High Cholesterol
Don’t be discouraged if you’ve had problems when applying for life insurance with high cholesterol, Worry Free Life Insurance has had success in getting policy’s for people in your just your needs.
What do the Cholesterol Numbers Mean?
Many people are confused in how their cholesterol numbers are interpreted. Insurance companies are concerned about your cholesterol scores and especially if you happen to taking medication to control the levels.
Since cholesterol is usually expressed as LDL, HDL and Triglycerides, I’ll explain what they mean first since many people aren’t really sure.
LDL Cholesterol – LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein and is often known as ‘bad cholesterol’. With LDL, if you score less than, or between 100 -129, this is considered optimal. Anything more is considered too high and ideally you want to score less than 70.
Most Doctors prefer your numbers come in at less than at least 100
HDL Cholesterol – HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein and is considered the ‘good cholesterol’. A score of 60 or more is considered optimal. For males, a score of less than 40 is considered a high risk, and a score of less than 50 for females is considered a high risk for heart disease.
Triglycerides – These are the fats which are transported in the blood after we consume food which then become triglycerides and are stored in the fat cells. Less than a 150 score is considered normal. Anything more puts you into the higher risk category.
The majority of doctors prefer that your total score for all 3 levels be no more than 200. For those people who have cholesterol numbers which put them at risk, there are a variety of specialized medications that doctors can prescribe to control and lower these numbers.
It is also vital that people look at their nutrition intake and help the process of lowering their cholesterol numbers through dieting, exercise and eating healthier foods.
Many, if not most life insurance companies are most concerned with both the LDL and HDL levels, but a few life insurance companies focus just on HDL levels.
What if I am Taking Cholesterol Medications when Applying for Life Insurance?
You might be wondering how life insurance companies react if you have already been prescribed medication to control your cholesterol. The first thing I have to tell is never to lie to the insurance company and say you are not taking medication. Life insurance companies routinely research Rx (prescription) data bases so they will know about your medication.
How the life insurance will view you if you are taking medication will depend on the type of medication you have been prescribed, the length of time you’ve been taking it, and the dosage.
I’ll be quite frank and say that some companies will shy away from you completely when reviewing a life insurance application, while other companies will rate you higher which means a higher premium. However, the good news is that there are plenty of companies that have more tolerant underwriting approaches when it comes to cholesterol.
This means there are plenty of companies that will approve you, and some can even be found which might even give you a better rating if your cholesterol numbers are not too significantly out of whack.
Cholesterol Comparisons between Different Life Insurance Companies
To show you that not all life insurance companies are not the same when it comes to how they rate people applying for life insurance, and may have cholesterol issues, I performed a spot review of the underwriting requirements which are used.
Let’s see how they compare.
Genworth Life Insurance Company
Cholesterol – Preferred Best –No Tobacco Rating – Ages 0 -60
Underwriting Requirements – An underwriting review is required is the cholesterol is lower than 150 or greater than 350 mg/dl.
Cholesterol/HDL ratio cannot exceed 4.0 for females and 4.5 for males
ING Life Insurance Company
Cholesterol – Super Preferred Non Smoker – Ages 16 -60
Underwriting Requirements – Maximum cholesterol is 300, with a HDL for a male of 75 and a HDL for a female of 90.
The maximum HDL ratio for males is 5.0 and for females is 4.5
North American Life Insurance Company
Cholesterol – Super Preferred No Tobacco – Age 70 and Under
Underwriting Requirements – Has a Cholesterol count with or without treatment of 220 or less, with a total cholesterol/HDL ratio of 4.5 or less (applicable to both genders)
Protective Life Insurance Company
Cholesterol – Select Preferred – To Age 70
Underwriting Requirements – Total cholesterol is not greater than 275 including treated cholesterol and cholesterol/HDL ratios are 4.5 or less (applicable to both genders)
As you can clearly see, not every life insurance company is the same when it comes to how you a person is viewed when it comes to the issue of cholesterol levels.
How do I Find Life Insurance if I Have Cholesterol Issues?
You always want to talk to an independent agent like myself. We can access and research dozens of companies so you are assured we will find the best policy at the most affordable rates. If you have health concerns such as cholesterol, don’t let that dissuade you because we can give you valuable advice and help you to find a policy that suits you.