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[Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Lisa Salberg (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date: 04-27-02 13:31
This posting is geared to those families who are currently going through the screening process to determine who may have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.A very commonly overlooked item at the time of screening is life insurance. By no means should someone assume that because we're discussing the purchasing of life insurance prior to being screened for HCM, that diagnosis of HCM is some kind of a death sentence. It does however make good financial sense to purchase life insurance prior to the diagnosis of a serious medical condition.
If you purchase the life insurance prior to screening or diagnosis you have been truthful and honest and disclose all available information and therefore should receive the best rates possible based on your health. However, if one waits until he or she has been screened for HCM and it has been determined that the person has HCM the insurance rates are going to go way out and in some cases are costs prohibitive.
If you're having a child screened it would be well advised to purchase a policy for that child so they would have the opportunity to have coverage of their own when they reach adulthood.
Further, you should always remember to maximize your life insurance available through your employer as most group policies are "guaranteed issue" and the costs are much more affordable than individual policies. However, not all policies are transferable if you were to leave your employer. Therefore it is important to find out if the plan allows you to continue the policy upon your termination from the company.
When we're dealing with living with HCM, sometimes, we get caught up in all the physical manifestations of this disease. It is easy to forget that we must continue living our lives, taking care for families in all the other things that go along with living, the good and bad.
This is simply food for thought.
Best wishes,
Lisa Salberg
President
HCMA
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[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Steve (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 04-27-02 17:26
People, Pay head to this information. As a person with HCM, I am now on disability and my work life insurance has ended and I can not get life insurance now. Thank God we did get my son started on a policy, and to date he is getting regular screenings and is HCM free. Take the time to take care of buisness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Kim (---.ne.client2.attbi.com)
Date: 04-28-02 23:24
HI, I can also support this comment. My husband is diagnosed with HCM (in his 20's) and he had a very small life insurance policy that was started because he had a friend starting in the insurance business. To put money aside for life insurance when you are young and healthy (and usually poor too!) wasn't a priority. Later, he was diagnosed with HCM and has not been able to receive life insurance. Please heed this advice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Paul Murphy (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 04-29-02 17:50
Thanks for bringing up this topic. After our 12 year old was diagnosed (we have no family history of HCM) last fall I decided to get more life insurance coverage for myself. I was of course truthful in my application, but they just ask about your parent's medical history and not about your children's! I've never had an echo myself, but I suppose that I should now that I have the new insurance in place.
Our three year old daughter had an initial echo that thankfully proved clear and I'll now take steps to start a policy for her. One question: how often should she get an echo during childhood to make sure that she doesn't have HCM?
thanks,
Paul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Sarah Beckley (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 04-29-02 18:41
Dear Paul
Every 1-2 years while they are still growing and 2-5 years in their 20s.
I'm pretty confident about those numbers, but Lisa is the final authority and I'll have her weigh in shortly.
Sarah
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[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: lisa (208.47.172.---)
Date: 04-30-02 12:59
When they are very little - under 9 or 10 you can normally go every 2-3 years until puberty, then annually until age 20-25yrs then it is wise to check in every 5 years with a cardiologist.
Best wishes,
Lisa Salberg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Paul (---.ny5030.east.verizon.net)
Date: 04-30-02 15:23
From your lips to God's ear, Lisa.
I would make the same recommendation with respect to disability insurance.
As others have noted, one must be considered to be disabled from doing virtually ANY job in order to qualify for SSDI. Furthermore, SSDI awards tend to be rather small compared to the claimant's current income, which can create a financial hardship, particularly at a time when his/her medical expenses may be rising.
When I became unable to continue working in 1998, I was fortunate to have private insurance that covered me based on my disability to continue working in my profession.
Unfortunately, I was unable to purchase disability coverage before I had a disqualifying diagnosis, but I was able to acquire this individial policy by converting a group policy provided by a previous employer.
I was also recently able to purchase long-term care insurance without medical underwriting through my spouse's employer.
My life insurance is very expensive, but I acquired all of it by converting the group policies provided by previous employers.
Of course I'd rather be healthy, but there are ways in which we are sometimes still able to get insurance even after a disqualifying medical diagnosis.
