Anybody have any info of what would be a good kind of life insurance for a unruptured brain aneurysm?

A little about me is I have a 1mm brain aneurysms behind my right eye unruptured and the good news it hasn’t grown. I am in my mid-50s. I am looking for a kind of insurance that would pay my funeral costs and still leave a little something for my young daughter if anything did happen. What I am concerned about is if I do get a life insurance policy and they void the life insurance policy if the brain aneurysm ruptured. Like I said I don’t know much about life insurance as it was something I didn’t want to think about. I had a bad experience where my father died a few years ago and had no life insurance and put my family into stress. I don’t want to leave my loved ones in a stressful situation,but leave them with everything will be taken care. Thank you for your time and would appreciate any advice/info to look for a good life insurance plan.

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Good Morning MAC! I can share what we have done. We have both had life insurance through our work and a policy that wasn’t from work. We have some insurance that we got to be cremated. It’s like a savings account that can’t be used for anything except the funeral unless there’s any left over. I think it cost around $2500 and they can be purchased on monthly installments. My plan for me is to be spread. Here in N.C., we can use our own property, or a State Forest. I think, but check it out to be sure, that our cremains can be spread at a National Forest. I’ve had issues since a teen to take up valuable agricultural land.

We also both have had our parents die. Our fathers were both Veterens, so some of the funeral expenses were paid, not much but it allowed my parents to be buried together at a VA Cemetery, the cost was minimal. The funeral director handled most of everything, they don’t come cheap. Both my parents were cremated. My mother had donated her remains to WFBH and they did the cremation for her. It was a fiasco, but the doctor that does all that stopped the confusion immediately and sent a handwritten note to us thanking us for our efforts to get my mom’s remains to them, some bozo said her body didn’t qualify. I said “What? They have so many dead people knocking on their doors, they can turn the bodies away?” Apparently that person didn’t even have the authority to say no, Medical schools are always in need of bodies. They give a beautiful service with the med students in attendance we’ve been told. Family isn’t invited, but we had a memorial for my mom. I’m torn between sending my body to WFBH or to a forensic medical school. I’ve even joked about writing a letter to go with my body to give the students some history on my scars, broken bones, etc.

My BH’s parents had prearranged funeral plans and are buried at a cemetary in AL where they grew up. They had purchased the plots many years earlier, had their caskets picked out etc. This stopped any family members from trying to get a more expensive casket and all the doodads you can put on them. Their funeral director actually stopped one of their relatives explaining nicely twice and being stern the third time that the only change that could be made was the casket as the company didn’t make that style any longer. She showed the family which styles that could be picked from within the price point range. The preplanned funeral was far less stressful than my parents, which wasn’t very stressful given that there wasn’t anyone to argue with.

My parents had set up Family Trust wills with a lawyer that specializes in elder law. They weren’t exceedingly wealthy, as their health diminished, they sold their stocks, we would help out with appliances, etc. However, the Trust stopped any fighting. We also have a trust set up that can’t be changed unless we both go in, or one of us dies. There are things in it that can never be changed ensuring our respective families receive items that have always been in our respective families. Check your State laws on dying intestate. Here in NC, half goes to the spouse/children, the other half goes to the parents of the deceased. It happened to a friend of ours who found her husband dead of a heart attack. Luckily her BIL stepped in and stopped his addict brother from making their mom go after half the estate.

Another thing we have done over the last two decades or so is pay ourselves 20% of our bring home pay before paying our bills. Anything left could be spent on our wants. We had some friends teach us this. They came into the country with two children and three suitcases. They ended up multimillionaires. We won’t reach their level of income, but we are doing well for retirement. We invested the 20% with a stock broker.

One other thing…our friend had a grandchild. We went to our stockbroker and set up an account that she can access when she is 25 unless she goes to college and she can withdraw some for costs. It’s only $50 a year. The child has to be under 18. We didn’t see waisting money on gifts and cards that will be broken or thrown away. She has a plethora of relatives who are now also putting a little in each year. Our hope is that she will be responsible and set for college, or maybe a nice down payment on a house…we are sure her parents will make sure this happens as they are extremely responsible.

Hope some of this helps. I don’t know if life insurance companies fault us for an unruptured BA. Luckily, I had my plan prior to rupture.

Talk to a life insurance specialist. I get the plans mixed up, my mom had two plans taken out in the late 40’s, one was possibly a gift from my paternal grandfather as he sold life insurance to supplement farming. They were around $240 each. She died at 84 and the plans paid out around $11,000. More than enough for the attorney and funeral director.

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Hey Mac,
I’m in Australia and our laws and rules around insurances varies compared to the U.S.
So, I’ll say that first. I’ve had some experience with insurers and I’m sorry to say, it was not nice.
They were more than willing to take my money for 15+years, but come claim time, Ohh that got nasty real quick. I had an income protection component to the policy for 2 yrs and after that time I claimed the total and permanent disability. I’ve been on this medical roundabout for many years and after the first 3 surgeries I eventually returned to my employment. Then came the 4th operation and I returned to work on minimal hours and the insurer was to make up the difference and this was where the difficulties started.
I was contracted to work 20hr/week, but actual hours were 40+. The insurer tried to say they only paid contracted hours. I fought that and had it corrected and back paid. Six months on and health wise, things were not good and I ended up needing another operation. This was when the insurer tried to say it was now a pre-existing condition.

They sent me to all sorts of medicos to try and prove they didn’t have to pay.
By this point I’d had enough, they were putting so many ‘roadblocks’ making it more and more difficult. I told the insurer I was getting a lawyer involved ‘Ohh don’t do that…’ she said. This was the best thing I could have done and only wish I’d done it sooner. The lawyer took care of it all. Yes, it did cost, but it saved what little sanity I have left.

