Whenever a person that has a serious pre-existing health condition like, Lupus Nephritis, gives us a call looking for a life insurance quote, we immediately know that our options are going to be somewhat “limited” right from the start. But that doesn’t me we should just give up.
You see…
Depending on exactly how much life insurance coverage you’re looking for, there still may be some excellent options out there for you to consider.
And since we work…
With dozens of highly rated life insurance companies, chances are, we should have an option that might work for you!
What is Lupus Nephritis?
Lupus nephritis is an auto immune disease that affects ones’ kidneys. Basically, what happens is that when someone suffers from lupus nephritis is that the kidney becomes inflamed which causes a whole “series” of problems throughout the entire body, and as a result, many people with lupus nephritis wind up experiencing kidney failure.
What are the symptoms of Lupus Nephritis?
As mentioned, lupus nephritis affects your kidneys, which in turn affects a whole lot of other things. Some of the symptoms a person with lupus nephritis may experience include:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Swelling in lower limbs (particularly ankles and feet)
- Changes in urine which include color (normally darker) and froth in the urine
- Changes in urine patterns; more frequent, often in the night
These are all seemingly “minor” symptoms, but they can all result in bigger problems. When your kidneys aren’t working properly, a lot of other things can go wrong as well.
Treatment options for people with Lupus Nephritis
There are different types of lupus nephritis, so treatment will depend on the kind of lupus nephritis that you actually have. Treatment will also depend on your exact symptoms. Obviously, if you don’t get high blood pressure from lupus nephritis, then you won’t take medication for it.
Most treatment comes in the form of medication. Most people take anti-inflammatory drugs or immunosuppressive drugs (or both).
Kidney Transplants with Lupus Nephritis.
Because lupus nephritis is often a progressive disease, many patients will have to have a kidney transplant. Finding a match is a tedious and sometimes impossible task. As a patient waits for a kidney match, they will likely need dialysis to clean blood that the kidneys are unable to clean.
Why is it difficult to get insurance with Lupus Nephritis?
Kidney function is likely to decrease as time goes on if you have lupus nephritis. That means you are at higher risk of premature death than other healthy people. Some reports suggest that people with lupus nephritis have a life span of about 12 years shorter than people without it.
This is why you’re going to find that most life insurance companies (if not all) are simply going to deny coverage to anyone who has been diagnosed with lupus nephritis. Which means that we’re going to need to take a look at some “alternative” types of life insurance policies if we want to try and get you insured!
Don’t give up on getting Life insurance with Lupus Nephritis!
Just because you have been diagnosed with lupus nephritis doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get life insurance. Sure, you will likely not get typical term or whole life insurance policy, but there are other options: either a guaranteed issue or simplified issue life insurance policy.
What is Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance?
Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like! Guaranteed issue life insurance is a life insurance policy that you’ll definitely qualify for provided that you meet 3 simple criteria.
- You must be a US citizen.
- You must be between the ages of 40-85.
- You must live in a state where they are offered.
And that’s it!
These final expense burial insurance policies are offered by some of the best final expense burial insurance companies.
How does Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Work?
Guaranteed issue life insurance is a policy that normally takes literally no time at all to activate. You simply sign up and in many cases, within 30 minutes you will be approved for a life insurance policy!
You won’t be asked to have a medical exam, and in most cases won’t be asked a single medical question.
“So, what’s the catch?”
Potential drawbacks of a guaranteed life insurance policy.
Guaranteed life insurance isn’t recommended for someone who is healthy and fit – if you are, then you could qualify for a “larger” more affordable life insurance policy by answering a few health questions, taking some tests or going for a medical exam. It is mainly reserved as burial insurance for seniors.
Guaranteed issue life insurance policies are designed for people who are not in “tip top” shape, and more often than not, people who probably won’t qualify for other life insurance policies.
So, with that being said…
It’s understandable that guaranteed life insurance is going to have some drawbacks. Those drawbacks include:
- Guaranteed issue life insurance usually has a graded death benefit. Which means that for the first two years (sometimes 3 depending on the insurance carrier), your beneficiary will not receive a death benefit should you pass away due to “natural” causes or “illness based” causes of death.
- Guaranteed issue life insurance is more expensive than other policies. If you’re healthy, you can purchase a life insurance policy that has a death benefit of $100,000+ and probably still pay a reasonable monthly premium. The reason is because life insurance companies are counting on the fact that you’ll live a long, long time (time to pay more into the policy!). With a guaranteed issue life insurance policy, paying around the same amount for a monthly premium will only get you a policy up to $25000 or so. Dollar for dollar, you have to invest more to get a certain return. BUT…it’s still a better investment than a lot of other options!
- Lastly, guaranteed issue life insurance policies are only going to provide around $25,000 dollars in coverage so… if you’re looking for more coverage than that, chances are, a guaranteed issue life insurance policy isn’t going to meet your needs.
So should people with lupus nephritis get a guaranteed issue life insurance policy?
Maybe. We can’t make a blanket statement for all lupus nephritis patients; instead, we recommend that you give us a call. We will give you solid advice for your specific situation and needs.
So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call today and see what we can do for you!