Can I find affordable life insurance with atrial fibrillation?
Getting affordable life insurance with atrial fibrillation is possible if you work with an agent who is an expert in this area.
This article will explain what insurance companies and underwriter’s are looking for when evaluating life insurance with atrial fibrillation.
You will learn the different types of atrial fibrillation and how each type can affect the rating class or additional amount of premium that will be charged.
Atrial fibrillation: What is it?
It is estimated that around 3- 6 million people are living with atrial fibrillation in the United States. And as the population ages, this number is expected to increase.
Atrial fibrillation is a heart arrhythmia with an irregular pulse. It may be paroxysmal (intermittent) or chronic (permanent). Life insurance company underwriters are interested in which type of fibrillation an individual has and what is the underlying cause.
Causes of atrial fibrillation include both cardiac and non-cardiac conditions, such as:
- Valve disease
- Hypertensive heart disease
- conduction disorders
- coronary heart disease
- cardiomyopathy
- hyperthyroidism
- fever
- alcohol ingestion
Studies have shown that chronic atrial fibrillation, even without heart disease, carries an increased mortality risk. Individuals with chronic atrial fibrillation may develop blood clots in the heart, which may lead to a stroke.
When atrial fibrillation is found, medication or electrical stimulation is often used to convert the heart rhythm to normal. If successful, the individual usually will continue on medication to keep the rhythm normal.
If cardio conversion is unsuccessful or if chronic atrial fibrillation develops, medication (or pacemaker) is used to control the heart rate, but the pulse remains irregular a blood thinner is then needed to decrease the risk of stroke.
Sometimes a surgical intervention is often used to permanently prevent atrial fibrillation.
How do I qualify for life insurance with atrial fibrillation?
Based on the information above and insurance underwriter or your agent will need to ask several questions. The answers to these questions will help an agent identify what insurance company might make the best offer for life insurance with atrial fibrillation. Here are some common questions:
- What was the date atrial fibrillation was first diagnosed?
- Is atrial fibrillation chronic or paroxysmal (intermittent) or specify how often it occurs?
- Do you have any symptoms with the irregular heart beat? If so, need details.
- Have you had a stress test, echo-cardiogram or holter monitor test done? If so, when and what were the results?
- Do you currently take any medications or have a pacemaker?
- What is the underlying cause of the atrial fibrillation? I.E. Coronary heart disease, thyroid disease, valve disease, cardiomyopathy, hypertension?
- Have you used any tobacco products in last 5 years? If so, what type?
- Do you have a routine exercise program?
- Do you have any other major health problems like diabetes, cancer history, etc.?
In addition to the above information, an underwriter will also want to know some more general information such as:
- Male or Female?
- Date of Birth?
- Height/Weight?
- Amount of coverage required?
- Plan of coverage? i.e. Term or Whole Life
Each Life Insurance Company Evaluates Each Individual Different
It’s important to remember that each insurance company evaluating life insurance with atrial fibrillation will look at the situation differently.
In reality, there are only a handful of life insurance companies that are in the “special risk” marketplace. What this means is they do individualized underwriting where as most life insurance carriers go strictly by the book.
This niche area of underwriting is limited to a select few insurance companies who have made it a standard practice to not just lump everyone in the same boat when it comes to underwriting life insurance with atrial fibrillation.
Where one company may say “sorry we prefer not to underwrite this type of risk,” another may offer a standard rating for life insurance with atrial fibrillation.
Below you will find a sample chart of how an individual may be rated or what extra premium would be charged to cover life insurance with atrial fibrillation:
- Current Atrial Fibrillation without cardiac evaluation- Rated or extra premium of 175%
- Intermittent Atrial Fibrillation with no underlying heart disease, normal EKG and normal ECG- No Rating or Extra Premium Charge
- Chronic Atrial Fibrillation with no underlying heart disease and normal echocardiogram- 75% Extra Premium Charge
- Chronic Atrial Fibrillation with surgical intervention- No Rating or Extra Charge one year after surgery with no complications
- Chronic Atrial Fibrillation with severe underlying heart disease or lung disease- Possible Declination
It’s important to remember that favorable credits will usually be given for:
- Five years of stability
- negative stress imaging with good exercise tolerance test
- negative angiogram within past year
Where do I find an agent who specializing in this particular niche area?
Fortunately, you have landed on the right page. We are experts in this area. Finding the most affordable life insurance with atrial fibrillation can sometimes be difficult on your own.
We know which insurance companies underwrite the best for life insurance with atrial fibrillation.
We personally negotiate the best offer with dozens of companies and then present them to the client for review. If for some reason a reasonable offer for coverage cannot be found, we also have access to companies that offer guaranteed issue policies. Our job is to find you the lowest life insurance rates in the country for the amount of protection you desire.
If you have a need for life insurance with atrial fibrillation, I urge you to contact us to discuss at 1-888-393-9003 or e-mail Mike Raines at mike@specialriskterm.com . Thank you for reviewing this information.
