Is Life Insurance Possible ??

Hi,

I am searching for an answer on if there are any companies in Canada that offer term Life Insurance to people with low platelets? I recently applied for coverage and I found out today I was denied based on my medical history and I know I have no other health concerns besides low platelets. I am not diagnosed with ITP by my doctor and my internist believes that I am just consistently low. I've mentioned my history on this site before but brief version... my platelets have been consistently in the 115-130 range for years.

I'm looking for any information the experienced people have on this site. This group seems to have many more answers than what I can find elsewhere on the internet.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what my next steps should be?

Your counts are below the standard level but by no means are they low enough for you to be considered a risk to a Life insurance co. You are not diagnosed with ITP or any other conditions, so it make no sense for you to be denied!! I would not think you would have to say anything about your Platelet counts at the level they are at. If ITP was officially diagnosed, then that would be different. I would not disclose any information about your current counts to another provider. As I said you have not been diagnosed, so it should not be an issue.
Just my opinion.
Good Luck!!

In the state of Maine there is a state office that keeps the insurance agengys in check. Ive had to call them once, I was in the wrong come to find out.

I'm no help, I just got denied yesterday after a lengthy underwriting process. Oh well. (Oh, and I live in Massachusetts).

I am glad my Dad got me started on it when I was 17!!!

Just gave up myself a couple of weeks ago. I have a couple of life insurance policies, but we were trying to get an additional policy through my wife's work. After a few months of 'fill out the forms', then 'please add more detail', rinse and repeat endlessly.....I gave up.
They were obviously making the process as convoluted and difficult as possible without being outright unlawful. I was answering the same questions every week, sent them full records, etc. I honestly didn't expect them to make it easy, but I did expect them to actually look at what I sent.

They are experts with making a person so Frustrated with trying, that one gives up!!! ITP is not a condition that should affect ones attempt to get life insurance!!!

Dean wrote: ITP is not a condition that should affect ones attempt to get life insurance!!!

Why not? A small percentage of people die, either of bleeding or from the treatments. Insurance is a game of probabilities and we are on the wrong side of the possible.

Ann wrote:

Dean wrote: ITP is not a condition that should affect ones attempt to get life insurance!!!

Why not? A small percentage of people die, either of bleeding or from the treatments. Insurance is a game of probabilities and we are on the wrong side of the possible.

A very small percentage. Not nearly enough to be denied coverage. Besides, he has not been officially diagnosed and in my opinion was not required to disclose a Platelet count to the provider. This disorder is not like cancer which thousands die from everyday. I can see being denied if it was a cancer diagnosis.

More healthy people die from heart attacks, aneurysms and accidents than those with ITP. So, I do not see that a person with low Platets, but not officially diagnosed with ITP to be denied life insurance.

Have you tried speaking with your state's insurance department? If you believe that there is no reason for you to be denied on a life insurance application, then you are very likely being wrongly evaluated. You can also ask your agent or the life insurance company that processed your application, they should give you an explanation as to why you were denied.

Pat Cassidy
Disclaimer: I work for AccuQuote and this is my personal opinion.

In Feb of this year I got travel Insurance with a count in the 40's, for a 5wk trip to South America, been to Australia and Fiji since then, with no problems.

Leave in just over 3wks for a 6wk trip to northern Europe, have not yet arranged insurance. The Haematologist just writes a letter to say he feels Iam OK to travel and he has given me Prednisone to take with me, should a problem arise.

After reading about your experience I had better arrange mine, as I have already paid for our total Travel costs.

Do not understand why, with your counts there should be any problems??? Have your Dr approve your trip and try another provider. Good Luck.

Life insurance is all about risk -- if you present what is called an "adverse risk," i.e., your risk profile is out of the annuity ranges typically used by insurance companies, you will be denied most coverage. You have two options:

First, coverage is possible if you join a group policy (i.e., such as through an employer) and select a lower level of coverage. Where I work, you can join and select up to 2x your annual salary in coverage without having to provide "evidence of insurability." If you go over that limit, though, you will need to provide your medical history, and ITP is a risk factor that (at least in my experience) will bounce you form coverage. Every year, during annual enrollment in November, I go in and see if I can ootch up my policy limit a bit; I play with the website tool until I get the highest coverage possible without the "ok now fill out all of these forms" window popping up. Of course, if you leave your job, the coverage ends. There are many non-employer options for a group policy, e.g. I think AAA offers $50K of coverage to its members with no medical questions asked.

Second, you can purchase what is called "high risk" life insurance. Talk with your current insurance company, they probably offer it (all of the big ones do -- Farmers, Allstate, State Farm, Met Life), although your agent may not have any experience with it. With high risk insurance, everyone goes into it with eyes wide open and you can plan on a lot of forms and required exams. The insurance, obviously, is expensive, and certainly will include non-standard terms such as limiting any payout to the premiums for a period of time, say five years. I looked into this a couple of years ago, when I wanted to purchase a policy in favor of my new beautiful baby girl, and even with this medical history they were willing to write me a policy, it was just really expensive:

* ITP since 1967. Counts usually around 10.
* Three strokes with what some people might view as complications.
* Triple-bypass heart surgery.
* Heart disease.
* Splenectomy.
* Gastric surgery twice for bleeding.

Even people diagnosed with cancer can get life insurance. Just plan on paying about 10x what others pay and having to do a lot of homework and Googling. Whether it is still worth it at those rates is a personal decision.