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Blythe

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
3
Reason
DX MND
Diagnosis
07/2018
Country
US
State
MO
City
St. Louis
Good morning. 32 years old with two young children and pregnant with my third. Undergoing testing for a neurological issue, with ALS as one clinical possibility although I have no been formally or even informally diagnosed yet.
I have life insurance through my employer but no private policy. I have applied for one last week through Prudential. I have to take a medical exam which I should pass--im very healthy otherwise--and they have to review my medical records, which show some test results but "ALS" and "MND" don't appear anywhere in my records, yet. Do you have any experience with this process?? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
 
There are many more things this could be. In the unlikely event you have ALS the insurance company could go back and investigate and perhaps deny the death claim. Get the insurance, but keep this in mind when doing your financial planning for your family. You need the insurance as there are many ways you could die other than the neurological route.
 
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Your previous thread seems to indicate your records show an assessment of MND and a comment that if you develop certain symptoms it is probably ALS. They also contain an abnormal but not diagnostic EMG. Are you concealing those from the insurance company? That would be grounds for denying benefits.

Here is the original thread https://www.alsforums.com/forum/do-...ntation-no-official-diagnosis.html#post447040
 
There is an abnormal EMG in my records. The neurologist who ordered it told me that his interpretation of the results is that I could have some kind of MND, but I do not meet the diagnostic criteria for ALS. A second neurologist closer to home told me that the results are not indicative of an MND, but potentially a muscle disease. this is why I stated that I am currently undergoing testsing with ALS as a possibility . Importantly, those words do not appear in the clinical notes from that first visit (to the Mayo Clinic) or any subsequent visit. I have cancelled my follow up visit and testing until I know whether k can be approved for life insurance while undergoing testing. I know that if I received a diagnosis of MND I will not be eligible, but I wanted to know whether eligibility is possibly during the testing period.
 
BLTHYE,

Here's my general advice about insurance and ALS.


if there is someone who would suffer financially upon your demise, you would want to buy insurance.
If you want "no questions asked" life insurance, it is available from most companies at a higher price.
It's called "Guaranteed Issue" and you should get smart on it.

The companies offer it because there are cases where someone needs insurance "right now" and doesn't want to take the time to go through hoops.
Since the underwriter gets to know very little about you, they charge a higher premium for the extra risk.
They will check other sources for info about you. The insurance industry maintains a database on people, much like the credit bureaus do.

Now, do the math. If you turn out to have ALS, you would not expect to live 5 years. So if you paid 5 years of premiums before dying, how much would the policy need to pay you, in order to be ahead, financially?

And if you turn out to not have ALS--weeee!--you can simply cancel the policy.

Now, as to actually obtaining the policy, you might call a salesman at an agency and say, I'd like to be insured without bothering with questions. If the salesman says, "You're in good health, aren't you?" Then you say, "OMG dinner is burning." and hang up the phone to call the next agency.

Once you have the policy, read it very closely. Should be good. Note that the policy is not actually effective until they receive your payment, so mail in your check immediately once the guy on the phone says OK, we'll ensure you.

ALSO, your employer might have a "conversion" policy, allowing you to convert the group employer plan to a private plan without any questions asked. Call HR. BUT, however, before calling HR you might want to consider whether or not you want to tell your employer that you might be sick.

Finally, if you're a veteran, the VA provides a ton of benefits, including insurance. If, in fact, you are diagnosed with ALS, your first call should be to the Paralyzed Veterans of America, to find a PVA rep near you. They can guide you through the VA process very well.

Lastly, no matter whether you're a vet or not, as soon as you get a diagnosis, call the Social Security office and tell them to expedite your case for Compassionate Allowance program for terminal illnesses.

But, of course, the odds of having ALS are quite remote. Good luck with your PCP and I hope you get well soon.
 
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AAA, AARP and other membership organizations may have guaranteed issue policies, as may P/CALS' employers. Do the math based on your EMG results.

The prudent person standard is that if there is any evidence you had symptoms before seeing a doc (like if s/he charts, "patient complains of difficulty moving R leg for last 2 months") is that if you get the policy during those 2 months, claims against it for whatever that R leg issue turns out to be can be denied, if it was not reported in your application and a question called for that kind of information.
 
I'm lost to why this Thread concerning life insurance is on the "Do I Have ALS?"
sub- forum and the replies that have followed.

Questions concerning life insurance without a diagnosis (after reading your Threads
there's good chances your don't have ALS) isn't really DIHALS.

Blythe, I have re-read your first Thread posted where you wrote the summary from
your EMG. I have read numerous/many summaries... your Neurologist is surely
one of his own to write in the final sentence... "...you probably have ALS."

It is unlikely any qualified Neurologist would direct his/her summary to the
patient.

I'd take his/her summary with a grain of salt.
 
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