skip to main content

We may earn money when you click on our links. Learn More

Icon Close  Light

Call Today! 888-234-8376

How to Find Life Insurance if You Have Sickle Cell Disease

Researcher & Writer
April 11, 2020

One of the surest ways that lead to paying too much for life insurance is to apply with only one company. Having a wide array of choices to pick from is how we help our clients with sickle cell disease locate the best life insurance rates.

Sickle Cell Disease and Life Insurance

Having a medical condition isn’t easy; not only can medical concerns affect your daily life, but they can also hamper your eligibility for important life insurance coverage. Life insurance companies treat every disease and disorder differently, but if you have sickle cell trait or sickle cell anemia, then keep reading to learn more about how to apply for high risk life insurance.

Can I get life insurance with sickle cell anemia?

Thanks to modern medicine, sickle-cell disease can be managed, and the possibility of serious effects can be limited. Many patients with sickle-cell anemia receive preventative treatment such as the use of:

  • Vaccination
  • Preventative antibiotics
  • Hydroxyurea/hydroxycarbamide drug
  • Blood transfusion

These methods can drastically reduce health risks and high mortality rates than can occur in sickle-cell individuals. If you are successfully on any of these treatment plans, and you are not experiencing any major symptoms or complications, you should qualify for one of the different types of life insurance policies offered by life insurance companies.

It becomes more difficult—if not impossible—to get a life insurance agency to underwrite a policy if you have or are experiencing acute and chronic complications. These issues can be serious and life-threatening. Some of the possible major issues include:

  • Splenic sequestration crisis: when the spleen enlarges, potentially fatal
  • Acute chest syndrome: two or more chest-pain related symptoms, the cause of a high number of sickle-cell disease deaths.
  • Aplastic crisis: When a person’s anemia worsens, can be abruptly fatal
  • Haemolytic crisis: a rapid drop in haemoglobin levels
  • Vaso-occlusive crisis: obstruction of capillaries, can be an emergency if in the lungs

Any of these complications are considered severe and are red flags for life insurance companies. They may disqualify you from receiving a life insurance policy, but before you rule it out you should speak to a trained life insurance professional. Those with a more severe type of sickle cell disease may need to consider purchasing burial life insurance from one of the top 10 best final expense companies.

What will happen when I apply for life insurance with sickle-cell disease?

Whenever you apply for life insurance, the agency will scrutinize every aspect of your life and in particular your health. Having sickle-cell disease will garner more attention from a life insurance company. A life insurance agent will ask you multiple questions related to your sickle-cell disease before they underwrite a life insurance policy. To help you prepare for your life insurance application process, we’ve put together a list of possible questions they may ask you.

  • When did you learn you had sickle-cell anemia?
  • Do you have sickle-cell anemia or sickle-cell trait?
  • Have you had any major complications due to your sickle-cell disease?
  • Have you ever been hospitalized due to sickle-cell disease?
  • Have you had a blood transfusion? If yes, when?
  • When was the last time you suffered symptoms? What symptoms did you suffer?
  • Have you applied for life insurance before?
  • Have you had any diagnostic tests done in the last one year? If yes, what were the results?
  • Are you using preventative treatment?
  • What is your treatment regimen?
  • When was the last time you saw a specialist about your sickle-cell anemia?
  • What was your prognosis?

These questions will help a life insurance company to assess your risk level. The insurance provider uses this to determine whether early mortality is likely in your situation. The better your overall health, the more likely you are to be approved for a policy.

What if I have experienced complications due to sickle-cell anemia?

If you have suffered any complications or you are otherwise unhealthy, it will definitely be harder for you to attain a full life insurance policy. There are other options worth exploring. To know your options, your best bet is to speak to a life insurance expert. They can help guide you in the right direction.

Written by
TermLife2Go
We are a team of life insurance experts with the simple mission of helping you find the best coverage for your unique situation. We research, review, and rank life insurance companies to make that process easier.