Can I Get Life Insurance If I Have Cancer? 
If you are in the midst of cancer treatments , unfortunately , it is difficult to get life insurance . If you are over age 45 , there are guaranteed issue policies that you can get . They pay 100 % of the death benefit from day one for accidental death . For death by natural causes -LRB- any type of illness -RRB- , they have a graded period for 2-3 years in which they will pay a portion of the death benefit . After the graded period , they will pay the full death benefit . A year or two after your last treatment , you can get a simplified issue policy that may or may not be graded . And the longer you are cancer free , the more options you have . My recommendation is to get whatever coverage you can , and then replace it with less expensive life insurance with better features as you become eligible for them . Everyone 's hope is that you will eventually be able to get a regular policy for whatever amount you wish , because you will be a cancer survivor . 