I have had diabetes now for 28 years. I am 36 years old and was diagnosed with T1D when I was 8. My family has been very supportive of me from diagnosis up until now, especially my mother! I don’t think anyone who does not have the disease can understand the physical, emotional, traumatic things that happen day to day. I have been dealing with depression recently which has really never been a problem before until I got turned down for life insurance. All I really want to do is take care of my wife and twin baby girls in case anything ever happens to me. In talking with the underwriting company they said all they have to do is hear the word diabetes and they RUN! You know I can deal with not being able to join the military, being denied activities when I was younger due to T1D, having to 5 times as much for half the stuff but to get denied help for my family because of something I have NO CONTROL OVER is heartbreaking, I mean I could understand if I were obese, smoked a pack a day, stayed on the couch watching tv, etc. but seriously my life expectancy is probably twice what many other peoples life expectancy is who have life insurance but just because their genetics decided they don’t get T1D and mine does I get punished throughout life for it? Sorry, I probably sound a little bitter but that sad to say is probably cause I am! Anyway, anyone else get denied life insurance out there?
Yes, I was denied after checking the box saying that I had issues with mental illness. Who wouldn’t have times of depression with managing a chronic disease like type 1 diabetes 24/7? Should I have not answered thruthfully??? Like you, I take care of myself by managing my blood sugar, exercising and eating healthy. I feel like it is a slap in the face and just wrong.
I have been insured through my husbands company for 9 1/2 years and they just sent out a letter saying I was denied now that they found out I am a type 1 as well. I joked with my husband that they realized that I might actually die! Sorry it happened to you both of you as well, I agree its like they are saying we aren’t worth it.
I guess my biggest problem is they didn’t even contact my Primary Care physician or my Endocronologist to even check?
Hi,
Honestly, I think you have every right to feel bitter - even in Canada, where I live, I’m rejected for Health insurance across the board. And the disability insurance I get through a private company (which I pay out of pocket) is inflated because of my T1D. It is blatant discrimination based on two things - 1) a for profit system that sees us as guaranteed risk vs return and 2) an outdated view on what Diabetes means, treatment, technology, life expectancy, etc. I believe that through careful management and all the work that comes with managing the disease, we can be actually be healthier. And yet we’re treated like the walking dead. They don’t care enough to check, there are plenty of other people they can get money from that pose little to no risk.
It totally sucks - fundamentally it’s both philosophically and existentially unjust.