Have had breast cancer had mastectomy, hopefully will get the all clear in 2 and half years.?

but in the meantime can't seem to get life insurance, is that right?

thanyou bren for your advice.

I'm so sorry to hear that you're getting over cancer, Jacks, but I wish you the very best of luck for the future.

Sadly, breast cancer does, sometimes, lead to secondary cancer in another part of the body, hence the reason it's going to take so long to give you the 'all clear'.

I agree with Bren, though I've never worked in the insurance/assurance industry, and have little to go on apart from my own experience of obtaining insurance due to a medical condition, the insurance premiums are likely to be sky high.

You may be able to get life insurance, at the higher rates mentioned. The true measure of it comes when/if you have to make a claim. Insurance companies sometimes get away with not paying out, claiming that you had a pre-existing condition when you took out the policy.

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom.

i used to work in life insurance but have been out of it for 10 years, that was definitely the case when i had my mastectomy 15 yrs ago, and if u do get it the premiums will be sky high, as obviously having had cancer increases the risk that the insurance will have to pay out. well done getting thru the surgery and hopefully u will get the all clear.

It is sometimes possible to get a life policy with a clause excluding the cancer, otherwise you either have to wait, or pay ENORMOUS premiums!

Unfortunately yes. I'm in the same boat. Thankfully my husband and I had a life insurance policy prior to my diagnosis. Our agent told us it would be 5 years all clear for me before I'd be able to get more.

It may be possible to obtain life insurance depending on a number of items related to your breast cancer.

Not every company will be competitive as each has its own set of underwriting guidelines.

Companies want to know:
1. The specific type of breast cancer you had.
2. Date of diagnosis
3. Tumor size - less than or greater than 25mm, multiple tumors, etc.
4. The staging of the tumor, i.e.. stage I, II, III, IV, or TNM scale.
5. Type of treatment you had
6. Chemo and/or radiation?
7. Lymph node involvement, extent of involvement
8. Recurrence
9. Follow-up exams.

Typically with cancers, the above info will determine if coverage is available, and if so at what cost. Many times coverage will be expensive initially as companies add extra costs called "flat extras' to price. Over time the flat drops off reducing the cost.

It is best to have someone who knows what they are doing, shop your information out on an informal basis for feedback from multiple companies. This allows you to cover many companies without having to fill out applications upfront.