Burial Insurance for Cancer Patients: Coverage Options & Guide
Posted in Burial Insurance & Health Conditions last updated on March 8, 2024If you are wondering if you can get burial insurance for cancer patients or past cancer, the answer is yes. There are plenty of life insurance companies that offer affordable burial insurance for senior cancer patients. Current or past skin cancer(basal or squamous cell skin cancer) does not matter for qualifying. Current internal cancer higher than stage 1 means your only option is guaranteed issue life insurance. Past internal cancer from over 2-3 years ago with no more than 1 occurrence & no ongoing medications means you can qualify for simplified issue whole life insurance.
Simplified issue whole life is final expense insurance with no waiting period. Guaranteed issue life is final expense insurance with a 2 year waiting period.
In this article we will tell you exactly which life insurance companies are best for your cancer situation, provide sample costs, and links to provider health questions for your eligibility to help you make an informed decision.
Table of contents
- Understanding Burial Insurance for Cancer Patients
- Best Burial Insurance Companies for Past Cancer Patients
- Best Burial Insurance Companies for Current Cancer Patients Stage 2 & Above
- Burial Insurance for Cancer Patients Sample Costs
- Best Life Insurance for Cancer Patients
- Life Insurance for Stage 4 Cancer Patients
- Guaranteed Life Insurance for Cancer Patients Current
- Getting Insurance after Cancer Diagnosis
- How to get Insurance for Cancer Patients
- Buying Life Insurance after Cancer
- Can a Senior get Burial Insurance if you have Cancer?
Understanding Burial Insurance for Cancer Patients
Burial insurance (cremation insurance, final expense insurance, funeral insurance etc.) is either a simplified issue or guaranteed issue whole life insurance policy.
Final expense insurance offers up to $50,000 in death benefits used for funeral, burial and other final expenses. Due to the simplified underwriting of these policies you do not need to take a medical exam for funeral insurance. In addition to this many life insurance companies are accepting of pre-existing conditions which means you can get burial insurance with pre-existing conditions.
Now getting final expense insurance with no waiting period is possible when it comes to cancer. That being said it is dependent on a few factors.
Basal & Squamous Cell Skin Cancer Will Not Disqualify You
Use these health questions from Mutual of Omaha’s final expense application as your guide to understand your eligibility.
Mutual of Omaha Health Questions for Eligibility
Question 6(A) specifically states “except basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer”. This same question is on all other applications for final expense coverage with other companies. So if you have those types of skin cancer you have nothing to worry about.
Best Burial Insurance Companies for Past Cancer Patients
The best funeral insurance companies for seniors that have a past history of cancer are going to be listed below. Keep in mind the past history of cancer must be from over 2 years ago with no ongoing medications. No more than 1 occurrence of internal cancer is allowed to apply with these companies.
Policies from these companies do not have a waiting period.
Aetna
Aetna Accendo final expense is a good policy is good for a cancerous brain tumor that was removed between 2-3 years ago. Keep in mind that if there was more than one occurrence the application will be declined.
Royal Neighbors of America
Royal Neighbors final expense is friendly to past cancer from 2 or more years ago.
American Amicable
American Amicable burial insurance is perfect if the cancer was over 3 years ago.
Prosperity Life
Prosperity’s final expense insurance also requires 3 years of being cancer free to get level coverage.
Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha’s funeral insurance which is called living promise requires over 4 years of being cancer free.
Best Burial Insurance Companies for Current Cancer Patients Stage 2 & Above
These are the best guaranteed issue life companies available to current cancer patients. They all have a 2 year waiting period before benefits will be paid to your beneficiary.
American General(AIG)
AIG funeral coverage is guaranteed acceptance so they will approve you no matter what. American general comes with living benefits in their policy.
Gerber Life
Gerber final expense insurance is the cheapest guaranteed burial insurance on the market. They will also approve you no matter what.
