Mitral valve prolapse sounds a little ominous, and to see the knee jerk reaction some life insurance companies have when they underwrite it, you would swear it was right up there with heart attacks. Not so.
Mitral valve prolapse is simply a slight thickening in one of the four heart valves. It doesn’t cause any problems with heart function and in the absence of other heart issues, it doesn’t get any worse with time and most certainly does not carry any mortality risk.
Many companies have been writing MVP at standard rates for as long as I can remember. That would put it in to the same bucket with diabetes or perhaps prostate cancer. Mitral valve prolapse is simply not that vicious. This overview
by emedicinehealth.com kind of puts things in perspective.
As an independent agent I am constantly quizzing underwriters about their stance on different health issues. This is one where there is substantial disagreement from company to company, and while many will stick to their standard rates, there are many that, in the absence of complications, don’t see the need to rate MVP at all.
Bottom line. It pays to not take one company’s decision as an industry fact. Engage an agent who is willing to do more than process applications, an agent who is willing to dig for the best possible offer for you.
October 28th, 2007
Well, shake up a bottle of soda, unscrew the lid, and when you get through cleaning up the mess, let’s discuss the problem with high blood pressure. While you probably aren’t going to explode all over the kitchen if your blood pressure is high, it is no stretch of the imagination to understand that increased pressure can strain things a bit, quite a bit.
There is no pre-determined blood pressure level where you will start to litereally be injured by the extra strain that hypertension puts on your body. Much of that depends on your over all health other than the blood pressure. If you are also dealing with other health issues such as obesity or diabetes, your body parts and systems are under attack and pressure from several directions at once. The more you pile on, the more likely that some system will fail.
It’s interesting to note the number of people I’ve talked to who have been diagnosed with hypertension in combination with being overweight. The story is consistent. Those who have used diet and exercise to deal with the weight are rewarded by a natural lowering of their blood pressure. Take one strain off your body and it seems to have a better chance of bringing everything back into control.
So what’s the big deal with blood pressure? I’ve already admitted that you probably aren’t really going to explode, but if left uncontrolled, there is a very real chance that high blood pressure can lead to an aneurism, kidney damage or stroke.
Bottom line. From a life insurance standpoint, whenever blood pressure is out of the normal range, expect that it will impact your rates. Underwriters know that undiagnosed or uncontrolled blood pressure didn’t earn the name silent killer for no reason. If your blood pressure is dramatically out of control, expect insurance companies to decline to offer coverage until it is brought under control and has a stable history.
October 28th, 2007
