Powerful Tips for Securing Life Insurance After Prostate Cancer or Prostate Disorders – The 7 Best Companies!

Navigating life insurance after prostate cancer can feel overwhelming! But with the right strategy, you can significantly improve your chances of securing affordable coverage.

Did You Know?

Only 7 out of 100+ life insurance companies excel at underwriting prostate cancer. These are:

• Banner Life
• John Hancock
• Lincoln Financial
• Protective Life
• Prudential
• Symetra
• Transamerica

While these companies excel at underwriting prostate cancer, the best company for you depends on factors such as age, cancer stage, treatment type, and the time since treatment was completed.

Understanding the relationship between life insurance and prostate cancer is essential for finding affordable coverage tailored to your health history.

That’s where we come in. With our expertise in life insurance underwriting, we’ll help you secure the best companies and rates tailored to your medical history.

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A prostate cancer diagnosis doesn’t automatically disqualify you from getting affordable life insurance. Eligibility depends on factors like:

• Age at Diagnosis – Younger applicants often face stricter criteria.
• PSA Levels – PSA stability post-treatment is critical.
• Cancer Stage – Lower stages (T1 or T2) improve eligibility.
• Treatment Type – Radical prostatectomy, radiation, or active surveillance.
• Gleason Scores – Scores of 6 or below are most favorable.
• Post-Treatment Stability – Insurance companies prefer no recurrence or progression.

The following sections break down the types of life insurance available and pricing expectations based on the prostate cancer treatment you received.

Radical prostatectomy patients may qualify for coverage as early as three months post-surgery. ^[1]

Ideal Radical Prostatectomy Candidates:

• Age 60+ When Diagnosed
• PSA <10 Before Surgery
• Stage T2b or Less
• Gleason Score 6 or Below
• Post-Surgical PSA <1.0
• Negative surgical margins

Several companies can offer Standard rates, and Prudential may consider a non-smoker plus rate. If you don’t meet the above criteria, there will be a 12-month postponement period for life insurance. ^[2]

Example Radical Prostatectomy Gleason 6 Case Study:

• Diagnosis Age – He was age 55, now age 57
• Stage – T1b
• PSA Levels – 6 at the time of diagnosis, less than 0.1 post-surgery
• Gleason Score – 6
• Outcome – Approved at a Non-Smoker Plus rate with Prudential.

Notes – This is a relatively easy case to insure due to being age 55 or older, having a radical prostatectomy with negative surgical margins, and no recurrence of cancer.

While most companies that underwrite prostate cancer would offer a standard rate, Prudential’s niche is this: they will offer their Non-Smoker Plus rate.

If you have any of the following, there will be a postponement period of 12 months or longer.

• Pretreatment PSA 11-20
• Gleason 7
• Cancer stage T3a
• Hormone therapy before treatment
• Diagnosed between the ages of 50 – 55
• Positive surgical margins
• PSA >1.0 after surgery
• Gleason 8
• Cancer stage T3b or greater *
• Hormones after treatment *
• Any Recurrence *
• Diagnosed before age 50 *
• Cancerous lymph nodes

* Requires a five-year postponement ^[1]

Example Radical Prostatectomy Gleason 7 Case Study:

• Diagnosis Age – He was age 54 when diagnosed, now age 57
• Stage – T1c
• PSA Level – 6 at the time of diagnosis, <0.1 now
• Gleason Score – 7 (3+4)
• Outcome – Standard Non-Tobacco rates plus a 3-year flat extra expense of $600 per every $100,000 of coverage. We placed the coverage with Lincoln Financial.

Notes: This case is similar to the prior example, with the main difference being the Gleason score 7.

Getting life insurance after prostate cancer surgery is possible with the right companies.

Make sure you follow these steps to get the best underwriting outcome:

• Know Your Numbers – PSA & Gleason Scores
• Cancer Staging – The stage from the post-surgical pathology report is needed.
• Follow-ups – Make sure you complete follow-up appointments and PSA testing after surgery
• Postpone Periods – Don’t apply for life insurance before the postponement period ends.

Before applying for coverage, we’ll explain postponement periods and what to expect regarding underwriting and price.

