How to Get Health Insurance After Cancer

Being diagnosed with cancer can be a hard blow for the patient and her family. Medical costs and fees can add to the hardship; moreover, it can be very difficult to acquire sufficient health insurance after battling the disease. Getting new health insurance coverage depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Most insurance firms follow the guidelines set forth by the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results, which provide statistics from millions of cancer patients.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine if you are qualified for a standard life insurance policy by answering these questions: Has it been three months since your last treatment? Are you in remission or considered cured? Do you have a clean bill of health? Do you smoke?

• 2

  Research insurers who are cancer risk or "impaired-risk" specialists. These brokers develop relations with companies that offer cancer-friendly policies. Take note of the specialist's credentials. The agent should be licensed in your state. Look for agents on Internet search engines that are members of the Risk Appraisal forum. They specialize in impaired risk and cancer underwriting.

• 3

  Check with insurance plans offered by your employer. For a company with between two and 50 plan members, insurance companies are not allowed to utilize medical underwriting. Medical underwriting is a method that companies use to determine whether to accept or turn down your application.

• 4

  Contact any professional, political or fraternal organizations of which you are a member. These organizations sometimes offer special life and health insurance policies for cancer patients and post-cancer patients.

• 5

  Consider purchasing a graded policy, also known as a limited benefits policy. Insurance companies that offer graded policies will only pay out what you have paid them in premium fees plus part of the primary amount if you die within a few years of purchasing the policy. If you were to pass on after the "grading in" policy period, then the company will pay the full benefits.