By pure luck, I happened upon an old issue of Consumer Reports when cleaning my office. It's the June 2004 issue (for those that want to go to the archives at the library) Page 51-CR-money, and the article is titled "Insurance for those who are ill"
"If you are diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, you know that you may have difficulty buying health insurance. But buying life, disability or long-term-care coverage may be a greater challenge. Most insurance companies refuse to enroll people with serious conditions such as AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, or terminal cancer because their life expectancy is short, requiring the insurer to pay benefits sooner rather than later."
The article goes on how to find insurance "..try getting coverage through an impaired-risk insurance agency. It locates companies that sell insurance for people with chronic conditions. An agent first gathers your medical history and then gets policy quotes from carriers that offer high-risk plans. The agent should provide multiple quotes so you can choose the best deal."
"Depending on the severity of your condition, you can expect to pay two to three times more than a healthy applicant for term-life insurance, a policy that pays a death benefirt but does not build up cash value like a more expensive whole-life plan."
"There's no easy way to find an impaired-risk agency. You can search for one online under 'impaired risk insurance' to find an agency in you area."
This is a one page article. I am just posting the most important stuff from it.
BTW, the article goes on to say that once you have insurance you can reduce your premiums by documenting any improvements to your health. "Some insurers will consider you for coverage if it has been more than six months since your diagnosis. High risk insurers Guarantee Trust Life and Keytone Brokerage, for example, will consider you for coverage six months to one year after a heart attack, stroke, or cancer diagnosis. If you can document that your health has improved over time, you may also reduce your costs."
Jen