Insurance for those who are ill.(CR money)

If you are diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, you know that you may have difficulty buying health insurance. But buying life, disability, or long-term-care coverage may be a greater challenge. Most insurance companies refuse to enroll people with serious conditions such as AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, or terminal cancer because their life expectancy is short, requiring the insurer to pay benefits sooner rather than later.

But if you suffer from diabetes, heart disease, or a history of strokes, you can find companies that will cover you, even if you have been turned down by other insurers. You'll pay more, but if you shop carefully you should find the insurance you need. (We do not recommend most consumers buy long-term-care coverage, however, because of the high cost and risk involved. See the free report "Do You Need Long-Term-Care Insurance?" at www.ConsumerReports.org for more.)

FIND SOMEONE TO HELP YOU

If you are employed check with your company's human resources department to see what disability, life, or long-term-care plan might be available to you. If you can sign up at work, you may not be subject to medical underwriting to qualify. And group rates will keep premiums low.

If that's not an option, try getting coverage through an impaired-risk insurance agency. It locates companies that sell insurance for people with chronic conditions. An agent first gathers your medical history and then gets policy quotes from carriers that offer high-risk plans. The agent should provide multiple quotes so you can choose the best deal. For this service, a life insurance agent, for example, may receive a commission equal to 80 to 100 percent of your first year's annual premium, and 8 to 10 percent of your premium each year that you renew.

Depending on the severity of your condition, you can expect to pay two to three times more than a healthy applicant for term-life insurance, a policy that pays a death benefit but does not build up a cash value like a more expensive whole-life plan. (See Did You Know? at left.)

There's no easy way to find an impaired-risk agency You can search for one online under "impaired risk insurance" to find an agency in your area. Or you can obtain recommendations from friends or relatives with similar health conditions. Education and advocacy groups such as the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (www.life-line.org, 202-464-5000), the American Diabetes Association (www .diabetes.org, 800-342-2383), the American Heart Association (www.americanheart .org, 800-242-8721), and the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org, 800-272-3900) can also provide advice on finding an agency or an insurer that covers people with your condition.