Life Insurance for People with Kidney Failure

How to Get Life Insurance with Kidney Disease

 

Can You Get Life Insurance with Kidney Failure?

Employer Provided Life Insurance Group Plans

 

Determine if the company you work for offers any group life insurance. 

Group benefits are usually easier to qualify for, so this may be your best option if you can’t find life insurance anywhere else.

If your employer offers life insurance through a group plan, it should be available to all employees, either fully paid, or partially paid by your employer, or you may have to cover the full cost of the plan for your life insurance benefits.

These "Group Plans" usually cover everyone who is an employee, even those with chronic health issues.

 

Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Plans

 

Look into companies that offer "Graded Benefit" life insurance policies.

This type of insurance does not require any medical examination and there are no health questions asked. 

Get a Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Quote 

 

The downside to this type of insurance is that it does not pay out in the first two years, depending on the plan you purchase. Many graded benefit plans offer limited benefits the first 2 years you are insured. 

If the insured person passes away within the graded benefit period, the beneficiary usually gets the premiums paid plus interest on those premiums.

Applying for Life Insurance for People with a Kidney Disease

Make sure you prepare all applications and provide whatever information is required for the policy you want to buy. You may be required to provide additional information once your application is submitted for underwriting of your risk. 

Be certain of what the insurer requires and submit everything at one time, so you won’t have to keep sending additional information later on for your application to be fully underwritten (reviewed for approval).

Get a health exam if one is required from your insurance carrier. You should go to your regular doctor because he or he can provide more insight into your health since he is familiar with your entire health history.

Ask your doctor if he would be willing to communicate directly with the underwriting department of your insurer. Just as with the doctor exam, he may be able to provide more insight into your condition and health.

 

Pay the Insurance Premiums

These will be required for the life insurance policy to go "In Force" – meaning your coverage begins and remains effective as long as you pay your premiums on time.

 

Life Insurance for People with Kidney Disease

 

Are You Shopping for Life Insurance, But You Have a Kidney Disease, and It Seems to Be Stopping You from Getting Insured?

It is understandable, because many underwriters at life insurance companies will often consider the condition of a kidney disease to be a high-risk factor.

That means, you may be at a greater risk of dying (sooner rather than later) than the average person they insure for life insurance, due to your kidney disease.

However, we may have some answers for your questions about getting insured for life insurance with kidney problems.

There are several different types of kidney diseases, and each one has a different level of severity, so your specific type of kidney issue will determine whether or not you can get insured, and what type of life insurance may be available to you.

The entire process of choosing life insurance with a kidney disease can difficult, or at least somewhat frustrating. 

However, we will help you find the best policy and rate available for your particular kidney condition.

Easier Life Insurance for Those with a Kidney Disease

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 4.5 million adults have been diagnosed with some type of kidney disease in the U.S.A. 

More than 47,000 people die from some type of kidney disease each year in the United States of America, which makes kidney disease the ninth leading cause of death in America.

It’s these kind of statistics, that make buying life insurance with kidney problems difficult. 

First, let’s determine exactly which type of kidney condition you have. 

There are two main categories: Congenital and Acquired.

Congenital means you were born with the disease, and it includes the following conditions:

• Cysternia
• Alport’s Syndrome
• Polycystic
• Renal Dysphasia

Acquired kidney disease is one you develop later in your life. It includes:

• Lupus Nephritis
• Nephropathy
• Kidney Cancer
• Kidney Stones
• Renal Failure

The more progressive types of kidney disease are obviously considered a significantly higher risk by insurance underwriters for life insurance coverage. 

Milder forms, such as kidney stones, are not generally life-threatening. It is because of this wide range of risk applicants are questioned so closely about the history of their kidney issues.

You should also be aware there is a significant difference between insurance companies in how they regard various health issues regarding kidney disease. 

How Will Kidney Disease Affect Your Rate for Life Insurance?

When it comes to life insurance and kidney disease, there are two primary factors insurance carriers will consider in determining the level of risk associated with your disease: Severity and Level of your Condition. 

These will determine not only the Type of life insurance policies for which you may qualify, but also your Premiums – the Cost you pay for your life insurance.