Paul
Author: Lisa Salberg (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date: 04-27-02 13:31
This posting is geared to those families who are currently going through the screening process to determine who may have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.A very commonly overlooked item at the time of screening is life insurance. By no means should someone assume that because we're discussing the purchasing of life insurance prior to being screened for HCM, that diagnosis of HCM is some kind of a death sentence. It does however make good financial sense to purchase life insurance prior to the diagnosis of a serious medical condition.
If you purchase the life insurance prior to screening or diagnosis you have been truthful and honest and disclose all available information and therefore should receive the best rates possible based on your health. However, if one waits until he or she has been screened for HCM and it has been determined that the person has HCM the insurance rates are going to go way out and in some cases are costs prohibitive.
If you're having a child screened it would be well advised to purchase a policy for that child so they would have the opportunity to have coverage of their own when they reach adulthood.
Further, you should always remember to maximize your life insurance available through your employer as most group policies are "guaranteed issue" and the costs are much more affordable than individual policies. However, not all policies are transferable if you were to leave your employer. Therefore it is important to find out if the plan allows you to continue the policy upon your termination from the company.
When we're dealing with living with HCM, sometimes, we get caught up in all the physical manifestations of this disease. It is easy to forget that we must continue living our lives, taking care for families in all the other things that go along with living, the good and bad.
This is simply food for thought.
Best wishes,
Lisa Salberg
President
HCMA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Steve (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 04-27-02 17:26
People, Pay head to this information. As a person with HCM, I am now on disability and my work life insurance has ended and I can not get life insurance now. Thank God we did get my son started on a policy, and to date he is getting regular screenings and is HCM free. Take the time to take care of buisness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Kim (---.ne.client2.attbi.com)
Date: 04-28-02 23:24
HI, I can also support this comment. My husband is diagnosed with HCM (in his 20's) and he had a very small life insurance policy that was started because he had a friend starting in the insurance business. To put money aside for life insurance when you are young and healthy (and usually poor too!) wasn't a priority. Later, he was diagnosed with HCM and has not been able to receive life insurance. Please heed this advice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Paul Murphy (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 04-29-02 17:50
Thanks for bringing up this topic. After our 12 year old was diagnosed (we have no family history of HCM) last fall I decided to get more life insurance coverage for myself. I was of course truthful in my application, but they just ask about your parent's medical history and not about your children's! I've never had an echo myself, but I suppose that I should now that I have the new insurance in place.
Our three year old daughter had an initial echo that thankfully proved clear and I'll now take steps to start a policy for her. One question: how often should she get an echo during childhood to make sure that she doesn't have HCM?
thanks,
Paul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Sarah Beckley (---.dsl.mindspring.com)
Date: 04-29-02 18:41
Dear Paul
Every 1-2 years while they are still growing and 2-5 years in their 20s.
I'm pretty confident about those numbers, but Lisa is the final authority and I'll have her weigh in shortly.
Sarah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: lisa (208.47.172.---)
Date: 04-30-02 12:59
When they are very little - under 9 or 10 you can normally go every 2-3 years until puberty, then annually until age 20-25yrs then it is wise to check in every 5 years with a cardiologist.
Best wishes,
Lisa Salberg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Re: Life Insurance pre screening]
Author: Paul (---.ny5030.east.verizon.net)
Date: 04-30-02 15:23
From your lips to God's ear, Lisa.
I would make the same recommendation with respect to disability insurance.
As others have noted, one must be considered to be disabled from doing virtually ANY job in order to qualify for SSDI. Furthermore, SSDI awards tend to be rather small compared to the claimant's current income, which can create a financial hardship, particularly at a time when his/her medical expenses may be rising.
When I became unable to continue working in 1998, I was fortunate to have private insurance that covered me based on my disability to continue working in my profession.
Unfortunately, I was unable to purchase disability coverage before I had a disqualifying diagnosis, but I was able to acquire this individial policy by converting a group policy provided by a previous employer.
I was also recently able to purchase long-term care insurance without medical underwriting through my spouse's employer.
My life insurance is very expensive, but I acquired all of it by converting the group policies provided by previous employers.
Of course I'd rather be healthy, but there are ways in which we are sometimes still able to get insurance even after a disqualifying medical diagnosis.
Paul