Radiation therapy patients need a 12-month waiting period post-treatment. The postponement period allows time to assess the effectiveness of the treatment and that the cancer is in remission.

Document all follow-ups and PSA tests. Documenting PSA levels is crucial to getting insured.

From an underwriting standpoint, all types of radiation follow the same underwriting guidelines.

Types of radiation treatment include:

• Internal radiation such as brachytherapy.
• External radiation – EBRT- IMRT, IGRT, 3D-CRT, SBRT, and Proton Beam.

A quick note about radiation – The type of treatment and radiation dose doesn’t matter as much as the medical outcome.

Ideal Radiation Therapy Candidates:

• Age 60+ When Diagnosed
• Stage T2b or Better
• A pretreatment PSA level of 10 or less
• Gleason score of 6 or less, and some Gleason 7 (3+4)
• Post-treatment PSA level of 0.2 or less.
• PSA level stable for more than 12 months

If you meet the above, some life insurers will consider “standard” rates or possibly a “non-smoker plus” rate.

Radiation Therapy Case Study:

Our client, in this case, received brachytherapy (radiation seeds) implanted in his prostate gland.

• Diagnosis Age – He was age 68 when diagnosed, age 72 now
• Stage – 1
• PSA Levels – 6.5 at time of diagnosis, <1.0 currently
• Gleason Score – 6
• Outcome – Standard non-tobacco rate received from Lincoln Financial.

Notes – With radiation therapy, PSA levels tend to decrease over time, followed by a temporary PSA bounce, before declining to their lowest level (nadir) and stabilizing from there.

• Gleason Score of 7 (when it’s a 4+3)
• Under Age 60, when diagnosed
• Hormonal Therapy
• PSA Increase of 1.0 or more above your nadir
• Gleason Grade of 8 or greater.
• PSA increases greater than 2.0 ng/ml are considered a recurrence.

When you have radiation therapy, it’s crucial to have the following information available:

• Biopsy Reports – We need all biopsy results of all prostat—ore sampthe, including the stage and Gleason Score. If you’ve had multiple biopsies, we need them all.
• PSA Test Results—We need the date and result of every PSA test before and after your diagnosis and all test results up to the current date.
• Type of Radiation Treatment – What kind of radiation treatment did you receive, and what were all the treatments’ start and stop dates?
• Urologist Recommendations – We need to know if your doctor recommended surgery, but you opted for radiation.

Have you had genetic testing?

Let us know, as it can help you with underwriting. Genetic testing helps life insurers better understand how aggressive your prostate cancer is.

• Decipher
• FoundationOne Liquid CDX
• Oncotype DX
• Prolaris Test
• ProstaVysion

Make sure you tell us if you’ve had genetic testing.

When you receive surgery and radiation, there are two scenarios to consider.

Adjuvant Radiation Therapy – This is when your prostate cancer treatment plan is to have surgery followed by radiation therapy to reduce the risk of cancer returning.

In this scenario, the postponement period is 12-36 months after your PSA level has dropped below 0.1 and remains steady.

Salvage Radiation Therapy – When you’ve had a radical prostatectomy, and your PSA level starts to rise, indicating a recurrence of prostate cancer.

In this case, the postponement period is five years or longer from when you complete all salvage radiation treatment.

Any underwriting offers will likely include a table rating and a flat extra expense.

Underwriters are concerned about the potential to spread to lymph nodes, your bladder, or gastrointestinal organs.

Having both treatments indicates more significant prostate cancer, so that we will need all the details, including:

• Know Your Numbers – PSA and Gleason Score
• Cancer Stage – We need the post-surgical pathology results
• Radiation Treatment – Was it Adjuvant or Salvage Radiation?
• Treatment Dates – We need the start and stop dates of surgery and radiation treatment.

The more accurate the information you provide us, the more precise the insurance company quotes will be. If you send us reports, we can pull the information from them.

For a deeper understanding of your prostate cancer diagnosis, we recommend visiting the Prostate Cancer Foundation website.

It’s vital to disclose if you’ve had any hormone therapy as part of treatment and whether you had the hormone treatment before or after radical prostatectomy.

Generally speaking, hormone therapy after surgery represents a more significant concern to underwriters.

