Risky Business: What You Need to Know About High Risk Life Insurance

Life Insurance Agent:  Do you participate in any high risk activities?
Person seeking life insurance:  I’m getting ready to base jump off a 10,000 foot mountain this weekend.  Does that count?
Life Insurance Agent:  <Silence>

To be able to qualify for cheap life insurance, participating in “high risk” activities is not going to do any favors to your checking account.

High risk, as viewed by a life insurance company, doesn’t just look at pilots, base jumpers, sky divers, or deep water scuba divers. Being high risk can also mean you have high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression and a host of other medical conditions.

Being a high risk candidate basically guarantees your premiums will be much higher, but when you have beneficiaries or a spouse that needs to be taken care of no matter what happens to you, buying a life insurance policy is critical.

If you are not an ideal candidate for life insurance, it may be difficult to get approved for a policy. In some cases, you can still get approved for high risk life insurance, depending on your situation.

Working in a risky profession or if your health isn’t that great, you fall into a category known as impaired risk. If you find yourself in a situation, there are steps that you can take to increase your chances of getting approved for a life insurance policy.

Here are a few factors to consider about high risk life insurance.

High Risk Insurance Basics

In the area of life insurance, insurance companies look at the amount of risk that comes with every policy.

They determine how much that you’ll have to pay in premiums based on the level of risk that you bring to the table. Many insurance companies will simply deny a life insurance application if you are considered to be too risky.

Others will throw you over into another high risk category.

At that point, you can pay more for a high risk policy or you may be denied for a policy. If you qualify for a high risk life insurance policy easily, then you simply have to start paying your premiums and the policy will be yours.

If it’s not that simple for you, you may have to jump through a few hoops (just don’t jump off any cliffs!) before you can be approved for a high risk life insurance policy.

Shopping Around

When you find yourself lumped into a high risk category, you might have to shop around a little bit before you can find a company that is comfortable with your type of risk.

The best way to do this is working with an independent life insurance agent that is able work with several different carriers.  Trust me when I say “the more the better”.

An independent agent can also help you switch insurance companies for other products like home and auto coverage to guarantee you are getting the most affordable rates for your coverage levels. They’ll be able to get multiple life insurance quotes from several comapnies to make sure you are getting enough life insurance.

I’ve learned many captive agents — those are the agents that are tied to one company — have much stricter underwriting guidelines and without the ability to shop around either leave you stuck with a much higher rate than you should be paying or getting declined and having no life insurance coverage.

Some companies may not touch people in a certain category, while others will welcome them with open arms.

This means that if you have a problem getting approved for a life insurance policy, you’ll simply have to do a little bit of research and find out which companies are comfortable with your brand of risk.

Then again, this what the experienced independent life agent should be doing for you.

I have countless examples where even the best life insurance companies will rate individuals differently based on their conditions.  Many consumer don’t realize that. 

One recent example was a young female who was in good health applying for coverage with me. 

On the surface there was no reason that she should not have been approved at preferred plus (the highest rating class possible).  Turns out her mom had passed away early due to breast cancer which made her more of a high risk with most insurance carriers. 

The keyword is “most”.

While most carriers would not give her the preferred plus rating class with breast cancer, there are a few companies that will.  If you’re not working with an independent agent this might be something you would never know.

Show That You Can Control It

If the reason that you were considered to be high risk initially can be controlled, then you have a better chance of getting approved for a high risk policy. If the risk controls you and is completely unpredictable, then it will be much more difficult to get you approved.

For example, if the life insurance company rejected your application because of your high level of cholesterol, then you need to be able to demonstrate that you can get it under control again.

This may simply mean changing your diet and engaging in a healthier lifestyle. At that point, you can be retested by the life insurance company to see if your cholesterol has improved. (Before you re-take the test make sure to check out getting life insurance policies with no life insurance medical exam.)

If it has, then they will reconsider your application for a life insurance policy. If it has not improved, then your application will be rejected again.

At that point, you may have to wait a certain amount of time before you can reapply for another policy, or get a type of plan which doesn’t require a medical exam at all.

Utilize a Trial Offer

In life insurance, there are trial offers that you can sometimes take advantage of which will allow you to qualify for a policy without having perfect health. To participate in this type of scenario, you will work with a life insurance broker or agent who can gather your health information. They’ll ask you a series of questions and determine exactly how healthy you are. At that point, they can send your information to many different life insurance companies at the same time and see if anyone is willing to bite on the risk.

If a company is comfortable with the risk that you present, they will send back a trial offer and a rate for you to consider. If you like the terms, then you can go ahead and fill out a formal application and attach the tentative trial offer to it. At that point, as long as nothing changes on your end by the time the application is processed, you can be approved for the policy.

How Much Do You Really Need?

One of the realities of purchasing high risk life insurance is that the cost will be much more. How much more depends on your exact condition. Before you start shopping around for your policy, you first need to get an idea how much life insurance you need.

Use the calculator below to see the proper amount you should purchase.

Getting High Risk Life Insurance

Getting high risk life insurance isn’t always easy, but it can be done if you are persistent and willing to work a little bit. Once you have a policy, you can rest a little easier knowing that your family is taken care of.

Other High-Risk Health Issues 

• • Kidney Problems
  • Diabetics
  • Heart Disease
  • HIV
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Thrombocytopenia
  • Diverticulosis
  • Hepatitis 
  • Epilepsy
  • Autism
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • ADHD
  • Cushings Syndrome
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Lupus
  • Anemia 
  • Crohns Disease
  • Iron Deficiency Anemia
  • Eating Disorder
  • Adrenal Insufficiency
  • Elevated Liver Enzymes
  • High Calcium
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • After Stroke
  • Lipid Levels Arteriosclerosis
  • Athlete’s Heart
  • Armed Security Guard Overseas
  • Family History
  • Driving Record
  • Smoking Habits
  • Prescription Medications