescription medications for it as well, with the most used drugs being corticosteroids and antibiologics. Severe cases utilize anti-rheumatic medications like methotrexate. To learn more, consult WebMD.

You must submit correct information regarding your treatment and diagnosis dates, though you are allowed a bit of leeway with other questions.

Your Over all Health (and related conditions)

Although all life insurance applications consider your general state of health before making a decision, Crohn’s patients will have their backgrounds and health checked specifically for certain conditions, including:

• Liver disease
• Skin ulcers or rashes
• Inflammation of the mouth and eyes
• Gallstones
• Kidney stones
• Arthritis

To view the exhaustive list you can visit the site of the University of Maryland Medical Center.

No Medical Exam Term life Insurance With Crohn's Disease?

Term life insurance products are now using accelerated underwriting programs, which don’t require any medical exam to be undergone during the application. But this advantage won’t be available to patients with Crohn’s disease.

The paramedical exam is no biggie. In most cases, it hardly takes more than 20 minutes and is done by a nurse who will take blood and urine samples, and record your weight, height, and other important markers.

Case Study: Pricing term Life Insurance With Crohn's disease

Please see the case study below . it will show why it is in your interest to have as many options as possible available when shopping for life insurance with IBS or any other impairment.

Male Age: 53 

$250000 20 Year Term

Tobacco: No

Well controlled mild Crohn's Diagnosed Age 46

OTC Anti-diarrheal use No Other Health Concerns

This looks like a best case scenario would be either standard or Table 2/B depending on the insurers appetite for a Crohn's  risk. Let's take a look at the rates.

• STANDARD RATES
• TABLE 2/B RATES
• TABLE 4/D RATES

This table provides information regarding the different premiums charged by different insurance companies at different ratings. For profiles that have a standard rating, Prudential appears to be 15% costlier compared to Banner.

If you manage to score the same rating from both companies, then the answer’s a no-brainer: go with Banner. But if you have a major health condition, things aren’t so black and white.

Insurance companies, especially the ones that focus on offering the cheapest premiums, have stringent criteria for anyone who wishes to have a standard or above rating from them. More often than not, they end up assigning Crohn’s disease patients to substandard or even severe substandard categories, thus increasing their premiums significantly. Thus, the cheapest option in one segment is actually closed off to most people who are in desperate need of it.

On the other hand, insurance companies that offer what may seem like expensive premiums at first sight, often have laxer standards in place. This allows people suffering from serious illnesses to get a standard rating from them, the premiums for which are lower than the premiums of substandard rated classes of other companies.

You’re unlikely to reap the full benefits of this aspect unless you engage the services of an insurance agent or are prepared to sink weeks into finding the right company for you. Given the fact that most of us don’t have that kind of time lying around, the wisest thing to do would be to hire an independent insurance agent – a move that could save you thousands of dollars.

Use Life Insurance Buyer's Guide for Application With Crohn's Disease

Now that you know the information you will need to receive the most accurate post Crohn's term life insurance quote possible, it's time to begin the application process. The term process is outlined  "step by step for you in the Life Insurance Buying Guide.

Bequest Mutual Life Insurance is committed to transparent pricing (we'll even share our computer screen with you if you'd like) and making the application process as painless as possible.

Your Next Step

Thank you for choosing the Bequest Mutual life Insurance to research life insurance with Crohn's disease. We are committed to a totally transparent process (we'll even share our computer screen with you if you'd like), and making the application process as painless as possible.

Should you have any question, please do not hesitate to give us a call or contact us via email.