Great Western
Great Western funeral coverage will offer up to $40,000 in death benefit. No other guaranteed acceptance company offers coverage that high.
Burial Insurance for Cancer Patients Sample Costs
Below is a table providing sample costs pulled directly from our quotes. These are monthly rates by age to give you a comprehensive idea of how much burial insurance will cost for you.
Simplified Issue Whole Life Sample Costs
| Age | $10,000 Male Non Smoker | $10,000 Male Smoker | $10,000 Female Non Smoker | $10,000 Female Smoker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | $12.87 | $16.59 | $12.03 | $13.74 |
| 20 | $13.19 | $17.02 | $12.13 | $15.40 |
| 21 | $13.50 | $17.46 | $12.74 | $17.02 |
| 22 | $14.17 | $18.18 | $13.06 | $17.05 |
| 23 | $14.54 | $18.51 | $13.77 | $17.08 |
| 24 | $15.43 | $19.19 | $15.16 | $17.10 |
| 25 | $15.95 | $20.00 | $15.28 | $17.39 |
| 26 | $16.28 | $20.83 | $15.40 | $17.69 |
| 27 | $16.61 | $21.75 | $15.51 | $17.95 |
| 28 | $16.92 | $22.15 | $15.61 | $18.22 |
| 29 | $17.25 | $22.54 | $15.73 | $18.48 |
| 30 | $17.57 | $23.07 | $16.09 | $19.06 |
| 31 | $17.97 | $23.60 | $16.45 | $19.66 |
| 32 | $19.84 | $24.25 | $16.79 | $20.21 |
| 33 | $20.34 | $25.00 | $17.12 | $20.75 |
| 34 | $20.93 | $25.83 | $17.45 | $21.28 |
| 35 | $21.53 | $26.59 | $17.99 | $21.89 |
| 36 | $22.14 | $27.37 | $18.54 | $22.50 |
| 37 | $22.84 | $28.18 | $19.06 | $23.08 |
| 38 | $23.54 | $29.08 | $19.55 | $23.62 |
| 39 | $24.34 | $29.87 | $20.05 | $24.18 |
| 40 | $23.13 | $30.66 | $20.70 | $24.98 |
| 41 | $23.62 | $31.43 | $19.75 | $25.80 |
| 42 | $24.11 | $32.21 | $19.93 | $26.57 |
| 43 | $24.64 | $32.93 | $20.10 | $27.30 |
| 44 | $25.18 | $33.41 | $20.38 | $28.03 |
| 45 | $25.79 | $34.00 | $20.88 | $28.80 |
| 46 | $26.43 | $34.57 | $21.43 | $29.55 |
| 47 | $27.10 | $35.17 | $22.01 | $28.06 |
| 48 | $27.71 | $35.58 | $22.33 | $28.56 |
| 49 | $27.35 | $38.27 | $21.78 | $29.22 |
| 50 | $28.29 | $39.47 | $23.56 | $30.14 |
| 51 | $29.26 | $40.77 | $24.48 | $31.06 |
| 52 | $30.31 | $42.22 | $25.09 | $32.72 |
| 53 | $31.47 | $43.83 | $25.62 | $34.54 |
| 54 | $32.77 | $45.44 | $26.26 | $38.99 |
| 55 | $34.25 | $48.12 | $27.11 | $40.85 |
| 56 | $35.88 | $52.06 | $28.20 | $42.71 |
| 57 | $37.69 | $54.25 | $29.51 | $42.30 |
| 58 | $39.64 | $56.72 | $31.70 | $43.61 |
| 59 | $40.10 | $55.60 | $31.00 | $44.50 |
| 60 | $41.84 | $56.72 | $31.70 | $43.61 |
| 61 | $43.76 | $59.64 | $32.87 | $45.19 |
| 62 | $46.41 | $63.28 | $34.51 | $47.48 |
| 63 | $49.07 | $67.72 | $36.06 | $49.78 |
| 64 | $51.22 | $69.53 | $37.72 | $52.07 |
| 65 | $53.58 | $72.72 | $39.36 | $54.36 |
| 66 | $56.48 | $76.06 | $41.01 | $56.66 |
| 67 | $59.85 | $80.53 | $43.44 | $60.22 |
| 68 | $63.18 | $84.67 | $45.86 | $63.60 |
| 69 | $66.84 | $89.65 | $48.29 | $66.09 |
| 70 | $70.79 | $94.64 | $50.81 | $70.45 |
| 71 | $73.15 | $98.31 | $53.24 | $72.18 |
| 72 | $78.81 | $103.97 | $56.20 | $75.86 |
| 73 | $83.99 | $109.94 | $58.46 | $79.74 |
| 74 | $89.46 | $116.69 | $63.55 | $84.14 |
| 75 | $94.87 | $123.65 | $67.78 | $88.66 |
| 76 | $99.97 | $132.48 | $72.41 | $94.42 |