• Mild – Mild conditions, such as occasional bouts of kidney stones, are often assigned a Standard or Better Risk Classification. This means you are eligible for the same policies as people who do not have any kidney disease, and at the same rates, but without any discounts available.
• Moderate – You could be considered a Moderate risk if the Type of Kidney Condition you have, and the Degree to which you are Affected, are both Manageable. In this case, there are insurers that will insure you for life insurance, but your premiums will likely cost more than the Standard rates for the average person. You’ll pay Sub-Standard rates, which means each tier is a percentage higher than the base premium. So, due to your health issue, you pay more for your coverage compared to the person considered an average risk for life insurance.
• Severe – If your condition is Severe, it can be almost impossible to find regular life insurance policies. However, there are some insurance carriers who will actually issue smaller, guaranteed approval policies even to patients who are undergoing kidney dialysis.

Beyond your Type of Kidney Condition, and its Severity, there are other factors regarding diseases of the kidney about which insurers will question you closely.

• Kidney Disease Complications. Complications bring risks of their own and can have a negative effect on your application for coverage, while being free from complications will be more favorably looked upon by insurance companies.
• How Long You Have Had Kidney Disease. Usually, the longer you’ve kidney disease, the more of a toll it takes on your overall health.
• Treatments, Surgeries and Medications. The number and success of each of these are all looked at closely to determine your approval for coverage.
• How Well Your Condition Has Been Managed. This is of critical importance. Insurance underwriters for life insurance are not only interested in how well you manage your specific health condition, but how much effort you are willing to make to keep your kidney disease under control.

Considerations for Life Insurance in Addition to Kidney Disease

All information applying to regular applications will be factored in to underwriting your application for life insurance, as well as those which are specific to a disease of the kidneys.

• Age – All things being equal, younger applicants pay less for a life insurance policy than older ones.
• Gender – Women tend to live longer than men, so gender has always been a major factor in life insurance rates. Since they live longer on average than men, women usually pay a lower rate per $1,000 of life insurance coverage.
• Overall Health – The absence of any other chronic health issue aside from your kidney disease will be important. Insurers also look highly upon good fitness, diet and other positive lifestyle factors of the applicant for coverage.

Possible Outcomes for Applicants with Kidney Disease

There are a few possible results you can anticipate from your application for coverage if you have kidney issues:

• Full Life Insurance Coverage will give you a regular policy at Standard Rates for life insurance. This is most likely if your kidney condition is mild enough to be assigned a Standard risk rate classification.
• Higher Premiums are often a possibility for those in higher risk health categories to get the coverage they want.
• Lower Coverage Amount is sometimes an option for patients in even higher risk categories. Companies who will not approve you for $300,000 of life insurance coverage may still be willing to give you $200,000 of coverage.
• Declination for Coverage. If you are declined for regular life insurance coverage, there are still alternative insurance policies that may be available to you. Some don’t even require a medical exam, though you will still need to disclose your condition. These may have certain restrictions, like reduced benefits in the first 1 or 2 years you are insured for coverage.
• Graded Benefit Policies, for instance, usually have a 2 year waiting period before they go into effect and the maximum amount of life insurance coverage available may be around $25,000. However, you may buy a policy from more than one insurance company.

Yes, it can be challenging to find a good life insurance policy when you are suffering from a kidney disease, don’t need to give up hope on getting insured. 

In most cases, all that is necessary is to have someone who is knowledgeable to help you find the coverage you need.

Tips

Shop Around for Coverage. Policies may vary quite a bit by different companies. It will be worth it for you to see what is available out there for people living with a kidney disease, before making your decision on which plan is right for you.

 

Warnings 

Do Not Lie on your Application for Life Insurance Coverage. If the insurance carrier finds out you lied on your application, it will invalidate the contract and keep your beneficiaries from receiving any payout of death benefits from your life insurance policy.

 

Your Next Step

Now that you are aware of how insurers may view and analyze applicants with kidney disease, you can shop and compare plans by choosing from your options for life insurance listed below.

Life Insurance Quotes

 

Top Pick – JRC Insurance Group

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Mutual of Omaha offers guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance for people age 45 to 85. Choose $2,000 up to $25,000 of coverage. Rates start as low as $8.84 per month. There’s no medical exam and no health questions. You cannot be turned down. You can get a quote and apply online now. START HERE to get a FREE Quote.

 

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