13 Serious Health Problems That Don’t Rule Out Life Insurance
Having a serious illness or medical condition can make it difficult to find affordable life insurance.
But, contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t mean you can’t get life insurance altogether.
With groundbreaking medical advances, improved survival rates, and new life insurance products catering to the ill, you should never assume that you are “uninsurable”.
In fact, you might be surprised to learn that these 13 health issues don’t disqualify you from finding the life insurance coverage you need to protect your family.
Quick Article Guide:
High Blood Pressure/HypertensionHigh CholesterolAsthmaObesityAnxiety or DepressionDiabetesCrohn’s DiseaseEpilepsy or SeizuresSleep ApneaCancerHeart DiseaseStrokeHepatitisGeneral GuidelinesHow to Find Coverage
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Coverage Amounts*
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High Blood Pressure/Hypertension
High blood pressure is directly linked to life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Luckily, there are ample medications and life changes to effectively lower your blood pressure.
Life insurance companies place applicants into different rate classes – if high blood pressure is your only notable medical issue and you’re able to keep it under control, you might even be able to still slip into the highest rate class (with the lowest premiums).
High Cholesterol
High cholesterol is another contributor to heart disease. It’s also another condition that can be curbed with medication and a healthy lifestyle. More than 102 million Americans ages 20 and older have higher-than-healthy cholesterol levels, making it one of the more forgivable health problems in insurers’ books.
Asthma
Some life insurance providers are more lenient than others with applicants who have asthma. Your challenge won’t be so much with getting approved, but rather with finding good rates.
Across the board, insurers will assess the severity of your asthma based on how long its been since your initial diagnosis, how often you have attacks, any medications you’re taking, tabacoo use, and whether you’ve been hospitalized for asthma.
Obesity
In regards to how much you will pay for life insurance, the key difference here is whether you’re overweight or obese. NerdWallet found that extra pounds cost you regardless–but men who are overweight will pay just $11 more per year than their ideal-weight counterparts, while men who are obese could pay up to twice as much than those who are at a healthy weight.
Anxiety or Depression
If you have a history of anxiety and/or depression, you can still get preferred rates on life insurance. It all comes down to your overall health, lifestyle, medication, and the severity of your illness.
It’s scientifically proven that those with depression have higher mortality rates, but at the same time, mental health conditions are much more subjective than physical conditions when life insurers are quantifying their risk.
To learn more about what most life insurance providers consider when approving an applicant with a history of anxiety or depression, see our guide to, “Approvals for Life Insurance with Depression,” or, “Life Insurance with Anxiety.”
Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes is often referred to as the “silent killer,” because its early symptoms are virtually non-existent as the disease becomes a ticking time bomb that can lead to heart attack, stroke, nerve damage, and more.
However, the condition by no means eliminates you from life insurance contention. In fact, our independent agency has helped countless diabetics secure affordable coverage.
Crohn’s Disease
While some life insurance companies won’t consider applicants with Crohn’s Disease, there are several insurers that specialize in IBD (Intestinal Bowel Disease) coverage.
This includes Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and other similar disorders. If you are 6 months or more removed from your diagnosis and the condition is being managed, you’re insurable.
Epilepsy and Seizures
Seizures themselves are not usually life-threatening. It’s the accidents or injuries resulting from those seizures that are of concerns to life insurers.
If the frequency and intensity of your seizures are manageable, a knowledgeable independent agent will be able to go straight to a few preferred providers that have historically accepted epileptic patients.
Sleep Apnea
Insurers take sleep apnea more seriously than patients do. However, the condition is extremely common, with more than 3 million cases per year in the U.S. It’s also very treatable and–with certain providers–insurable.
Cancer
Research shows that among men and women ages 50 to 64, the 5-year survival rate for various types of cancer was 39 to 68 percent higher in those diagnosed between 2005 and 2009 compared to people of the same age diagnosed between 1990 and 1994.
For life insurers, vast medical advances have reduced the assessed risk of providing coverage to a previous cancer patient. For you, the earlier cancer is detected and the more conclusive the treatment, the better. Ideally, the best time to apply is after you’ve been cancer-free for at least 5 years.
Heart Disease
There was a time when you would have had no chance at all of getting life insurance with heart disease. But that’s no longer the case, as we’re seeing more and more people being approved with serious cardiac issues including hear attacks, stents, valve replacements, and bypass surgery.
Stroke
Finding affordable life insurance after a serious stroke is certainly a challenge, but it’s possible. Since one of the biggest concerns surrounding a stroke is recurrence, it’s best to apply for coverage after a full year with no further strokes. The residual effects of your stroke will also play a role in what type of coverage you are able to get.
Hepatitis
As is the case with the conditions above, life insurance is accessible to people with hepatitis given they have received the necessary treatment, completed all follow-up visits, and adopted a healthy lifestyle.
General Guidelines
There are dozens of different factors that contribute to whether you’re able to get life insurance with your health issue, and whether you’re able to find affordable rates. However, for the most part, there are probably options for you if:
You’re not collecting disability benefits for your conditionYour symptoms are moderate and in controlYour life isn’t in imminent danger posed by your health riskYou’re not in the hospital oftenYour treatment is proving effective
How to Find Coverage
If you have any of the health problems above, or another problem that you’re unsure about, the best way to find out if you can still qualify for life insurance is to contact an independent insurance agency.
An independent agency like JRC works with more than 40 top-rated insurance companies and our agents are experts at matching our clients with the carriers that are known for being more lenient towards with applicants who have certain pre-existing conditions.
Give us a call today toll-free at 855-247-9555, or you can request a free instant online quote below to compare rates and options from dozens of insurers in less than a minute.
Compare Rates from 50 Top-Rated Companies
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Coverage Amounts*
$25,000$50,000$75,000$100,000$200,000$250,000$300,000$400,000$500,000$600,000$700,000$750,000$800,000$900,000$1,000,000$1,500,000$2,000,000$3,000,000$4,000,000$5,000,000$10,000,000+
Term Length*
10 Year Level Term15 Year Level Term20 Year Level Term25 Year Level Term30 Year Level TermLifetime20 Year Return of Premium30 Year Return of PremiumTo Age 121 – 10 PayTo Age 121 – Single Pay
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Cliff is a licensed life insurance agent and one of the owners of JRC Insurance Group. He has helped thousands of families of businesses with their life insurance needs since 2012 and specializes with applicants who are less than perfect health. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and the great outdoors.
