Question:
Anyone have problems obtaining life insurance after a Gastric Bypass?

And if not, who was/is the carrier? Preferably a carrier in California.    — yayabinkies (posted on May 6, 2004)


May 6, 2004
Yes, I was denied by New England Life, but WAS approved by Mass Mutual. You might want to look at them. Diane N ww.WeightlossSurgery.ws
   — DianeN

May 6, 2004
Too weird!! I just declined an offer of life insurance by State Farm who jacked up my rates due to gastric bypass. What a crock! Can you get insurance thorugh work if possible? That's what I'll be doing.
   — lizinPA

May 6, 2004
yep. I was. Tried and was turned down for new insurance policy and was also denied a lower coverage on a current policy when agreeing to a physical, blood work etc. Pretty sad. Fortunately, my kids are almost grown and it isn't critical. Carla
   — [Deactivated Member]

May 6, 2004
I was denied coverage through a work policy due to gastric bypass surgery. They did tell me to reapply after about a year and a half, which I did, and was approved then. They had to obtain records from my Surgeon's office before approving though. Good Luck!
   — Chloe S.

May 6, 2004
By having gastric bypass you are pretty much making yourself uninsurable for any health/life insurance. Now, they can't really deny you for grp health insurance. My mother had WLS almost 30 years ago and has been uninsurable ever since. She has searched for health and life throughout those years and has yet to find any private policy to cover her. Myself, neither have I.
   — RebeccaP

May 7, 2004
My dad died shortly after my surgery, and my mom was adament that I get an additional life insurance policy from American General. I was denied as well. The thing that really irked me is that I did all of the blood tests, screening, etc. and they told me that it was too soon after surgery to insure me. Like the others, I was told to check back in a year. I guess they feel like the first year after surgery you are at a higher risk for complications.
   — Debra R.

May 7, 2004
Hi, I just received a quote for Insurance. Basically what they told me was I had to pay an extra $100.00 a year for 3 years and then it will go down after that. It was Banner Life Insurance. Since I had the surgery a year ago, they are only requiring this extra $100.00 for two more years. This was for $100,000.00 worth of insurance. Good Luck to you.
   — KellyL

May 7, 2004
I got a policy through GenAmerica Financial (part of MetLife), about $100 a month, its a whole life policy worth around $150,000. I think I was about a year post-op when I got it. The person doing the medical exam and my financial advisor were both sure to point out all of the co-morbidities that have disappeared following surgery. I can give you the contact info for my financial advisor if you are interested.
   — Chris B.

May 7, 2004
I was able to get one through work, I had tried on the out side and was denied and the policy that my parents had purchessed for me when I first got married was not renewed after it was disclosed that I has Gastric Bypass. So while I pay a cheap price for a cheap policy I feel better knowing that if something were to happen to me then at least my family would have some kind of protection.
   — Christina B.

May 7, 2004
Hey, another option is to get ADD, which is accidental death 7 dismemberment through your financaial institution. I have a friend who opened accounts at 3 different banks to get teh combined coverage she wanted. Most banks and credit unions offer anywhere from $1000 - $100K at pretty decent rates (for non-smokers). There is usually no physical exam required and this may be the way to go for some people to get the protction for their family/loved ones. Diane
   — DianeN

May 12, 2004
Update re: life insurance after WLS. My employer had their "open enrollment" fair today and I spoke with the underwriter for the group life insurance company (the company that does life insurance through my employer). Here' s what the underwriter said when I asked if I should apply: For people who have had WLS, don't bother applying because the long-term ramifications of the surgery are still unknown and they will deny your coverage just based on that fact. My reply: Don't even get me started on how screwed up that is. We have the surgery to make us healthier and for the most part, our co-morbs are gone, but we still get the shaft for going the surgical route.<p>If anyone has any advice on this, please contact me.
   — lizinPA




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