Low Cost Burial Insurance with Multiple Sclerosis

Find low-cost Burial Insurance with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a well-known autoimmune disease that affects a person’s brain as well as the spinal cord and affects more women than men.

Although the disorder can be diagnosed in people at any age, the most common age group affected are people between ages 20 and 40.

Click here to review our Guide to Burial Insurance with Pre-Existing Conditions.

According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, the cause of MS is currently unknown. It is considered an autoimmune disease in which your body’s immune system actually attacks its own tissues.

With MS, this immune system malfunction will destroy myelin which is a fatty substance that surrounds and protects nerve fibers in your brain and spinal cord. Myelin can be compared to the insulation on electrical wires.

When this protective coating of myelin is damaged and then the nerve fiber exposed, the messages that are transmitted along that nerve are slowed down or even blocked. In some cases, the nerve itself may become damaged as well.

Quick Links

Symptoms of MS

Types of MS

The Affect on Your Rates

Underwriting

Options if Declined

Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Although signs and symptoms may differ from one person to the next over the course of the disease, the symptoms are likely to include the following:

• Weakness or numbness in body limbs that occur on one side of your body at a time, or the legs and the trunk.
• Partial or total loss of vision, typically in one eye at a time, and often accompanied by pain during eye movement.
• Prolonged double vision
• Pain or tingling in your extremities
• The sensation of electric shock during certain movements of your neck, especially when you bend your head forward.
• Tremors and unsteady gait
• Slurred speech
• Severe fatigue
• Dizziness and difficulty in concentration
• Bowel and bladder problems

Types of Multiple Sclerosis

People with MS typically experience one of four distinct disease courses, each of them may be considered mild, moderate, or severe.

• Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Patients with Relapsing-Remitting MS will experience defined attacks of worsening neurologic function. The attacks are referred to as relapses, flare-ups, or exacerbations. They are followed by partial or complete recovery periods during when no disease progression occurs. Relapsing-Remitting MS is typically diagnosed in 85 percent of MS patients.
• Primary-Progressive MS: This type of MS is characterized by gradual worsening of neurologic function from the beginning with no relapses or remissions. The rate of the disease’s progression may vary with plateaus and temporary improvements. Primary-Progressive MS represents about 10 percent of people diagnosed with MS.
• Secondary-Progressive MS: Some patients may develop a secondary-progressive course of the disease after an original period of relapsing-remitting MS. When the secondary-progressive course begins the disease worsens steadily with or without flare-ups, minor recoveries, or plateaus.
• Progressive-Relapsing MS: Although a relatively rare course of MS (5%), patients experiencing this course of the disease experience steadily worsening of the disease from its onset. They will also experience clear attacks of worsening neurological function. Patients may or may not experience some recovery after relapses, but the disease will continue to progress with no sign of remissions.

How MS will affect Your Low-Cost Burial Insurance Rates

Although MS patients experience higher than normal life insurance rates, they will typically qualify for low-cost burial insurance. In fact, MS patients who are managing their blood pressure and sticking to their recommended diet, and exercising regularly are typically offered standard rates by the insurer.

Your underwriting results are used to determine the rates you will pay so applicants should expect to answer many questions about their MS, give consent for a MIB report, and consent to a Prescription Drug report.

What Underwriters Look For

Your underwriter will certainly look for evidence that you are following the directions prescribed by your doctor regarding medications, diet, and exercise. They will specifically ask the following questions:

• When were you first diagnosed with MS?
• What your diagnosis was (which type of MS)?
• What was your age when you were diagnosed?
• The course of your disease?
• Your response to prescribed treatment.
• Steps you’ve taken since your diagnosis to manage your disease.
• The degree of control as illustrated by your medical records and lab tests.
• Are there any other medical conditions present?
• Do you use tobacco?

Preparing for Your Burial Insurance Purchase

There are certain steps you can take in advance of applying for your low-cost burial insurance. By taking a proactive attitude, you can increase your chances of being approved at an affordable rate.

Take the following steps to put yourself in the best position for the most affordable rates:

• Always visit your doctor as often as recommended.
• Follow your doctor’s advice about medication, treatment, and education about MS.
• Make certain your medical records are updated on a regular basis. This is very important and cannot be overstated. Your underwriter will need current data to make an informed decision about your rating.
• Work on getting any complications that may exist under control. Many MS patients have other health issues like high blood pressure that are associated with MS.

You do have Options

The great news about applying for low-cost burial insurance with Multiple Sclerosis is you will have options if your application is declined or priced out of your budget.

By using an experienced and reputable independent insurance agent, you will have access to many insurance companies and alternative products if you run into problems.

If your underwriter determines that you do not medically qualify for low-cost burial insurance (lowest rates and no waiting period), your agent will likely offer a graded benefit or guaranteed issue policy.

• Level Benefit Final Expense Insurance – The level benefit plan has the lowest insurance rates and first-day coverage for death from natural or accidental causes. There is no medical exam requirement but the underwriter will or a MIB and Prescription drug report.
• Graded Benefit Burial Insurance – A graded benefit plan is typically available for applicants who do not qualify for level benefit coverage. In exchange for accepting an applicant with qualifying medical issues, the insurance company will charge slightly higher rates and require a 2-year period where death from natural causes will result in a lower death benefit; typically 30% the first year, and 70% the second year. After the graded benefit expires, the insurance company will pay the full death benefit for death from natural or accidental causes.
• Guaranteed Issue Final Expense Insurance – The guaranteed issue plan is available for applicants who do not medically qualify for a level or graded benefit plan. Guaranteed issue means that the insurance company will issue a policy as long as the applicant qualifies for the eligible age group. The guaranteed issue plan will have higher rates and a 2-year waiting period during which the death benefit is typically 110% of all premiums paid. Beginning in the 25^th month of coverage, the insurer will pay the full death benefit for death from natural or accidental causes.

Your independent agent will be your advocate during the shopping and underwriting process and will do everything possible to get your policy issued at an affordable rate.

Your agent will not be paid unless your policy is issued and taking advantage of his or her experience doesn’t cost you anything. Since independent agents represent many of the top-rated insurance companies, they are in a position to put the needs of their clients first and foremost.