Getting Life Insurance With a Heart Condition

If you’ve suffered from a heart defect or you have a history of heart problems, then you may be wondering if you can still obtain life insurance. Generally speaking, the answer will be a resounding "yes". You should be able to get life insurance either at standard rate class or perhaps even better.

Common Life Insurance Policy Amounts For People With Heart Conditions:

$10,000 $15,000 $20,000
$25,000 $30,000 $40,000
$50,000 $75,000 $100,000
$250,000 $500,000 Other Amount


The assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) or heart attack history by the insurance underwriter will take into account the actual severity of the problem. These factors will include:

  • The frequency of problem and current stability
  • Catheterization plaque burden
  • Function of systolic left ventricle of the heart
  • Function of the diastolic left ventricle of the heart
  • Current symptoms – assessment of stress test results
  • Tolerance to exercise
  • Other related vascular diseases


Heart Disease Severity

Those that are suffering with single vessel disease generally do fairly well and might be able to obtain life insurance at a better than standard rate. As an example of this, a 56 year old man who previously suffered with acute myocardial infarction who then had a stent inserted may very well be offered standard rate plus.

The standard rate plus is merely a single step below that of the preferred rate of life insurance, which is at a higher rate than the average person would be required to invest. For a heart patient, to avail themselves of this rate, they would need to be fully recovered from myocardial infarction and also be a non-smoker.

They would also need to perform well within a stress test, and have healthy left ventricular function. It’s perfectly acceptable to be utilizing statin drugs in order to reduce lipids, beta blockers in order to lower blood pressure, and aspirin to thin the blood.

For those who have stents applied and suffer from three vessel disease, it’s possible that they could still get a policy at table C. What table C means is that they would be able to get standard rate multiplied by a factor of 1.75. Although this of course is higher than the average rate, it is still affordable for most people.

Can I Get Life Insurance With My Heart Condition? Click Here to Find Out!

 

Getting Advice From a Professional Agent

Heart patients should also consider using an insurance agent. An agent will be familiar with the market and should relatively quickly be able to secure the best rate. Furthermore, they should be reasonably familiar with those insurance companies who tend to decline applicants who have suffered heart problems, and also those that add a hefty premium to the overall insurance price.

Ideally, the agent should work with experienced underwriters who will view your case in a positive fashion and will thus provide you with a fair and unbiased rate.

The insurance agent that you use should carry out market assessment prior to you making any application so that you know exactly what to expect. It is wise to avoid those agents who work for a single insurance company, or who represent a "select group" of companies.

If you feel that the rate you are offered is unfair, it’s perfectly acceptable to seek a more favorable rate from a different insurance agent.

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