Getting Life Insurance If You Have Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

For people who are young and healthy, getting life insurance is not a problem.

That rule does not, unfortunately, apply to individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).  Indeed, buying life insurance for someone with MS can be a financial and emotional challenge – the experience is all too often complicated and misleading.

The good news for people with MS is we have secured coverage for many individuals faced with your situation.  We know which companies will decline you and which give you the best chance of getting covered.  If it can be done, we can do it.

Local Life Agents makes this process simple and effective.  We eliminate the frustration and confusion associated with trying to buy life insurance if you have MS.  We also understand the seriousness of this chronic medical condition.  So let’s take a look at how to get life insurance with MS.

What Is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. Damage from the disease blocks messages between your brain and the rest of your body. As the nerves weaken, the condition becomes more debilitating.

Due to the diversity of symptoms, and depending on the specific nerves involved with each patient’s diagnosis, MS may cause some people to lose the ability to walk.

Though treatments can help with recovery from acute attacks of MS, the disease itself is incurable.

MS Facts

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, over 2.3 million people suffer from some form of MS worldwide. These figures in the United States may be artificially low because there is no mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for doctors to report newly diagnosed cases of MS.

Since there is no national registry to catalog how widespread MS is, and because many patients may not have any initial symptoms, this health threat attracts less attention from the media.

Still, MS can strike people of any age. It is far more common among women than men, which is also true of other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The condition does, however, have a strong tendency to worsen among patients diagnosed at age 50 or older.

As a high risk applicant, the urgency of providing life insurance for patients with MS is a critical assignment.

Local Life Agents is your trusted resource for buying life insurance if you have recently been diagnosed with MS, or if you have been battling this condition for an extended period of time.

More importantly, we know that trying to purchase life insurance under these circumstances is not an easy task. Thanks to our experience we will make this a much easier process. We accomplish this goal by knowing the insurance carriers that offer life insurance for MS patients and which are best at underwriting the risk.

(MS) Underwriting

The life insurance underwriting guidelines involving multiple sclerosis (MS) are restrictive, but that does not mean an applicant cannot receive coverage.

The following information will govern the outcome of the underwriting process:

• The age of diagnosis for MS.
• The number of MS-related attacks within the last year.
• The type of MS (mild, moderate or severe) an applicant has.
• What medications an applicant with MS currently takes.
• Hospitalization or procedures an applicant with MS has had within the last year.

The longer you have had MS and the more time it has been observed, the more favorable the underwriting results will be.

Possible Outcome with Exam

Best case: Standard Rates
Typical Case: Table Rating 2-4
Worst Case: Decline

You can learn more about how table ratings and sub standard life rates affect your cost here.

Possible Outcome No Exam Options

If you have MS we have a company that will offer no exam term life insurance with multiple sclerosis if the applicant doesn’t require assistance with activities of daily living (ADL’s) such as bathing, dressing, feeding, taking medications, use of toilet.

10 year, 15 year, and 20 year term life insurance options with no exam. Up to $400,000 in coverage.

Get a Quote

Once you complete the enclosed questionnaire Local Life Agents will instantly shop policies from over 40 of the nation’s top life insurance companies. Upon qualifying for coverage, we can then present you with a variety of Permanent or Term life insurance policies.

Local Life Agents has the material you need because we are the go-to experts for patients with MS who want to purchase life insurance.

If you select a fully underwritten policy that requires a medical exam, it can take a minimum of three to six weeks (perhaps longer) before a life insurance company completes its review of your life insurance application.

In the interim, you will have to arrange a free medical exam with a paramedical specialist. The exam enables a life insurance company to review your health and medication history.

If you qualify for coverage but do not want to undergo an exam, we can often get an applicant life insurance coverage (up to $400,000) in approximately three days or less.