Getting Life Insurance with Blood Clots
Surprisingly, blood clots are common events, affecting about one million people in the U.S. every year.
How difficult is to get Life Insurance with blood clots?
It all depends on the severity of the clot, when it happened, and how frequently.
Most people can get life insurance with blood clots, but in many cases, it will require a higher premium due to the increased risk. Only in rare cases will it result in a decline of your application.
If you have a history of blood clots, or any other health condition, you should always work with an experienced life insurance broker to get the best outcome.
What are Blood Clots
The technical term for blood clots is deep vein thrombosis. They occur when a quantity of blood changes from its normal liquid state to a gel-like substance, or even a semi-solid state. It’s actually a necessary and normal process in most cases. For example, clotting enables the blood to coagulate in a vein or artery due to a cut.
But not all blood clots are benign. If they develop in a blood vessel for no necessary reason, they can slow or block blood flow. In the more severe cases, it can travel to the lungs and create pulmonary embolism, causing part of a lung to die. In other cases, it can travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
Causes of Blood Clots
Sometimes blood clots are due to genetic factors, but they can also have more direct causes. Those could include smoking, pregnancy, surgery, reactions to certain medications, and heart conditions, especially with atrial fibrillation.
Still, another factor is prolonged immobility. It comes from spending extended periods of time in an inactive state. And in today’s work environment, where most people sit at a desk for long periods of time, blood clots are even more likely to form.
In many cases, blood clots dissolve on their own. When they don’t, any of the following symptoms can occur:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Vision impairment
- Slurred speaking
- Chest pain
- Lightheadedness
- Some weakness, pain or numbness in the shoulder, arm, leg or even face
Treatment for blood clots frequently involves the use of blood thinners. They can’t make a clot dissolve or disappear, but they can keep it from growing and breaking off. In some cases, surgery can be performed. That can include everything from cathertization to actual removal of the clot.
How Life Insurance Companies Consider Blood Clots
For life insurance companies, the main issues with blood clots are the severity and the timeframe. The incidence doesn’t usually result in an automatic decline. But the company is very likely to charge a higher premium to compensate for the additional risk that blood clots create.
Severity
In many cases blood clots are localized, such as in the arm or leg. It may cause discomfort and swelling, but not any kind of critical conditions. At the opposite end of the spectrum, if a clot has resulted in a pulmonary embolism or a stroke, the risk factors are greater. Other risk factors include a history of heart attacks or heart disease. And naturally, if blood clots are a recurring event, they present a greater risk.
Timeframe
This is where timing is an important factor. If the last episode was 10 years ago, the risk of a recurrence is much lower. But if it happened only a year ago, not enough time has passed for the insurance company to determine that a recurrence is unlikely.
As is always the case with any health-related risk factor, the insurance company will look closely at your overall level of health. They will look for potential contributing factors, such as obesity, hypertension, and smoking. And of course, the specific cause of the blood clot will be a major factor. The insurance underwriter will want to know that the underlying conditions are under control or have been cured.
Of course, if you are on medications or any other treatment therapies for the clots or the underlying cause, underwriting will want to know how successful they’ve been. This will naturally include your history of follow-up visits with your doctor and other healthcare specialists, to make certain your condition is being closely monitored.
Applying For Life Insurance With Blood Clots
When applying for life insurance with blood clots, it’s important to be completely truthful when completing the application.
Insurance companies have access to your medical records, so there’s no point attempting to conceal information. If you’re forthcoming with information, it will be an indication you’re fully aware of the importance of the condition. Be sure to provide any information requested even after completing the application.
Make sure you’re diligent in dealing with the clotting itself, or the underlying condition that caused it. This will reassure the insurance company that you are doing everything possible in treating the condition. That includes seeing healthcare professionals on a regular basis, submitting to any tests as necessary, and being faithful in taking any required medication(s).
Improving Your Chances for a Favorable Outcome
Living a healthy lifestyle is also very important. You should avoid smoking and excess alcohol consumption. You should also eat a healthy diet, and maintain a proper weight for your height.
It’s also important to get regular exercise. Since inactivity is a major cause of blood clots, you should build short but regular exercise sessions into your everyday life. For example, if you work at a desk, you should plan to get up and take a short stroll several times a day. This will keep your blood flowing, which helps to prevent clots from building.
You should also have a routine that includes regular concentrated exercise. This can include walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, or any activity that raises your heart level and gets your blood flowing.
The basic idea, from a life insurance perspective, is to both minimize the likelihood of another blood clot, as well as to reduce the impact of additional health risks. If you’ve had a clot, plus other risk factors, you could be looking at a very high premium, or even a decline.
Work with an Insurance Broker if You Have a History of Blood Clots
One of the factors that is most critical when applying for life insurance with blood clots is in applying with the right companies.
Not all insurance companies take the same view of blood clots, or any other health-related condition. Some companies are more accommodating and will approve a policy with a low premium. Some will approve it with a high premium, and there are even a few who will simply decline your application.
Knowing which companies are the best for a person with your particular health condition is something the average person can’t do. You’ll need an insurance professional to identify those companies, and handle the application process for you.
This is where working with an experienced life insurance broker is vitally important.
There are dozens of insurance companies out there, but only a handful take a positive view of specific health conditions, including blood clots. You can waste time and money submitting applications with the companies that will never give you a favorable result.
A life insurance broker knows exactly which companies to go to. Not only will that get you the policy at the lowest premium, but it will also help you to avoid a possible decline.
Be Careful!
Don’t be drawn in by the many advertisements for low-cost life insurance. Those are aimed at young people who are in perfect health. For the vast majority of people who don’t fit that profile, there’ll be complications. A life insurance broker can guide you through those obstacles.
If you have a history of blood clots, or any other health condition, give us a call or complete the quote request form. Let us find you the largest life insurance policy for the lowest premium. It’s what we do every day, and we’d like to do it for you.
