Getting Life Insurance While Pregnant – SimpleLifeInsure
A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world.
Buying life insurance earlier is usually made to financially safeguard those you care about most – making pregnancy a primary reason to secure life insurance before the birth of the baby so as to protect your growing family financially in case anything bad happens.
During the hustle and bustle of preparing for the arrival of your child, you can add “purchase life insurance for pregnancy” to the top of your list – and likely check it off quickly.
Here, we’ll cover everything you need to know about buying no-exam life insurance when you’re expecting a baby.
NO-EXAM LIFE INSURANCE DEFINED
Simply put, no exam life insurance is issued without the applicant undergoing a medical examination.
By purchasing life insurance without a medical exam, typically called a paramedical, you can avoid: needles, nurses and liquid samples.
NO-EXAM LIFE INSURANCE WHILE PREGNANT
Good news – pregnancy does not preclude you from purchasing no exam life insurance.
Think of it this way – Pregnancy, in and of itself, does not impact your ability to buy life insurance without an exam, rather – your weight, possible pregnancy complications, medications and overall health are factors life insurance underwriters will review during the application process.
7 BEST REASONS TO BUY NO EXAM LIFE INSURANCE WHEN PREGNANT
There are 7 important reasons why no exam life insurance might be a perfect fit for a pregnant individual:
Reason 1: No Exam Is Quick
No-exam insurance can take weeks off of the application process. For example, depending on the insurer, it’s possible to secure the coverage amount in a matter of minutes.
Conversely, a fully underwritten life insurance application takes, on average, around a month to issue.
Reason 2: No Exam Is Affordable
Life insurance companies are aware that many of us have no interest in participating in medical examinations. They’re lowering their no-exam rates and pricing is often competitive.
Let’s take a look at five examples for a cost analysis:
Example 1: Female, age 30, Preferred Plus health – 20-year term life insurance, $500,000:
No Exam – $18.18/month
Medically Underwritten – $ 17.11/month
Example 2: Female, age 35, Preferred health – 15-year term life insurance, $250,000:
No Exam – $13.72/month
Medically Underwritten – $12.60/month
Example 3: Female, age 28, Regular health – 30-year term life insurance, $500,000:
No Exam – $32.73/month
Medically Underwritten – $31.30/month
Example 4: Female, age 36, Regular health – 20-year term life insurance, $250,000:
No Exam – $22.34/month
Medically Underwritten – $23.53/month
Example 5: Female, age 32 – Rated health (table 1) – 20-year term life insurance, $500,000:
No Exam – $43.14/month
Medically Underwritten – $36.23/month
Note – we can assume that the sample applicants above are all pregnant women.
Often, the best health class a pregnant individual is approved for is Regular (Standard) – due to weight limits. However, usually, if you’re in your first trimester and you are healthy –Preferred or Preferred Plus health classes are available.
A Rated health class typically means you are experiencing health problems during your pregnancy, or are above the standard weight limits (or a lifestyle or occupation risk).
Reason 3: Your Weight Is Within Limits
A key component to qualifying for no-exam pregnancy life insurance is your weight. Fortunately, the limits are on the generous side.
Let’s examine some sample weight limits for a no-medical exam carrier (keep in mind – all insurers have their own limits and the limits below are not representative of every company):
Limits are samples for no exam Regular and Rated health classes:
In other words – To qualify for a Standard (Regular) health class, your height/weight ratio cannot exceed the limits established for the no-exam insurer you apply with. Likewise, to qualify for a Rated health class, your height/weight ratio must fall within the carrier’s parameters.
Reason 4: No Serious Medications Have Been Prescribed
During your application, life insurance underwriters will evaluate your prescription history. Some medications associated with pregnancy are considered serious, or high-risk, and can impact your ability to qualify for a no-exam life insurance payout.
Medications can be prescribed to either:
1. Assist in becoming pregnant (ie. IVF – in vitro fertilization)
2. Treat a medical condition(s) during pregnancy (ie. elevated blood pressure or pre-eclampsia)
If you experienced difficulty in becoming pregnant, and used a process like in vitro fertilization, some medications will likely be closely examined (but not necessarily an automatic decline for no exam). For example:
- Metformin – an anti-diabetic medication often used to improve pregnancy rates during in IVF
- Letrozole – a selective aromatase inhibitor that can assist in IVF success rates
Or, medications are sometimes prescribed to treat complications during pregnancy. For example:
- Anti-diabetic medications
- High blood pressure medications
Some drugs used during pregnancy can make it difficult to secure life insurance without a required medical exam. Each carrier uses its own underwriting system, however, and you’ll want to evaluate all of your options.
Bottom line – no exam life insurance is approved more often during pregnancy if you are not prescribed a serious medication.
Reason 5: No Major Pregnancy Complications
You are more likely to qualify for no exam life insurance if you have not experienced major complications during your pregnancy.
Common pregnancy complications include:
1. High blood pressure – also called hypertension, occurs when excess pressure is created in your arteries. High blood pressure creates unique concerns during pregnancy because it can limit the amount of blood, and thus oxygen and nutrients, reaching the placenta.
2. Gestational diabetes – fairly common, gestational diabetes is diagnosed when a pregnant individual did not have diabetes before pregnancy, and now has elevated blood sugar (at levels that indicate diabetes) during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs typically as a result of your pancreas either not producing enough insulin or not utilizing insulin effectively.
