I have none. Zilch! I tried a couple of companies that advertised "No questions asked" but guess what? Yep. They do "ask" a few.

Who can I get it from? Have any ideas? See I knew I should have never put it off but to late now aint it? Also money is an issue with me so I need something reasonable.
Blessings and hugs,
Barb~

When people say to me, "isn't it great, you beat oral cancer", I always joke back..." I may be feeling and looking fine now, but one thing is for sure...nobody would sell me a life insurance policy!" Barb, I imagine that this is true, unless, of course, you would pay an exorbitant rate for the insurance.
My mom, who is almost 87, decided about 5 or 6 years ago to buy life insurance and indeed they sold her a policy, but it cost her a fortune. After a few years she realized that it was a bad bet and she cancelled it. She would have done better investing the money spent on premiums.
Again, with our actuarial statistics I cannot believe that any company would sell us a life insurance policy at a realistic rate. On the other hand, I wonder if those of us with life insurance policies can sell them to viatical companies for cash like AIDS patients often do.

Best of luck,
Danny G.

I think there is a possibility that you could eventually get a policy, but you will have to have a five year period of no occurances, and even at that it may depend on stage, etc.

I base these comments on a discussion I had with an insurance agent on a policy which would help cover medical expenses from cancer treatment/care on top of my existing health coverage. Once the agent found out I was a survivor (surgery May 2004), the polcy was off the table. He did say that after five years, he would write me, but that is five years without an occurance.

I did tenatively qualify for a $100,000 term policy at around three years out. The problem is it would cost $700 per month. Needless to say I did not buy that. I am presently waiting to hear if I am able to obtain more at an affordable rate now that more time has gone by. Insurance companies are in the profit business. They will not take risks (which is understandable) Thankfully I have a $100,000 policy in place since I was about 27. You can bet I have made sure the premiums are paid on time.

Don't bother with the TV ads saying "you can't be turned down" Sure they might sell you a policy but the fine print will say that conditions exist and they won't pay if you die from the cancer. Instead they will return the premiums.

Well crud. I guess I will have to go to the funeral home and get a payment plan. Not that I am planning to die real quick but whenever I do hit the dust I don't want my kids to have to pay for it all. They can't afford it and its not fair to them.

Oh the dumb things we do. I kept planning to get some and planning. I planned right until it was a day late. Thanks all.

Blessings,
Barb~

I was lucky...just over a year before diagnosis we took out an income protection policy on me, as I am the main money earner in our 2 person business. I just scraped in the door and they paid me a lump sum, plus we had subsidised monthly income until I was working full-time. That really helped pay the rent etc. What a shame we couldn't afford at the time a higher premium for a bigger payout, like, be able to buy a house! That small amount I have set aside for any more treatments. Oh, and perhaps an OS holiday

After a year I could buy back the life policy for a piddly amount per month, around $21, for a death payout of $72k. All the other policies I'm sure won't have me, even tho' they "say" no questions asked... :rolleyes:

Tizz
(who is tired of working!)

Barb,
Buying life insurance past the age of 50 is expensive, cancer or no, especially if your are not in a group plan. And why give the funeral home the money now? Your gonna live for another 30 years or so put the money in the bank and you earn the interest.

Take care,
Eileen

Yeah I know but I can "lock in" at todays prices. Funerals will cost a million bucks in 30 years. Don't you know that Eileen? hahahaahahahha

Blessings,
Barb~

hi Barb,

there are some special circumstances. for example, NASA had an open enrollment period last year for everyone, not just new employees. i jumped on it. the deal was that you had to be alive for one year before the policy goes into effect. in fact, i have to show up at work on some special day this september.

folks who work for government agencies can be on the lookout for special offers, rather than ignoring insurance literature ... as i normally do.

federal employees often have the same benefits offered as Congress, so we are often on the winning team.

i wish that others had the same opportunities.

cu,
larryb

My insurance company told me 7 years of "cancer free" before they would issue me a life policy but like others have said, at my age the premiums would eat me alive.

Oh I know Gary. In 7 years I would pay twice the premiums. Its a lose -lose situation it looks like.
Larry my late husband worked for the USPS which is civil service. I still have the health insurance, which costs me three times as much as when he was alive, but they offered no life insurance for annuitants.
I did see that AARP thing and was going to pay the 13 bucks to join so I could get the LI but I noticed in small print it said "contingent on three questions." One is probably
1. Are you alive?
and
2. Do you have cancer?

I'm 28 so hadn't even considered it until it was "too late". I wonder if, assuming I beat the cancer, I'd be able to get a reasonable policy 5 years down the road. I won't hold my breath.

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

Thanx Jen. I will check that out asap.
Hugs!
Barb~

Barb,

There are a few options. There is one policy that a friend of mine had that was sold to cancer patients but it wouldn't pay until after the 3rd year of survival. It was about $75/month and paid $100,000. Unfortunately, he only made it 2 years and 3 months. I was quoted a policy a month after finishing treatment, they took my money and then a month later they sent it back saying they would reinstate it after 2 years in a high risk pool for 2 years. I will be elligible OCtober 8 this year and plan to pursue it. It was about $60/month for $100,000.

Another option is to find a job that offeres a group plan. In most cases, when you start working for a company you are elligible in their group plan and can get a certain amount without any medical questions. It is usually capped at $50,000 or $100,000.

There are also viatical companies as Bob suggests that will pay cash for your policy provided you have a terminal diagnosis or a serious diagnosis. They usually pay 30% of the face value or less.

Ed

You know what? I am considering just saving and investing. Surely investors aint gonna ask if I have cancer. I just want to see that my kids do not have to pay for my casket ya know? Man I cannot believe sometimes how stupid I am. I have that "human condition" that says "It can never happen to you," How wrong I was.