My points are 1. If you have a known pre existing condition (which you have) check your cover. They may try to null and void the policy.
2. BE VERY CAREFUL, especially with brain conditions. You could be walking down the street, slip, break your ankle and them claim that it was your head that made you slip and thus, null and void. I had this discussion with an insurer and their response “We have a team of lawyers that will fight it…”
3. I can no longer obtain insurance cover, but I can get funeral cover but it has to be in a separate policy altogether. This costs more than if part of a combined policy.

But whatever you decide to do, investigate all of your options before making a decision.

Merl from the Moderator Support Team

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Thanks all for the info. I will look into the helpful advice.

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For health insurance, we have the affordable health care act that President Obama signed Into effect. I think because his mother had so many problems with getting coverage. Health insurance cannot refuse coverage anymore for preexisting conditions. https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/pre-existing-conditions/ But always disclose what you know.

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Now, while we are on the subject, Moltroub mentions another important point. Wills.
I don’t want to be morbid, not at all, but if you’ve got people you want to look after if the ‘unthinkable’ does happen. We need to set this up prior.
Another document which needs to be mentioned is an Advanced Care Directive, it allows you and your nominated rep to have some say over your care, even when you can’t. I have been through 2 family situations where all decisions were taken by the medicos once the person was unable to express their wishes, even when family knew those wishes. But the medicos would not accept the family’s opinion because there was no documentation. It was not nice. An ‘Advanced Care Directive’ can make it a little easier for ALL involved as it can list what YOU want. Making your own decisions on your own care.

Look, we all hope we never need it, but the reality is some of us probably will. Save the ones you love the added distress of ‘What would they want?’ List it down.

Both my wife and I now have Advanced Care Directives. And in my case I also have a DNR order (Do Not Resuscitate order). In my own humble opinion, for me, if I’m that far gone, I do not want to be the burden on anybody else by lingering in a vegetative state for years. I’ve seen that before and the torment for EVERYBODY can be just horrific. When my time is up, that’s it, my time is up. Just let me go. That is my own personal choice and for that reason I have it written up separately to the Advanced Care Directive.
So these are some of my choices, my wishes that are written up and signed and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace (making them legal documents). Writing your wishes for your care in a will can be ignored by medicos, an Advanced Care Directive cannot.
If you’re in the U.S, here’s a link that may help https://www.usacpr.net/

Merl from the Moderator Support Team

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Great point Merl! My parents received their DNR through their PCP. It must be posted in the home where Emergency Personnel can see it and then taken to hospital and posted at the door or in the room where staff can easily see it. This explains the DNR https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000473.htm

Don’t confuse it with the ACD https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000472.htm

One time I had to respond to Hospice for another county. To make a long story a bit shorter, the patient had cancer. The sisters wanted her off the pain meds so they could talk to her. The Hospice Staff wanted what was in the best interest of the patient and reduce the horrific pain she was experiencing. It was a huge, loud screaming match when I went in that I thought was quite close to fisticuffs. While I was there for a child, I was able to get the husband to verbalize to staff what his wife wanted. Please don’t let that happen, you as a patient can control the drama by having all the proper paperwork filled out.

I didn’t know about the site Merl suggests to keep everything we need in one place without carrying copies of everything. Thank you so much Merl!

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Often it is a subject that isn’t talked about and by the time it’s needed it’s all too late.
If I had not gone through this personally, to be honest, I wouldn’t have thought about it for myself. Although in my situation it didn’t come to ‘fisticuffs’, there was certainly some heated conflict over choices and who should have the say. I made a promise to my wife that the same situation was NOT going to occur, to which she agreed, hence we both have wills and Advanced Care Directives.

In no way was I promoting the ‘U.S. Advanced Care Plan Registry’, but some of the links on their page may provide further answers to those inevitable questions. As I stated I’m in Australia, so how other systems work around the globe is very individual to that country and my knowledge of differing legislation is nil. Each person would need to FULLY investigate options for themselves and their location regarding both DNR orders and ACD’s. But by having one it can give some peace of mind that your wishes are documented, legally, and can help those left behind to deal with matters according to those wishes.

Here again, in Australia, we also have Power of Attorney, where you can give your nominee authority to deal with your legal matters BUT when it comes to medical matters or medical care medicos can over rule a simple Power of Attorney. If you have a specific Medical Power of Attorney then your medical wishes can be directed by your nominee.

Merl from the Moderator Support Team

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Hello, my name is Tanya, i had a 2mm brain aneurysm repaired in 2017, I am a licensed insurance agent for the 22 years, the answer to your question is yes you can get life insurance. Thanks

***Email removed by support moderator as it is against the Ben’s Friends policy. Please PM if needed.

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I think you need a second opinion. I don’t want to argue, that aneurysm is tiny. I’d tell you more but most doctors don’t even coil ones that small. It is a matter being able to keep the coil in that small spot. Don’t know where you are but UCSF has a terrific neuro group there.
Insurance companies are iffy. Blue skies, gd

In the USA, we also have the ability to do both the Power of Attorney and the Medical Power of Attorney. When I ruptured, the hospital made copies of both.

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That’s good to know Moltroub.
Some people are of the thinking that Power of Attorney covers everything, but here in Australia it needs to be a specific ‘Medical Power of Attorney’ to have medical authority. If it’s solely a POA medicos can/will reject it.

Merl from the Moderator Support Team

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Mac - My advice would be to contact different insurance companies. Unfortunately, they are going to be able to review your medical records which will state the existence of the aneurysm. If you were several years out from diagnosis with medical opinions indicating that it is a low risk, then you might be able to obtain insurance. It is not my experience to see exclusions from a policy, they will either write the policy or they won’t.
Good luck and God bless.