| 77 | $107.04 | $141.32 | $78.25 | $101.63 |
| 78 | $114.13 | $150.57 | $83.51 | $108.24 |
| 79 | $122.13 | $161.81 | $88.44 | $115.15 |
| 80 | $129.52 | $171.23 | $93.41 | $125.01 |
| 81 | $139.73 | $181.75 | $98.43 | $135.14 |
| 82 | $149.95 | $192.98 | $106.21 | $147.04 |
| 83 | $160.16 | $204.65 | $113.96 | $160.56 |
| 84 | $171.02 | $219.19 | $121.31 | $170.76 |
| 85 | $181.88 | $237.28 | $128.55 | $179.58 |
| 86 | $192.74 | $257.57 | $135.90 | $192.35 |
| 87 | $236.25 | $337.32 | $171.33 | $237.32 |
| 88 | $276.68 | $353.99 | $205.98 | $253.99 |
| 89 | $317.10 | $370.65 | $240.63 | $278.99 |
| 90 | $357.53 | $378.98 | $275.28 | $303.99 |
Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Sample Costs
| Most Affordable Company | Age | Male $15,000 Benefit | Female $15,000 Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 50 | $65.68 | $51.24 |
| 60 | $95.38 | $76.13 |
| 70 | $148.32 | $112.84 |
| 80 | $370.52 | $264.09 |
Best Life Insurance for Cancer Patients
Above all, whether you are a cancer survivor or just recently diagnosed with cancer the best coverage for you is whole life insurance.
As we mentioned these plans are simplified issues meaning they do not require extensive medical exams or anything of the sort. They simply do a Medical Information Bureau health report and prescription check and depending on your health approve or deny the application.
This means you can get burial insurance for cancer patients or yourself within 15 minutes or less.
Two Types of Coverage
- Waiting Period
- Non-Waiting Period
A non-waiting period would be level day one coverage. This is for cancer survivors that have kept up with their health care and have been cured more than 2 years ago and continue to survive.
These benefits payout to your family on the day of approval, in other words, if you get approved for coverage today and pass away tomorrow your family receives the full benefit.
A waiting period would be for a more recent ongoing cancer diagnosis with treatment. In this scenario, you can still qualify for coverage with a 2 year waiting period for benefits. In the event, death occurs your family would receive the premiums paid plus 10%. If you pass from an accident your family receives the full face amount.
Now If you have been cancer-free for more than 2 years and only had one occurrence of cancer then Royal Neighbors of America would be a great option for you.
If you have recently been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy then Great Western would be a great option for you. This is our #1 burial insurance for cancer patients’ recommendations.
It comes down to risk assessment. This will determine whether you qualify for simplified issue final expense insurance or guaranteed issue life insurance. The carriers look at how likely you are to survive your diagnosis.
Life Insurance for Stage 4 Cancer Patients
Stage 4 cancer is also known as metastatic cancer. This is when cancer has spread to different parts of the body. This can occur years after the initial cancer diagnosis.
