If you have kidney disease, finding life insurance can be a daunting task. Most life insurance companies will not issue policies to people with pre-existing medical conditions, including kidney disease. However, there are some insurers who will still provide coverage, as long as you meet certain criteria. In this guide, we will discuss how to get life insurance with kidney disease. We will also cover the different types of policies that are available to you and the factors that insurers consider when issuing policies to people with health conditions.
Can I get life insurance with kidney disease?
Depending on how bad your kidney issues are and what kind of treatment plan you have, you may be able to get life insurance.
If you have kidney issues, working with a broker is a good idea. Brokers are not tied to one life insurance company so they can find the best deal for you. We can review your online application to find the life insurance company that will be most lenient with your kidney issues.
We have worked with many people who have kidney disease, and our agents are here to help you every step of the way. We want you to get approved for life insurance and will work hard to help you.
What Is Kidney Disease?
There are many different types of kidney disease, and it can be difficult to find life insurance for dialysis patients. But defining the illness type and its prognosis will know what is insurable and what is not an insurable kidney problem.
Types of Kidney Disease
- Abderhalden – Kaufmann – Lignac syndrome or Nephropathic Cystinosis
- Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
- Acetaminophen-induced Nephrotoxicity
- Acute Kidney Failure or Injury
- Acute Lobar Nephronia
- Acute Phosphate Nephropathy
- Hepatitis C
- Papillary Necrosis
- Glomerulopathy
- Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome
Causes of Kidney Disease
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Glomerulonephritis
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Infections
- Kidney Stones
- Heart Disease
Underwriting Life Insurance for Kidney Disease
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine are waste products in the blood that are used to evaluate kidney function. Kidney function is already considerably impaired by the time these values rise.
BLOOD UREA NITROGEN (BUN)
In life insurance underwriting, more emphasis will be put on serum creatinine. Therefore, most elevations of BUN will be disregarded if creatinine is normal. If creatinine is elevated and the BUN is greater than 40mg/dl, the applicant will usually be declined.
CREATININE
While creatinine clearance is the gold standard for assessing kidney function, it requires a 24-hour urine collection. Unfortunately, collections of urine are difficult to obtain.
Patients often fail to follow collection procedures correctly, and improper collection can invalidate the results.
The expected value for creatinine clearance is 90-130 ml/min. An estimate of creatinine clearance (i.e., how well the kidneys are excreting creatinine) can be obtained from a mathematical formula using age, serum creatinine, and height. This calculated creatinine clearance will be used in underwriting adult applicants.
Underwriting Guidelines
Elevated creatinine over 2 mg/dl is generally declined. For elevated creatinine of unknown cause in adults with completely normal urinalysis, you will need to find out your calculated creatinine clearance to determine if you’re eligible.
With that said, you will be declined if there is evidence of a progressive decline in kidney function, e.g., rising creatinine and/or decreasing creatinine clearance.
There will be a postponement for evaluation of renal disease if urine is abnormal.
What To Expect When Applying for Life Insurance with Kidney Disease
If you have kidney disease, your life insurance application will be judged based on the results of your kidney function tests. If the tests show that your kidney function is getting worse, you may not be approved for coverage and you would be put in a high-risk category.
Acute Kidney Disease
Even if you have kidney disease, you may still be able to get life insurance. If you have acute kidney disease, the life insurance company will look favorably on your application if you are managing the cause well and have regular checkups with a doctor.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease is classified into five stages, with stage 1 having the best outcomes and stage 5 being the most severe. The stage of your disease and your treatment plan will be closely evaluated when you apply for life insurance. Dialysis patients are generally not considered to be insurable.
Kidney Transplant
If you have received a kidney transplant, most life insurance companies will want you to wait one year before applying for coverage. This is so there is a lower chance of your body rejecting the new organ and experiencing complications.
Expect To Pay Steep Premiums
With most kidney disease and transplant applicants, your application will be considered to be high-risk. This means that you will likely have to pay extra for life insurance coverage.
What If I’m Declined?
Even if your life insurance application was declined by an insurer, you can still purchase life insurance through a guaranteed issue policy.
What Is A Guaranteed Issue Policy?
A guaranteed issue policy is life insurance that does not depend on your health. This means that you will be able to get life insurance even if you have had a stroke and have been declined before. However, there are a few drawbacks that you should consider before getting this type of policy.
Many insurers that offer guaranteed issue life insurance policies have a limit on the death benefit. This amount is usually between $25,000 and $30,000 depending on your age.
If you die from natural causes, your family will have to wait for two or three years before the company will pay the full death benefit. Most companies, however, will pay a benefit equal to the total premiums paid in plus 5 to 10 percent.
Since the insurer is not sure how healthy you are, they will charge you more for your life insurance policy than someone who is healthier.
Although there are some disadvantages to guaranteed issue life insurance, it is still a better option than asking your loved ones to pay your final expenses.
Need Help Getting Life Insurance Coverage?
If you have a preexisting medical condition and want to buy life insurance, you will need help from an expert. This person can help make sure that you get coverage so that you don’t get declined.
Warning: Applying for life insurance without a medical exam can be risky. If you are declined coverage, it could be at least two years before you are able to get any life insurance.