In this article, we wanted to take a moment and try and answer some of the most common questions we get from folks applying for life insurance after having been diagnosed with Anxiety.
Questions that will be addressed will include:
- Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Anxiety?
- Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Anxiety?
- What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
- What “rate” can I qualify for?
- What can I do to help ensure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Can I qualify for life insurance if I have been diagnosed with Anxiety?
Yes, individuals who have been diagnosed with “anxiety” can and often will be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy.
The problem is that there are 5 different “types” of anxiety that an individual can suffer from including:
- Generalized Anxiety,
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD),
- Panic Disorder,
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
- And Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder),
Each of which will generally be treated differently by the life insurance industry.
This is why…
We here have taken the time to write individual articles on each of these conditions separately and will only focus on “generalized anxiety” here in this article.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Defined:
General anxiety disorder (GAD) is an anxiety disorder that is typically defined or characterized as a condition which causes its patients to suffer from chronic anxiety, manifested into exaggerated worry even when there is little or nothing to cause it.
Why do life insurance companies care if I have been diagnosed with Anxiety?
Now before we get too far into our discussion about generalized anxiety disorder, we should point out that they’re a lot of folks out there that may become diagnosed with this “condition” you don’t necessarily meet this strict definition.
Which is one…
Of the major reasons “why” a life insurance company is going to “care” if an individual has been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Because if you are someone who truly suffers from disorder in a way that your internalized fears prevent you from being able to live a “normal” life, it makes complete sense for why the top life insurance companies might “care” if you’ve been diagnosed this condition.
Conversely…
If you have been diagnosed with “generalized anxiety disorder” but don’t suffer from a condition which is debilitating then there is no reason why a life insurance company would want to use your “medical diagnosis” as a reason to discriminate against you when applying.
Therefore…
In most cases, a life insurance underwriter is going to want to ask you a series of medical questions about your anxiety so that they can get a better idea about how “serious” your condition is and whether or not you would be considered an acceptable risk to them should they decide to approve your application.
What kind of information will the insurance companies ask me or be interested in?
Common questions you’ll likely be asked about your anxiety disorder may include:
- When were you first diagnosed with anxiety?
- Who diagnosed your anxiety? A general practitioner or a psychiatrist?
- Have you been given a definitive diagnosis?
- What symptoms led to your diagnosis?
- What treatment options have you used?
- Are you currently taking any prescription medications?
- Have any of your medications changed in the past 12 months?
- Have you ever been hospitalized due to your anxiety?
- Have you also been diagnosed with depression?
- In the past 2 years have you been hospitalized for any reason?
- Do you have any history of drug or alcohol abuse?
- Do you have any issues with your driving record? Issues such as multiple moving violations, a DUI or a suspended license?
- Have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor?
- Are you currently working now?
- In the past 12 months, have you applied for or received any form of disability benefits?
Now at this point…
We usually like to remind folks that we here at I&E are not medical professionals, and we’re certainly not doctors.
So, if you feel that you may be suffering from anxiety and have a few questions about your condition, you should know that we’re probably the last group of people you’re going to want to ask.
Simply because…
All we are is a bunch of life insurance agents who just happen to be really good at helping folks with a wide variety of different pre-existing medical conditions find and qualify for the coverage that they’re looking for.
So, if life insurance is what you’re looking for and not medical advice, then all we can say is that you’ve definitely come to the right place!
What health rating can I qualify for?
When it comes being diagnosed with anxiety, what you’re going to find is that insurance companies will be willing to pretty much insure an individual at just about every life insurance health rating possible depending on how “severe” the believe the condition is.
Which means that…
If you are only dealing with a “mild” case of anxiety, there is a pretty good chance that you might be able to qualify for a Preferred rate assuming that you would other wise be eligible.
Conversely, if you suffer from an extremely severe case of anxiety, its’ quite possible that you won’t be able to qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy at all!
And the real problem is…
There really isn’t a “test” one can perform to try and get a better understanding of how “serious” your anxiety might be.
This is why, life insurance companies are going to be forced to look at other “variables” to make this determination and why there’s always quite a bit of “subjectivity” involved when life insurance companies make their decisions about individuals who have been diagnosed with anxiety.
The good news is…
There are a few life insurance companies that do tend to be a bit more “lenient” when it comes to determining what “rate” an individual might be able to qualify for which means that you’re just going to want to make sure “those” companies are the first one’s you look at!
Fortunately…
Here at I&E we spend a considerably large amount of our time creating relationships with dozens of different life insurance companies.
Which is great, because when it comes time to helping someone who has been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition like anxiety, we don’t have to rely on just one option.
Instead, we can simultaneously shop dozens of different life insurance companies, thereby increasing your chances at finding the “best” life insurance policy that you can qualify for.
Which brings us to the last topic that we wanted to take a moment and discuss which is…
What can I do to help ensure that I get the “best life insurance” for me?
In our experience here at I&E, what we have found that works best for folks who have been diagnosed with a pre-existing medical condition where the “severity” of the condition is often “subjective” is for the applicant to make sure that they first find a true-life insurance profession who will work as an advocate for you.
Such an agent…
Will not only help guide you through the application process but also be perfectly “frank” with you about what options may or may not be possible for you.
From there…
You’ll also want to make sure that the very same agent you have chosen has access to dozens of different life insurance companies because after all, it really doesn’t matter how “great” of a life insurance agent you might have if they don’t have access to the “best” life insurance policy for you!
Lastly…
You’ll want to make sure that you’re completely honest with your life insurance agent prior to applying for coverage. By doing so, you will be helping him or her narrow down what options might be the “best”
So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today and see what we can do for you!