3. Pre-eclampsia – some pregnant individuals suffer from this serious medical condition after 20 weeks of pregnancy. It may increase their blood pressure and increase the levels of protein in their urine that can cause kidney damage or harm other body organs, including the liver or the brain.
Reason 6: You Have Plenty Of Options
Fortunately, many top-rated life insurance companies provide life insurance without an exam. You’ll be able to, with the help of an independent agent, shop around to find the best life insurance policy to fit your needs.
Your options to consider before buying coverage include:
- Face Amount – known as your policy size (ie. $500,000). Be sure to select an amount of life insurance that will financially protect your family.
- Term Length – how long your life insurance will last (ie. 20 years). It’s important to select a term length (or permanent policy) that will provide you with enough coverage for your life insurance needs.
- Riders – also called living benefits. Riders provide additional benefits to your life insurance contract and should be carefully considered. For example, many carriers include Accelerated Benefits for chronic, critical, or terminal illnesses.
Additionally, you’ll want to evaluate:
- Underwriting speed – if you are in a hurry, some no-exam life insurers can issue a policy within a day (sometimes within minutes).
- Pricing – not all companies are priced the same. Compare costs before submitting an application.
- Company rating – each life insurance company is evaluated and rated on its financial health.
Reason 7: Buying Life Insurance Is The Right Thing To Do
We get it. It’s the opposite of fun to buy life insurance pregnant.
Yet, if you have a spouse or/and child who depends on you monetarily, you need insurance to make sure they get appropriate financial support in the case of your illness, accident, or even unexpected death.
Think of it like ripping off a band-aid – it’s often better to quickly take care of it and move on (no exam), rather than going about it slowly and painfully.
The peace of mind that comes with financially safeguarding your family is well worth the brief annoyance of buying a life insurance policy and covering the life insurance premiums.
THE IDEAL TIME TO PURCHASE LIFE INSURANCE
Specific to pregnancy, it’s better to purchase life insurance earlier on in your pregnancy (the first trimester is usually best).
Here’s why:
- You are less likely to encounter height/weight limits during your first and second trimesters.
- Health complications are often not diagnosed (ie. gestational diabetes) until around sometime during your 2nd trimester.
However, even if you are further along in your pregnancy, we recommend not waiting to purchase a policy. Even if it’s just a modest policy for now – some life insurance is better than no insurance at all. You can always purchase a larger policy after your baby is born.
DETERMINE HOW MUCH LIFE INSURANCE TO PURCHASE
Whether you are employed outside of the home or are a stay-at-home parent, you provide financial value to your family.
As a rule of thumb, many life insurance experts recommend taking your annual salary and multiplying it by 10. For example: $50,000/annual salary x 10 = $500,000 policy.
A stay-at-home parent provides substantial monetary value to a family. Some estimates (salary.com) place an at-home parent’s contributions to be worth upwards of $100,000 annually.
However, your unique needs should determine how much coverage makes sense for you.
Calculate the following for a general idea of the face amount to purchase:
- Your annual income (or monetary value if you are at-home)
- The number of years loved ones will depend on you
- Childcare
- Debt (mortgage, credit card, student loan)
- Daily living expenses (food, bills)
- Future financial responsibilities (college tuition)
- Charitable giving goals
What’s most important is purchasing an amount of life insurance you feel comfortable with.
HOW TO SECURE NO EXAM LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE DURING PREGNANCY
Plan on taking a few simple steps to purchase no exam life insurance:
- Don’t delay – the earlier into your pregnancy you apply, the better your chances at qualifying for no-exam life insurance.
- Work with an independent agent – to have the possibility to compare quotes from multiple no-exam carriers, you will need to team up with an independent agent. Independent agents like us in Simple Life Insure are not held captive to a particular company and will work on your behalf to find the best carrier to apply with.
- Prepare – be ready for the application by having your important information on hand. Your address, driver’s license number, date of birth, basic medical history of your pre-existing conditions, current weight, occupation, and lifestyle information should be readily available to communicate.
WHAT TO ASK AN INSURANCE COMPANY WHEN PREGNANT
It is a good rule to always prepare a list of questions you will ask the carrier before you get life insurance when pregnant. In this way, you will get clear answers instead of basing your knowledge on some false life insurance myths. Here are some of the suggested questions you should ask:
- What is included in the policy, and what isn’t?
- What coverage will I get?
- Does my pre-pregnancy weight matter? And will my weight gain affect my coverage?
- Does the policy include a death benefit?
- Would my previous pregnancies affect the policy?
- How much money will my family members get in case something happens to me?
- Would a term life insurance or a whole life insurance work better in my case?
- How does my income affect the premiums?
- Can I do anything to get higher premiums?
- How long will the insurance last?
- What riders are included in the policy?
THE BEST INSURANCE TO HAVE WHEN PREGNANT – SIMPLE LIFE INSURE
Can you get life insurance while pregnant? Yes, definitely! But it’s crucial to get life insurance that really covers all your needs and provides enough money if something happens to you, but without requiring a medical examination.
However, it may be hard and time-consuming to browse and compare offers of various insurance companies by yourself, especially as after seeing a positive pregnancy test, you have to take care of a long to-do list.
As an independent broker, we will help you to pick the right policy, adjusted to your needs and financial capabilities. With our professional support, you will get the best offer without wasting any time or effort on comparing various carriers by yourself.
Simply fill out our instant quote to get started!
