Success Stories – Clients with Heart Problems and Life Insurance

Here’s the real deal on Life Insurance with Heart Problems

Just how much does life insurance cost for someone with heart ailments or heart conditions?  At a certain point, life insurance becomes more than a luxury.  If you have others who depend on you and your income, life insurance is a necessity.

How much your final premium will be depends on your specific ailment, and it is important that you work with an underwriting expert to guarantee the lowest rates on life insurance with a heart condition.

Fill out the quote form on the right to get the lowest life insurance rates for your personal situation and goals.  See, every life insurance company will treat this risk differently and will price it accordingly.

In many cases, you can still secure life insurance at standard or preferred rates with a managed heart condition.

Here are some real life examples from our client files

Life Insurance with Arrhythmia – Case Study (Lyndsey C.)

If we take a look at Lyndsey’s case, that will give you an idea of what to expect in underwriting if you have a cardiac arrhythmia.

CASE STUDY!

Lyndsey – Female, 41 years old. She is a commercial pilot with four children / step children under the age of 18.

She has heart palpitations that her doctors assigned to atrial fibrillation. Her AFib was caused by hyperthyroidism, and the doctor prescribed Tapazole to treat the thyroid.

Three months after starting the medication, her palpitations disappeared and she has been fine ever since.

Results:

In Lyndsey’s case, she has no other underlying health issues and she did not smoke.  No family history of cardiovascular disease, and her height, weight and blood pressure were all fine.

The underwriters wanted to see that the Afib was an isolated event, and it certainly seemed that way. The attending physician statement (APS) from her primary doctor noted this as well, and Lyndsey was approved with preferred rates.

A+ rated company for Lyndsey C., quoted Mar 2017

A+ rated company for Lyndsey C., quoted Mar 2017

Using a “laddering” strategy, Lyndsey stacked two term policies for $3 million in combined protection at great rates.  Her Afib wasn’t even an issue.

Life Insurance Approved with Afib / Atrial Fibrillation – Case Study (Anthony R.)

CASE STUDY!

Anthony, 51, has a six year history of occasional arrhythmia. He said it feels like his heart was jumping out of his chest.

As determined by his cardiologist, atrial fibrillation caused the irregular heartbeats. An echocardiogram showed that the heart itself was fine. LV wall thickness was normal. Anthony had a Holter monitor for two weeks.

An exercise stress test was negative and they could not recreate the AF during that test. He is prescribed Toprol XL to slow the heartbeats down if he feels them and this might happen once or twice a year.

Anthony is looking for life insurance to pay off a mortgage of $2 Million if he died suddenly

Anthony’s AFib comes and goes.  He has no underlying heart disease and his cardiac tests show normal heart function.  He has no signs of atrial remodeling, left ventricle mass looked fine and his heart seems to be in good shape.

Since his Afib was under control Anthony qualified for standard rates for his life insurance.  An added bonus of being young is he qualified for 30 year options too.

Actual Rates for Life Insurance with Atrial Fibrillation

A+ rated company for Anthony R., Quoted March 2017

It doesn’t make any sense to carry $2 Million in life insurance coverage for the full term of the mortgage, so we structured two policies for him to save money. $1,000,000 in 20 year protection, and another $1,000,000 in 30 year protection.

Fast forward to 20 years into the future: Anthony has the option to convert his 20 year term policy into something more permanent (before age 70), or he could let it lapse.   He will owe roughly $1,005,000 on the remaining mortgage balance and his existing 30 year term policy has him protected.

Life Insurance with Bundle Branch Block Approved – Case Study (Krystal W.)

CASE STUDY!

Krystal W. is 57 years old, diagnosed with an incomplete RBBB at 52.

Her doctors found the block on an abnormal ECG.An echocardiogram confirmed the diagnosis and also noted no other heart disease or problem. She is on a very low dose of simvastatin to control cholesterol and her parents both lived into their 80’s.

Results:

Incomplete RBBB diagnosed over 5 years ago with no other complications? With the right height and weight, Krystal would have qualified preferred or standard plus. In our case she was too short for her weight, received standard rates on life insurance, and she modified her diet to lose some weight.

Follow up is in two years to lower her rates with review and reduce. Here is what her policy looks like today:

A rated company for Krystal W., quoted on 01-15-2017

Actual Life Insurance after Heart Bypass Surgery – Case Study (Keith H.)

CASE STUDY!

Keith H., Male, 68 years old.  Smoker 10 years ago.  Needed a coronary bypass due to a small blockage when he was 63.

Only one affected artery successfully treated with an internal mammary artery graft. He had one recent life insurance denial from the same insurance company that handled his home and auto insurance. He is on medication to control cholesterol.

