Posts filed under 'arrythmia'
I feel like a myth buster today. I was speaking with a woman today who made it very clear that she didn’t want to apply for life insurance if there was a chance she would be declined. Here reason is that life insurance applications ask if you’ve ever been rated or declined for life insurance before, and a logical person would assume that the question, if answered in the affirmative, would simply lead to another decline.
So let’s bust that myth. Yes, they do ask the question as part of their information gathering process, but if the decline was due to a difference in the underwriting guidelines between the new company and the declining company, there will likely be a different outcome. To further insulate you from that question, the new company you are applying with will look at you based on the merits of your exam with them, your medical records as interpreted by them and how all of that information fits within their underwriting guidelines.
There are plenty of companies out there who ask us agents to bring rated and declined cases to them for a fresh look. The truth is that there is an ocean of difference in how health issues are perceived from company to company, and sometimes there are fairly significant differences from one underwriter to the next within a company. A decline is not a black ball in the life insurance business.
Those of us who have staked our territory in the impaired risk business (anyone who doesn’t have a perfect health history) have studied long and hard to know what to do with your decline. We don’t get paid unless we succeed, so we aren’t going to fluff you up and provide quotes we don’t honestly believe we can come through with.
We also make our customers work harder than the average agent. If you’ve been declined, it will be a team effort that turns that around. We may ask you to get us a copy of your last stress test if you have heart disease or another heart problem like arrhythmia. We might ask you to get a copy of your pathology report if you’ve had cancer. Any agent that understands diabetes will ask for your last set of labs if you’ve been declined.
We want to succeed and being armed with all the information available is the best way to do it.
Bottom line. A decline is not an industry statement. It is the opinion of one underwriter and medical director in one company. Don’t hide because of past declines and don’t fear being declined. A decline may be just what it takes to get you headed in the right direction. I would be remiss if I didn’t throw my stander disclaimer out there. Don’t take your decline to your local auto and homeowners agent unless you are fond of rejection. You need to enlist an independent agent and they should be able to explain to you exactly how they will succeed where others have failed.
August 27th, 2008
I’m not going to hang myself out there by saying that only overweight people have sleep apnea, but there is plenty of evidence to uphold the idea that most cases of obstructive sleep apnea are caused by excess weight or obesity.
While central sleep apnea is caused by dysfunction of the brain, obstructive sleep apnea, especially in adults, is normally caused by either a collapsing of the airway due to weight or a reshaping of the airway due to fat deposits. Both issues are tied to being overweight.
I know from having worked with hundreds of liffe insurance clients with sleep apnea that there is certainly, in most cases, a link between build and sleep apnea. I have often been told by the clients that their doctors have told them, lose the weight and the sleep apnea will go with it.
I think this may again be an issue where doctors are talking about the primary issue, sleep apnea, and not educating the clients about the collateral health issues that, if left unchecked, can begin to take hold.
Problems such as snoring spouse syndrome are no fun for either spouse, but other health issues related to sleep apnea, several of which involve serious cardiac issues such as high blood pressure, arrhythmia and even heart failure, can lead to one spouse not being there at all.
Bottom line. If your sleep apnea is caused by weight and your doctor hasn’t given you all of the facts about the road you’re heading down, educate yourself. Do something about it for your health and your marriage, and yes, for your life insurance rates.
October 16th, 2007
According to the American Heart Association, about 2.2 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, a form of arrythmia to some degree. It seems like this year about half of them have inquired about life insurance through our office. Like most health issues, life insurance underwriters want to know if someone with atrial fib has the condition well controlled, is compliant with their cardiologist’s recommendations, and cares enough to educate themselves about their situation.
I can tell you that the last thing, education, does not seem to be a high priority amongst those atrial fibbers I’ve talked to. There are those that truly understand what atrial fibrillation is and what the cost of not controlling it is. They are the minority.
So what is it that concerns life insurance underwriters about atrial fibrillation? What’s the big deal with a bit of irregular heart beat?
First, what is it? The AHA defines atrial fibrillation as “the heart’s two small upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of beating effectively.” Probably just about all of us have felt a skipped beat or an irregular beat occasionally. It’s really quite common, especially with us more aged types.
The rare, occasional beat isn’t that big a deal, but when your heart is in atrial fibrillation, blood isn’t being pumped out of the heart efficiently. When this happens over too long a period, blood can actually pool and clot. If a clot is pumped out of your heart there is a good chance of it coming to a screeching halt at a narrow point in it’s journey through your brain, and, if you’re lucky, you wake up with someone trying to explain through the fog that you’ve had a stroke.
Atrial fib can be controlled, treated and in some cases actually cured. There are medicines that can moderate and control the heart beat to an extent that prevents it, in some cases, from going into arrythmia. In more stubborn cases, the are a little more invasive ways of disrupting the electrical impulses that cause the normal rythym to lose control. Radiofrequency ablation and surgery can actually do away with the cause of the problem in some cases. And we’ve all heard of pacemakers. Not as common these days, but still used.
So back to the worried underwriter! His concerns go way beyond the quiver. Uncontrolled or poorly controlled atrial fibrillation can lead to a stroke or heart attack, issues that have a definite place on the mortality charts.
So, who gets the best life insurance rates with atrial fib? A client who is educated enough about their condition to be concerned enough to keep it under control by being compliant with their cardiologist’s recommendations. Can good life insurance rates be had after a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation? Absolutely. Get a good independent agent on your side and take care of your end of the business and the reward is good rates.
July 12th, 2007
