If you're applying for life or disability insurance, the odds are high you'll be asked to list your medical care providers. People are often confused about what they should or should not mention.
While it can vary a bit by situation and you should always feel free to ask if you have any questions, a good general rule of thumb is to go back at least 5 years for your primary care doctor and any specialists or medical facilities that you've been to for health matters that could be serious, even if they turned out not to be.
Ask yourself:
"Could the thing I sought medical care for reasonably affect someone's long-term health? Maybe not for me, but for someone else?"
Let's look at some examples of things people seek medical care for.
Examples of What Won't Matter
Sinus infection? No, the occasional sinus infection is not something that affects lifespan.
Scratched cornea? No, scratched cornea is the cause of death for...no one.
Acne? No, acne can be a lot of not-awesome things, but deadly is not one of them.
Examples of What Could Matter
Moles removed? Yes. A lot of people have moles removed, and many of them are benign and won't affect life or disability insurance pricing. But some moles can be deadly, and other moles can be non-cancerous but still indicate a higher chance of cancerous moles in the future. So you definitely want to mention moles, especially if you've had 3 or more removed or if any moles were not benign.
Cancer? Yes. There are a number of people who recover from cancer and go on to live long & healthy lives, but cancer is a serious health event (and different carriers have pretty different ideas about how they price it) so you definitely want to mention that, even if more than 5 years ago.
High blood pressure? Yes. High blood pressure can be well-controlled with medication, and many carriers will consider people on blood pressure meds as if they were medication-free, so long as their blood pressure has been in normal ranges for at least a year and their prescription is stable. But blood pressure is something that can be associated with serious health matters, so it needs to be mentioned.
If you have any questions, get in touch with us on chat or email concierge@aboveboardfinancial.com