Results:

Keith did not have a recent stress test in his profile, even though his cardiologist recommended it.  We pushed him to do it as well.  With the results in hand, the blockages in his artery were estimated at 35%, his heart was in good health otherwise.

With the combination of high cholesterol and the heart bypass, our original offer was for significant substandard rates.

However, with the recent stress test we were able to secure Keith coverage at slightly substandard rates due to lifestyle credits.  He progressed from “I don’t think I can qualify” to “approved and affordable” just by working with our underwriting experts.

A rated company for Keith H., 10 year term quoted Feb 2017

Life insurance with Coronary Artery Disease – Client cases approved (Cathy, Ralph and Miles)

CAD Life Insurance Case Study – Better than Standard

CASE STUDY!

Cathy is 72. She felt pains in her chest over a decade ago. At the time of the chest pain, her doctor ordered a exercise stress test and coronary angiography and found her proximal circumflex artery with significant plaque.

Her blockage was almost 50% in this artery.  Her heart condition was treated with medication and changes to her diet.

She exercises daily, sees her cardiologist regularly, takes metoprolol and simvastatin. She had a stress echocardiogram 8 months ago that had great results.

Results:

Cathy’s scenario is really a best case scenario for CAD patients.  She qualified better than standard due to some lifestyle credits for exercise, diet and a recent stress echo.

Contact us if you have CAD but are living a healthy lifestyle, because you can get lifestyle credits and lower your rates too, just like Cathy.

A+ rated company for Cathy D., 10 year term

CAD Life Insurance Case Study – Moderate Substandard Ratings

Due to the complications of the disease (like heart attacks and cardiac arrhythmias) and the probability of atherosclerosis elsewhere in the body, most CAD life insurance approvals are at substandard rates.

Expect moderate substandard rates

• If your CAD affects more than one artery, or more significant arteries (like the left anterior descending), or
• If you were surgically treated with a stent or bypass.

However life insurance is still available and affordable to protect your family, even with substandard rates.  See below:

CASE STUDY!

Ralph is 59. He started having chest pains a year ago and his cardiologist ordered an echocardiogram stress test and coronary angiography.

The results were: LVEF – 45% and 90% blockages of two arteries, including the left anterior descending (LAD). Ralph had two stents placed nine months ago and has multiple cardiac prescriptions.

Results:

Does Ralph have multiple blocked arteries?  Yes.  He also has a high percentage of stenosis and lower than normal ejection fraction, all signs pointing to a serious heart condition.

Ralph was lucky he caught his disease before a heart attack.  He qualified for many life insurance programs and his rate class was moderately substandard (about 125% higher than standard rates).  With lifestyle changes he will be eligible for credits in the future on his life insurance.  So we will work to re approve him soon.

However, he still found the protection he needed at a price he could afford even with substandard rates.

A+ rated company for Ralph C., 10 year term

CAD Life Insurance Case Study with Mild Substandard Rates

CASE STUDY!

Miles  K. is 55 and he had a heart attack 2 years ago.  Coronary angiography showed his right coronary artery was completely blocked.  His cardiologist intervened with a stent at that time.

He was prescribed blood thinners after the angioplasty, however his doctor no longer thinks they are necessary.  He does take a statin, beta blocker and a low dose aspirin.

His diet and exercise habits are superb and his height / weight result in a BMI of  < 24.

Recent exercise stress test had great results with LVEF over 55%. Recent blood work is normal with low overall triglycerides and high levels of HDL.

Results:

Miles qualified for mild substandard rates because of his excellent maintenance.  He’s doing exactly what his doctor ordered, and it showed on the test results and blood work. Faithfully taking his medication and sticking to his diet really helped build a case for this approval.

With a longer history after the heart attack of great maintenance, he might even qualify for standard rates in the future.

Enlarged Heart Life Insurance: Case Study (Gene W.)

CASE STUDY!

Here is the situation for Gene W., male, nonsmoker. His LVH was diagnosed at 65, caused by hypertension all his life.  He’s 68 now and also has high cholesterol.

At his last two doctor visits, blood pressure and cholesterol were under control through medication and his echo results showed an EF of 57%.  Cardiovascular problems are in his family tree on both sides, however his parents lived into their 70’s.

Gene is looking for final expense protection, as well as a small amount of income replacement.

Results:

Gene qualified for substandard rates, however he still found life insurance protection he could afford. The $100,000 he purchased was more than enough to take care of his family if he died tomorrow.

Gene opted for the lifetime coverage option since this was a plan designed to handle expenses at the end of his life.

A+ rated company for Gene W., quoted in Feb 2017

Heart Attack Life Insurance Approved with Standard Rates (Thomas C.)

