This seems wrong/This seems RIGHT

So I just was filling out the paperwork for my new life insurance policy. In general I like to keep enough that my house could be paid off if something happened to me. With this policy if you get over a certain amount you have to go through underwriting. Underwriting is a word that makes me sick. And this one was so very bad that I am getting half the insurance I wanted.

Questions that I think are a bit ridiculous:

"Within the past 5 years have you received medical advice or sought treatment for psychosis, internal cancer including melanoma, leukemia or Hodgkin's disease, ALS, muscular dystrophy, angina or had heart surgery, heart attack or transient ischemic attack?"

------Um, psychosis is like cancer?????? Psychosis is not a terminal illness. And since they don't pay if you kill yourself, it seems to have little effect on insurability to me.

"Within the past 10 years have you received medical advice or sought treatment for epilepsy, nervous mental or emotional disorders, paralysis, skin, bone, muscle, back, knee, neck or joint disorder, muscular or neurological disorders, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. If so, list condition, medications, dates of treatment, treatment received and recovery, physican's/hospital's name, address, and phone #."

-----------First off, 10 years? I actually stopped even trying at this point because I'm not about to list 10 years of psychiatric treatments, meds, and outcomes. I'd have to spend about 3 hours trying to accurately sort that out. Then there's the simple fact that I had some PT on my knee a couple years ago and that's not even worth mentioning, nor can I give any real info on that because it was minor and I don't even remember what was wrong. (Concurrent mixed episode). Secondly, once again we're combining very serious situations with not so serious. Really, I do know bipolar is serious. But equivalent to paralysis? Neurological disorders? Again, even if bipolar is FATAL they won't pay. So why do they even care?

They also ask if you've been convicted of or plead guilty to a misdemeanor. Ok, that's a somewhat reasonable question. But what qualifies? Do they have to know about my speeding ticket? It is, after all, a misdemeanor.

I do not see why any insurer has the right to ask what they are asking. Especially when it is for a group policy and if I submit accurate answers my employers have a way of finding out the details of my medical history and that I've had psychosis, take anti-psychotics, etc.

On the other hand, I realized something amazing today. For years I lived with the knowledge that when I was honest with myself I did not care if I lived. I made a decision that I would take lithium despite being at higher risk for side effects that would damage my kidneys. I made that decision knowing that I could change my mind, and also that I really didn't care because I felt the quality of my life was so limited. Which it was. Today though I was listening to a book on CD and it said something about a character dying at age 37. And I realized that I want to live beyond 37. For the first time, maybe ever. That is incredible. It really shows how far I've come in one year. (Not that I'm loving life so much that I'm willing to give up lithium, but I'm aslo not ready to give up the monitoring that makes it safe.)