It’s tough to get a “preferred” life insurance rate after prostate cancer. Prudential, John Hancock, and Symetra are the only companies willing to consider preferred rates.

• Prudential will consider preferred rates if it’s been two or more years since the radical prostatectomy and you meet the above criteria^{[3] [4]}
• John Hancock will consider preferred rates ten years after radical prostatectomy.
• Symetra’s Preferred Cancer Program (PCP) is for consideration on a case-by-case basis.

It’s almost impossible to get a preferred rate, and those that do will be the most ideal scenarios where you had a radical prostatectomy.

Denied Due to Prostate Cancer?

Have you been denied because of prostate cancer? Many denials result from applying with insurers who don’t specialize in high-risk life insurance or applying too soon after treatment.

We can still help even if you’ve been declined in the past.

The following are the most common questions we receive.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland. Elevated levels often reveal underlying prostate disorders like:

• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
• Prostatitis
• High-Grade PIN

A PSA test is a blood test. Elevated PSA levels, often detected during a life insurance paramed exam are often the first sign of a prostate disorder.

Normal PSA levels depend on your age:

Age	PSA Level
Under 49	2.5 ng/ml or less
50-59	3.5 ng/ml or less
60-69	4.5 ng/ml or less
70 or older	6.5 ng/ml or less

When PSA levels exceed 4.0 ng/ml, companies will postpone you until you have follow-up tests like DRE (digital rectal exams) or prostate biopsies to investigate further.

What happens when your PSA is elevated from the paramedical?

Slightly elevated PSA levels are not uncommon in some men, even without any underlying prostate issues.

Underwriters will choose one of the following actions:

• No Action – Underwriting may proceed as usual if the PSA elevation is minor and there’s no significant medical history.
• History of Elevated PSA – Underwriting decisions will be based on the underlying medical condition causing the elevation.
• First-Time Elevation – If elevated PSA levels are first identified during a paramedical exam, your application will be postponed or declined until a urologist conducts further evaluation.

If repeat tests show normal levels, we can get underwriting to reconsider and offer coverage.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) refers to an enlarged prostate gland. This condition occurs when the prostate grows in size, potentially causing bladder obstruction. If left untreated, BPH can lead to complications such as bladder, kidney, or urinary tract infections.

BPH is generally not a cause for underwriting concern as long as prostate cancer has been ruled out.

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate that can cause pain or difficulty with urination. A urinalysis is often used to rule out more serious conditions, such as bladder cancer.

The condition may present as acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis, with antibiotics commonly prescribed to alleviate symptoms.

From an underwriting perspective, prostatitis is typically not a concern unless other related health issues are present.

Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PIN) is a condition characterized by abnormal cell growth (dysplasia) in the lining of the prostate gland, typically identified through a biopsy.

PIN is classified into two categories:

Low-Grade PIN – Underwriters generally have less concern about Low-Grade PIN (grade 1) vs High-Grade PIN. Underwriting outcomes are based on your age, history of testing, and followups with physicians.

Age	Low-Grade PIN	High-Grade PIN
Less than 50	Decline	Decline
Age 50-64 – PSA of 4.5 or Less	Table 2 Rating	Table 4 Rating
Age 65+ – PSA of 6.5 or Less	Standard Rates	Table 2 Rating

PIN has a high predictive value for prostate cancer, so you must have regular checkups with your doctors to have a shot at coverage.

We have companies available to help with PIN-related medical conditions as long as you’ve been thoroughly evaluated and prostate cancer has been ruled out.

Since 1998, we’ve helped prostate cancer survivors secure the best life insurance rates. Let us match you with the right insurer tailored to your medical history.

Securing lifWith the proper guidance, securing after prostate cancer is achievable. Don’t navigate the complexities alone—contact us today for personalized support.

Sources for This Article

[1] Prudential Financial, Inc. (2017) Prostate Cancer [PDF file]

[2] Lincoln National (2020) Prostate Cancer Life Insurance Application Result

[3] Prudential Financial, Inc. (2016) Good News for Clients Treated for Cancer [PDF file]

[4] John Hancock Insurance (2018) Field Underwriting Guide – Your Guide to Underwriting Impairments, Part II Pg. 23 [PDF file]