CASE STUDY!

Thomas suffered two minor heart attacks and he is 64 years old.  His last heart attack was 7 years ago.

He quit smoking, maintains a healthy diet and weight and has annual stress echocardiograms.  LVEF is greater than 50%.  Coronary angiography less than 24 months ago shows that his heart condition has improved and there are no significant blockages.

Current prescriptions are for a statin and beta blocker.  Insurance labs were normal with a favorable lipid profile.

Results:

Standard rates for Thomas, even with multiple heart attacks.  I almost fell out of my chair!

With a in depth cover letter and an intimate knowledge of underwriting, we were able to take advantage of “lifestyle credits” and improve his health class.

Standard rates though?  I could not believe the offer when the underwriter sent it over. This was fantastic!

Thomas took an active role in his life and health, made the right choices and this made all of the difference.  If he was still smoking, his premiums would be 300% higher.

10 year term, A rated company for Thomas C.,

You need to know – Thomas’ case was great.  Most of the time, life insurance after a heart attack will come with substandard ratings.

You are insurable after a heart attack, and affordable substandard rates are available if:

• You have heart failure past age 50
• Your ejection fraction is 45% or higher and
• You are generally in good health otherwise

Life Insurance with Heart Stents, PCI or Angioplasty: Case Study (Ron F.)

CASE STUDY!

Ron F. was 54 when we met, one year removed from his angioplasty.

He was visiting his doctor regularly and controlling high blood pressure through medication.  All tests we positive, EF was 55%, he exercised regularly and took other medications for cholesterol as prescribed.  No other major health conditions.

Results:

Ron’s main concern was income replacement.  One of his children was finishing college and still lived with Ron and his wife.  He planned to retire in about 10 years and had other assets earmarked for final expenses and income after his retirement.

In his case, a 10 year term policy made the most sense.  His rates were slightly substandard, however still affordable.

10 year term, A rated company for Ron F., quoted Feb 2017

Life Insurance after Heart Valve Surgery in Action – Case Study (Scott R.)

CASE STUDY!

Scott was 54 years old. He had aortic valve repair three years ago.

He was on some medication after the surgery, however his doctor only prescribes a low dose aspirin regimen now.

There were two echocardiograms since the surgery, and they show minimal regurgitation.  He has no other heart conditions, no family history of cardiac disease and he exercises regularly.

After many years as an engineer, Scott was leaving his job to start his own business.  He had life insurance through work and was looking to convert to an individual policy.  However, it is very expensive to convert group (work) life insurance coverage to a personal life insurance policy.

His options for life insurance were out of his budget range.

We needed a bunch of information from his cardiologist.  Once we had that information however, Scott qualified for life insurance at slightly substandard rates and we found a policy that he cold afford.

A+ rated company for Scott R., quoted on 04/18/2017

High Cholesterol Life Insurance Approved – Case Study (Nicholas V.)

CASE STUDY!

Nicholas is 38.  He’s looking for a $2 Million policy / 20 year term and was not given the best rate class by his auto insurance company (Nationwide).

His blood work had slightly elevated total cholesterol of 247 and his HDL was 55.

Nicholas doesn’t smoke, he has no other health conditions to speak of and no familial history of heart disease.

Results:

Nationwide has strict underwriting guidelines for cholesterol and Nicholas was right there on the bubble.  This is how he went from “preferred plus” down to “preferred.”

The other agent could solve this problem with a letter to the underwriter, extra evidence from Nicholas’s doctor, or with another blood test.  However, we earned the case because that agent did not do the extra work.

With a ratio of 4.5 and total cholesterol under 300, we were able to get Nicholas preferred best and multiple offers with a big insurer, saving him money every month.

20 year term, A+ rated company for Nicholas C.

That’s almost $9,000 in savings over the life of the policy and Nicholas was pleased.

Jake, Life Insurance and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

CASE STUDY!

Jacob (Jake) is 49 and is married to Lucy.  They have 2 girls who are about to start college.  He had chest pains while he was in the military, later revealed to be hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

This was back in 2006 and he was held in the hospital overnight for some diagnostic testing.  Besides that, he has had no complications from his diagnosis.  He is now on a low dose of high blood pressure medication.

Jake has some expensive debts to pay off and he is going to be supporting his daughters somewhat as they are in college.

Results:

Most insurance companies would restrict Jake from qualifying for the best rates due to his heart ailments in the past.  In fact, he was denied life insurance coverage two times before he came to see us.

However, we were able to show him some options with no medical exam necessary at the lowest rates for his condition.  This insurance company does not advertise these low rates for people with heart conditions, so without an independent underwriting expert there is no way Jake would have ever found the right coverage for his family.

