With most life insurance agents and most life insurance company underwriters, the mere mention of a history of seizure disorders or epilepsy is enough to bring the conversation and the application to a screaming halt. Not unlike a lot of the less common health issues, the agents don’t know what to ask and the underwriters don’t truly know how to assess the mortality risk or lack thereof.

A brief overview from the Epilepsy Foundation website tells us “Epilepsy is generally not the kind of condition that gets worse with time. Most adults who have it can expect to live a normal life span.” A normal life span? Isn’t that what life insurance underwriters are looking for? Lack of mortality risk? The answer is yes. Absent other health issues, if most adults who have epilepsy or other common seizure disorders can expect to live a normal life span, an expectation of paying no worse than standard rates is reasonable.

“Doctors treat epilepsy primarily with seizure-preventing medicines. Although seizure medications are not a cure, they control seizures in the majority of people with epilepsy.” I keep harping on what underwriters want to see when a person has a serious medical condition. It’s the same with diabetes, coronary artery disease or cholesterol. CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE!!! If you have epilepsy and are compliant with doctors orders, then you should have control. Good life insurance rates should follow control and compliance.

You need a good independent life insurance agent who doesn’t flinch when you mention epilepsy, but rather asks more questions like, “What medication you take? When were you diagnosed? How frequent are your seizures and when was you most recent seizure?, etc” If they head down that road with you, you are in the right office or on the phone with the right agent. If they don’t ask questions or don’t seem to have some working knowledge of your condition, keep on looking.

Bottom line. For most people with well controlled seizure disorders affordable life insurance rates are well within the realm of possibility. If that hasn’t been your experience consider the possibility that you may have put your trust in the wrong agent who led you to the wrong company.