Can you get life insurance if you have epilepsy? Absolutely. Many people living with epilepsy can successfully obtain affordable life insurance.
This comprehensive guide will help you understand the life insurance underwriting process, and find affordable coverage to meet your needs.
Epilepsy Overview
Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by recurrent and unprovoked seizures.
It’s a common neurological disorder affecting more than 3 million people in the U.S.
The cause for most epilepsy patients is unknown (idiopathic), typically diagnosed after having at least two seizures.
And while epilepsy can pose challenges with life insurance, we have several life insurance companies available to help you.
The time since your last seizure, the type and severity of attacks, and the medications you take will determine your rate.
Time since last seizure general guidelines:
- 0-3 months: Postpone by most companies
- 3-6 months: 100-150% rating added to standard rate
- 7-24 months: 50-100% rating added to standard rate
- 25-60 months: Standard rate, possible 50% rating.
- 60+ Months: Some may qualify for preferred rates.
Some companies may offer better (or worse) than the above.
Types of Epileptic Seizures
There are several types of epilepsy, including:
- Focal Onset Seizures – Affect one side of the brain
- Aware Seizures
- Impaired Awareness
- Generalized Seizures – Affect both sides of the brain
- Absence
- Myoclonic
- Tonic-Clonic
- Unknown Onset Seizures:
- When seizures first start, they may be classified as unknown until more information becomes available.
It is essential to know the type of seizure that you have so that you can get the best life insurance rate for your specific condition.
Underwriting by Type of Seizure
The best life insurance policy for people with epilepsy depends on their circumstances.
Still, some general guidelines can be helpful for anyone.
Absence Seizures and Focal Aware Seizures
If your last seizure was less than two years ago, you might have a standard rate plus an additional expense called a table rating.
A table rating could add 50-100% to the standard rate.
Standard life insurance rates might be available if your last seizure was over two years ago.
If it’s been five years or longer since your last seizure, a “preferred” or possibly “preferred best” rate may be possible.
Some examples of pricing are as follows:
| Time Since Last Seizure | Rating 1 2 3 4 5 | Female Rates | Male Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-6 Months | Table 4-6 | $50 – $61 | $60 – $73 |
| 7-24 Months | Table 2-4 | $40 – $50 | $47 – $60 |
| 25-60 Months | Std – Table 2 | $29 – $40 | $35 – $47 |
| 60+ Months | Std – Preferred | $22 – $29 | $26 – $35 |
Focal Impaired Awareness and Tonic-Clonic Seizures
If you had a Focal Impaired Awareness Seizure or a Tonic-Clonic Seizure,
Life insurance companies may offer you their standard life insurance rates and, in some cases, a standard plus rating.
Underwriters will review your medical history, including the results of any EEG (electroencephalography), MRI, or CT scans.
Epilepsy Life Insurance Questions
Underwriters need to know the following: 3
- When were you first diagnosed with epilepsy?
- What type of seizures have you had?
- How often do you have seizures?
- When was your last episode?
- Have you been hospitalized for epilepsy?
- Do you have any history of status epilepticus?
- Have you had any mental deterioration or personality changes from epilepsy?
- When was your last EEG, MRI, or CT scan completed?
- What were the results of the test?
- What medications and dosages do you take?
- Do you have any other health issues?
- Are you a smoker or a nonsmoker?
Health histories, such as stroke, depression, heart conditions like AFib, or multiple sclerosis, will affect your rate.
Can I Get Life Insurance After a Seizure?
You can get life insurance after a seizure.
Still, most companies require you to wait 3-6 months after your last episode before offering you life insurance.
Here are some quick life insurance underwriting tips to help you get your best rate:
Epilepsy Tip # 1
Don’t run out and apply for life insurance if you were just diagnosed with epilepsy.
The reason why is that most insurance companies postpone life insurance for 3-6 months after diagnosis.
Epilepsy Tip # 2
Life insurance rates tend to improve as more time passes since your last seizure.
Life insurers may add a table rating expense of 50-150% to your rate, depending on the time since your last seizure.
Denied Life Insurance Due to Epilepsy?
If you’ve been declined in the past, don’t give up on getting life insurance. There are companies specializing in high-risk life insurance for epilepsy.
If you used the wrong life insurer, you probably never had a chance to get approved in the first place.
That’s where we can help.
We know which companies to work with and which ones to avoid.
FAQ
You have questions about life insurance with epilepsy, and we have the answers.
Final Thoughts
There is never any pressure or obligation with our life insurance service.
We’ll match you with the best companies based on your medical history.
Please take a few minutes to complete your quote request today.
- Banner Life InTouch UW Dialogue – Issue #24 – Epilepsy ↩︎
- Lincoln Financial – QuickQuote Results for Epilepsy History ↩︎
- Prudential – Rx for Success – Epilepsy ↩︎
- John Hancock – The Underwriting Edge – Epilepsy ↩︎
- AIG-Corebridge – Field Underwriting for Epilepsy – Data Table A, B, C & D ↩︎
- Prudential – Rx for Success – Epilepsy ↩︎