It is important to note that anytime there is a current internal stage 4 cancer with treatments such as chemotherapy this will always be a guaranteed issue.
Now people can live for years with stage 4 cancer with modern medical science. This is why it is crucial to get your policy started and get through the initial guaranteed issue waiting period.
Guaranteed Life Insurance for Cancer Patients Current
As we mentioned earlier if you have current internal cancer and are being treated for it then guaranteed issue coverage is your only option. Keep in mind that carriers do not look at non-cancerous tumors as current cancer it’s all about what was officially diagnosed and on paper.
Not only is acceptance guaranteed with guaranteed issue coverage but there are some other great highlights to go over as well with riders they may include.
Accelerated living benefits
If you become terminally ill you can borrow from the face amount of your policy to help with things like the medical bills, experimental treatments, and other things you may need. This benefit is not subject to the waiting period. This makes your policy a financial instrument that you can lean on in the future.
Cash Value
Guaranteed issue policies like all other whole life insurance build cash value. This is a small saving within your policy that builds over time and if need be you can borrow from this cash value to pay for this such as extra bills or even the premium itself.
These are all benefits that you can use while you are alive.
Getting Insurance after Cancer Diagnosis
Throughout this guide, we have gone over the key factors to consider when looking for coverage after a diagnosis. It’s all about the severity and the time frame of when it occurred also how many occurrences of the same type of cancer?
These all factor into the total cost of coverage all burial insurance companies look at conditions in different ways for qualification.
So if you have been diagnosed over 2 years ago, cured and with no reoccurrence, you have a very possible chance at being approved. If you have a diagnostic test for a possible cancerous tumor then there’s a chance you may not be approved except for guaranteed issue coverage.
If you have current internal cancer and undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment then guaranteed issue coverage is your only option and time is of the essence.
How to get Insurance for Cancer Patients
When looking into how to get the coverage it is important to work with a national agency like ours.
If you work with a captive agency they will only offer maybe 1 – 2 products that might not even be able to accept you. These captive agencies are limited on their options and are also bound by state lines.
Working with a national independent agency like ours we work with the top 10 – 12 carriers in your state to secure the best coverage at the absolute best rate available. This allows us to secure coverage for clients with a wide range of health conditions from COPD, CHF, Stroke, Heart attack, Aneurysm, diabetes, angina, and much more!
We pride ourselves on knowing all the in’s and out’s of these companies and also on developing relationships with our clients for life! Not only do our agents qualify and enroll you but they will become your personal point of contact for any questions or issue you have in the future.
They will be there for your family to help them with everything from general questions to even helping your family file the death claim when your time inevitably comes.
To speak to one of our licensed agents fill out the form to your right. Spend 5 minutes with us and you will be a client for life.
Buying Life Insurance after Cancer
If you have had cancer previously and recovered then you will be just fine. These plans do not require a medical exam. They are not going to check any kind of blood samples or anything like that.
They also do not care what types of cancer you had previously which makes burial insurance for cancer survivors even better. This is why we specialize in burial insurance for people with a history of cancer.
When you speak with one of our agents they will know exactly what plan should be able to provide you with day one coverage for your final expenses. If you have been cancer-free for more than 2 years then our agents will know exactly which life insurance companies will provide you the coverage to pay for your funeral costs.
Can a Senior get Burial Insurance if you have Cancer?
Burial insurance for cancer patients with a current cancer diagnosis will only have the option of getting a guaranteed issue life insurance policy.
If you are currently diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment then guaranteed issue coverage like Great Western is your best and only option. The best part with plans like that are they will not ask about family history concerning cancer.
It does not matter what forms of cancer you have had because you will be accepted.
That being said you will be subject to the 2 year waiting periods. In fact no form of life insurance whether it be group life insurance or any funeral insurance company will be able to offer you day one coverage. What you need to do is start your waiting period now because after 2 years you will be full covered.