Exceptionally healthy people can qualify for lower life insurance rates equal to half the premiums applicants in average health pay.
Based on Term4Sale’s rate comparison website, the lowest possible premium rates for non-smoking females in exceptional health are more than 50% cheaper than life quotes for women in average health. Life rates for applicants in poor health are much higher. Read also: Buy Whole Life Insurance with Cash Value to Protect the Family.
Uninsurable Life Insurance Risks
In contrast, life insurance companies will not underwrite certain medical conditions at all. Underwriters will decline all applicants with:
- AIDS.
- Alzheimer’s disease.
- Cerebral palsy.
- Huntington’s disease.
- Lou Gehrig’s disease.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Stage 4 cancer.
Medical Conditions Resulting in Higher Life Insurance Premiums
According to a report from Amy Danise of Insure.com, the following 5 health conditions garner the highest life insurance premiums. This is because these medical conditions have the greatest effect on reducing an applicant’s life expectancy.
- Heart disease.
- Diabetes.
- Cancer.
- Obesity.
- Lung disease.
Since life expectancy is one of the principal factors driving how many years of premium payment that insurance companies can expect to receive, actuaries assess higher life premiums to cover shorter life spans of people with these medical conditions.
Root Causes for More Expensive Life Rates
Number one on the list, heart disease can directly reduce life expectancy. This is particularly true in the case of heart attacks that irreparable damage heart muscle tissues.
Some life insurers do not underwrite Type 1 diabetes developed during childhood at all; others carriers charge extremely high premiums to cover the elevated risks. Adult-onset Type 2 diabetes treated with oral medications is associated with longer life expectancies. Therefore, life insurance rates for Type 2 diabetes are less severe.
Different types of cancer dictate various levels of required premiums, again depending on historical life expectancy rates. As noted above, stage 4 cancer is usually not underwritten at all. Skin cancer may have only minimal impact on life insurance rates.
Medical conditions are often associated with obesity, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Since those conditions have lower survivor rates, premiums are typically higher for obese applicants. Of all the medical conditions in Amy Denise’s review, overweight people have the greatest opportunity to improve their health through balanced diet and exercise.
Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are 2 lung conditions that directly reduce life expectancy and therefore are subject to higher life insurance premiums. Read also: Life Insurance Quotes Comparisons.
Shopping for Lower Life Insurance Rates Online
People suffering from any of these insurable medical conditions or their caregivers should shop around for the lowest possible premium rates.
Websites such as Insure.com, and Term4Sale enable online shoppers to request life insurance quotes quickly and easily. Another method is to skillfully use Google searches to find the best life insurance rates online.