We were able to secure him $400,000 worth of protection with these options:

$400,000 Life Insurance for Jake

Jake’s Choice

Like many term policies, the one we were advising Jake on was convertible to permanent insurance at some point in the future.  So he jumped all over the 15 year term policy with monthly payments that never increased and protection that never decreased.

By the end of the 15 year term, both of his children will be out of college and will have families of their own, his debts will be paid off and he won’t need as much coverage.

Our plan is to revisit this coverage annually (as we do with all clients), and convert part of his term policy to permanent coverage as soon as his kids graduate or as soon as the house is paid off, whichever comes first.

This should be the last life insurance policy Jake will ever need to buy.

Big Savings on Life Insurance with Mitral Valve Prolapse – Case Study (Patrick T.)

CASE STUDY!

Patrick T., Male, 47 years old. Diagnosed with MVP, shopping with us because his auto ensurer would not approve his life insurance at an affordable rate.

His MVP does have very mild regurgitation. He is a non smoker and height/weight are within range. Otherwise healthy with no family history of heart disease.

His goals? Pay off the mortgage, especially while his two kids are still at home.

For a $500,000 20 year term, Patrick’s other life insurance company was quoting him roughly $420 per month.  It looks like they were rating him at Table C or D for mild regurgitation.

We knew we could find him a better health class, and so we shopped the case.

Results:

Mild regurgitation means different things to different companies.  In our case, we had solid evidence from Patrick’s cardiologist.  His recent tests showed a mitral valve opening greater than 1.6 cm.

That was large enough to qualify for standard rates with an A+ rated company.

A+ rated company for Patrick T., quoted on 2-18-2017

For Patrick’s case, we combined two policies in a strategy called “laddering” (and you can read more about laddering term policies here).  His total in coverage was $750,000.

The end result was $250,000 more in protection for Patrick’s family at a savings of $20,987 over the term of the policy.

Pacemaker Life Insurance Approvals – Case Study (Virginia B.)

CASE STUDY!

Virginia B. had a pacemaker installed when she was 62 to deal with a second degree heart block.

She is 65 now, non-smoker, lives a healthy lifestyle and has no other complications or symptoms.

Virginia had dizzy spells before her heart block was treated.  Since the procedure, she has been symptom free and she watches her diet like a hawk.

We were able to secure standard rates for Mrs. Virginia with an A rated life insurance company as follows:

20 year term, A rated company for Virginia B., quoted Mar 2017

Sheryl and Life Insurance with TIA – Case Study

CASE STUDY!

Sheryl is 61 years old and she smokes.  Six years ago she had an ischemic event, a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke caused by work stress and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Her doctors have prescribed dipyridamole and she sees her primary care physician regularly.  She just had a funeral for her mother where her family had to chip in to pay for final expenses, and she wanted to make sure her kids were protected when she dies.

Sheryl has been married to Hank for over 35 years, she owns her home and her kids are all out on their own.  She works part time but plans to retire completely at age 65.  Her husband Hank is receiving a military pension and currently pays most of their expenses.

Results:

In Sheryl’s case, a permanent policy makes the most sense since she is using it to cover forever expenses at her death.  It’s not an “if she dies” policy, it’s a “when she dies” policy. Whole life insurance would be a recommendation from most insurance agents, and it wouldn’t be a bad route.

However, speak with an underwriting expert like us and there is an even better way.  Did you know you could guarantee your coverage to age 95? Or 97?  Or 100?  And pay less than whole life in the process?

That’s exactly what Sheryl decided to do.

Life insurance, guaranteed to age 95 for Sheryl

Sheryl’s Ultimate Choice

Sheryl chose $50,000 worth of protection, guaranteed to age 95.  She did not have a close relative ever live past age 80, and we know the odds of her living past 95 were less than 3%.

This was more than enough for a modest funeral that she had planned, plus it accounted for three years’ worth of income replacement for Hank if she died while she was still working.  The piece of mind she received was in her words “priceless.”

Disclaimer – These rates are current as of the date their respective policies were issued. These are real cases pulled from our case files, and the decisions represent real people making real choices to protect their families.  Names have been changed for privacy reasons, however the inputs of health history and the underwriting outcomes are unchanged.

Now It Is Your Turn

Think of your family for a moment, the people who care for you and the people who call upon you for support.

What will their life look like when you die?  Will they be financially prepared?

Life insurance is not for the dead, it’s for the living.  As you can see from the cases above, we have the expertise and skill set you need to get the life insurance approval your family deserves.

It only takes a simple quote request to get started today and our professional help is free.  You can also contact us if you have any specific questions or prefer to talk by phone.

Do not put your decision off any longer.  Let’s get started today.