Life insurance after diagnosis/removal of a benign bone tumor?

[onecoolcat]

Long story short, I has diagnosed with a benign bone tumor a few months ago and had surgery to remove it.  It was diagnosed as Giant Cell Tumor.  This spooked me because for a week there I had no idea what it was (malignant v. benign) so it got me thinking about life insurance.  I'm in my late 20's.  I would now like to get some life insurance, do you think this will make it more difficult/costly?

[protostache]

The only way to know is to talk to a broker and find out. Since it was benign you can probably just call a few insurance companies and ask for quotes.

I'm not sure how that specific tumor will affect your rates, but here's my story. I had metastatic testicular cancer in 2012. Now, after chemo and surgery I've been in remission for two years. I pay $340/mo for a $250k 20 year term policy.

Edit to add: that $340/mo includes an additional premium for the first five years of the policy, then it drops to standard rate (like $300/year total). It's definitely not $340/mo for all 20 years.

[TomTX]

You will probably be asked if you had cancer. You didn't. Say no. They can't ask about every benign cell mass that has been removed.

Protip: When you get insurance, don't have any doctor's appointments scheduled. I had a dermatology appointment and that sent me down the rabbit hole.

[kpd905]

You will probably be asked if you had cancer. You didn't. Say no. They can't ask about every benign cell mass that has been removed.

Bingo.  You shouldn't have to mention this, since it is benign.  It shouldn't raise your rate any more than if you had your tonsils out.

[Ozapftis]

You will probably be asked if you had cancer. You didn't. Say no. They can't ask about every benign cell mass that has been removed.

Bingo.  You shouldn't have to mention this, since it is benign.  It shouldn't raise your rate any more than if you had your tonsils out.

Just a few weeks ago, I filled out such a questionaire for life insurance coverage myself. Insurances organize their questions in tricky, broad ways that will eventually reveal such a thing neverless. For example, one of the questions asked "Were you hospitalized as an in-patient at some point during the past xxx years?" and when you check for "Yes" they had a whole array of subsequent questions about the cirumstances.
Also, you only have one shot. Prompting a number of offers from different companies might backfire, because another frequently asked question is "Have you in the past ever been declined life insurance coverage, or only been offered coverage with downgraded conditions?"

Protip: When you get insurance, don't have any doctor's appointments scheduled.

+1

[Acg]

You will probably be asked if you had cancer. You didn't. Say no. They can't ask about every benign cell mass that has been removed.

Bingo.  You shouldn't have to mention this, since it is benign.  It shouldn't raise your rate any more than if you had your tonsils out.

I think this is a stretch, it will certainly matter more than having your tonsils removed.

I'm not sure how much it will effect your premiums, but if you do get life insurance now you should go back to them in a couple years when you have hopefully had no recurrence and they should be able to lower your premiums at least a little bit since you have a couple years under your belt with no new problems.