High Risk Life Insurance Companies That Will Give You Coverage

A lot of people struggle with getting approved for insurance coverage, and if they happen to qualify for a policy, they will have to pay higher premiums and will most likely get low coverage. Before qualifying for an insurance policy, there are a few factors that help determine your eligibility and the riskier you are, the harder it will be to insure you. 

High risk life insurance companies are more lenient than other companies and will likely insure you regardless of your condition since they specifically deal with people considered as high risk. The premiums paid for a certain amount of coverage may be lower when compared to the other carriers.

What is high risk life insurance?

High-risk life insurance is a type of life insurance that is tailored for people that are risky to insure. To be considered as a high risk individual, there are a few factors that go into consideration like your health, occupation, driving history, and hobby. 

For instance, a pilot will be considered a high risk individual because of the nature of their work. Also, if an individual happens to be a frequent traveler then they will also be considered as a high risk individual. And a person who often gets involved in dangerous activities like car racing will as well be risky to insure. 

Depending on the company and the type of policies it deals with, the risk of an individual will be classified differently. If you are classified as a high risk individual by a company, you will pay higher rates than an average individual.

Life insurance companies for mild to high risk cases

When it comes to things like diabetes or being a pilot, they are considered high risk but not uninsurable. In most cases, companies will be able to simply rate you up slightly above standard rate depending on whether or not you pose multiple risks, such as having more than one health problem. In most cases, life insurance companies are willing to insure individuals that may seem uninsurable.

The reason we can’t list them is that each company caters to certain risks differently. So the best company for you will depend on the type of risk you have. The best thing to do is to work with a high risk life insurance pro.

Best life insurance companies for high risk individuals who are uninsurable

Some people are considered to be uninsurable high risk individuals. Companies saw a problem and the need to address it by offering policies specifically for these high risk individuals. The only downside is that the premium rates are very high while the coverage amount is low. The following are some of the best life insurance companies for high risk individuals that don’t qualify for insurance. These are often called final expense or guaranteed issue policies. 

Gerber

If you are aged between 50 to 80 years, you will have no problem qualifying for a guaranteed acceptance life insurance policy with Gerber. The company issues benefit amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 with no medical examinations required or questions asked. Also, the insured individual will benefit from a cash value accumulated over the life of the policy.

AIG

Qualifying for an AIG life insurance policy is easy because you won’t need to complete any medical questionnaires or undergo any medical examinations. The company offers a guaranteed issue whole life insurance policy which is best for you if you need a policy to pay off funeral expenses, medical bills and other extra expenses. Individuals aged between 50-85 will have no problem qualifying for this policy. The policy premiums do not increase throughout the life of the policy and coverage amounts can be of up to $25,000. This coverage also includes individuals suffering from terminal and chronic illnesses. 

Fidelity Life

The Rapid Decision Guaranteed Issue, which is a permanent whole life insurance policy is the main product that Fidelity Life offers. The policy does not require the completion of a questionnaire of medical examination for the individual to qualify. Any individual aged between 50 to 85 is eligible for coverage amounts of up to $20,000. The policy offers a reduced death benefit for the first three years of coverage but does not have a cash accumulation value. Another advantage of this policy is that the premium rates do not change until the policy expires. Also, full coverage if provided as from the fourth year.  

Americo

Americo offers a guaranteed issue life insurance policy known as the ultra protector III policy. the premium rates of this policy remain the same throughout the life of the policy with coverage amounts ranging from $2000 to $30000. Any individual aged between 50 years to 80 years is eligible for qualifying and for this policy. An individual diagnosed with a terminal illness can receive up to 50% of the full death benefit and there is no waiting period in order to receive the full death benefit. The guaranteed-issue policy also offers a 3-year graded death benefit which offers coverage amounts ranging from $2000 to $10,000. The 3-year graded plan allows a 5% payout for the first year, a 10% payout for the second year and a death benefit of 75% for the third year. Additionally if the insured individual died by accident the full benefit amount will be made available.

Vantis Life Insurance Company

Vantis Life Insurance Company offers a guaranteed whole life insurance policy known as the SBLI Guaranteed Golden Life Insurance. Any individual aged between 50 to 80 years can qualify for the policy without undergoing any medical examinations or answering any medical examinations. Also, premium rates don’t increase throughout the life of the policy and the coverage amounts usually range from $5,000 to $20,000. In the first two years, the policy covers for accidental death and full coverage from the third year onwards. 

Colonial Penn

Colonial Penn is a subsidiary company of CNO Financial Group and has been in operation for more than 50 years. The company offers guaranteed acceptance life insurance policies for individuals aged between 50 to 85 years. Monthly rates for the policy start at $9.95 with coverage amounts of up to $50,000. The policy guarantees non-incremental premiums rates and the applicants don’t need to undergo any medical examinations or complete questionnaires. Also, individuals will not be excluded because of any pre-existing conditions.  

United Home Life 

United Home Life insurance policies don’t require a medical examination to qualify for. The company offers three different insurance plans in spite of the medical condition of the applicant. This includes individuals that suffer from severe health and medical issues and those who have had problems getting approved by other insurance companies. 

Types of high risk cases

When approving an individual for an insurance policy, a company will consider factors like their health, lifestyle and occupation. Individuals with terminal and chronic illnesses, a bad medical history or family background will be risky to insure. Similarly, individuals with high risk professions and lifestyles will also be risky to insure.

Once an insurance company considers you a high risk individual, they may or may not insure you, depending on how much risk they are willing to take. Some companies strictly don’t accept applications from high risk individuals, others have a few exceptions that somehow favor such individuals and others only deal with the high risk individuals. 

If your field of work is risky or if your health is bad, then it is best to choose an insurer that only deals with high risk individuals. While it would be hard to get approved by most companies, you will likely get good rates and a considerable amount of coverage from an insurer who only deals with high risk individuals. Keep in mind though, each company views different risks differently because of their pool of clients, so get someone to help you find out what those companies are for you specifically.

That said, below are examples of high risk cases.

Health

The health of the applicant is usually among the first things that the insurance company asks about, and this applies for underwritten policies.

In fact, people with some specific health and medical conditions may find it very difficult to qualify for an insurance policy and if they do, the coverage offered is usually very low with very high premiums. 

If your family medical background or personal health is not good, then it is good to consider more than just one policy. This way, you will be able to compare coverage amounts and premiums, which in most cases don’t differ that much. But to your advantage, you will be able to choose the carrier with the cheapest prices.

Some of the health conditions that render an applicant as a high risk individual include asthma, COPD, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, heart attack, stroke, and so on. Every single condition will be underwritten differently and every insurance company will have its own way of doing so. 

Most insurance agents usually have lists of the best insurance companies even for people with bad health conditions. So, if your medical condition is severe, you might want to consult with your agent to help you choose an insurer that favors your condition.

No Medical Exam Policies

Instead of the conventional insurance policies, there are also no medical policies you can choose from. If your health condition is not severe, you can skip the underwriting process and choose a policy that does not require any medical examination or completion of a medical questionnaire. 

No medical exam policies can be applied by both healthy and unhealthy individuals. This is to avoid getting rejected especially if you want to get insured by a particular company or if you need the insurance policy as soon as possible. The coverage amounts may not be as high as those of underwritten processes, but it will save you the hassle of applying to different companies without getting approved. 

However, if you are in perfect shape and have no problem with your health, stick to underwritten policies because you will get better coverage and rates that way. So, unless you have a health condition only apply for a no medical exam policy if it is urgent and you can only wait for a few days for approval.

Occupation

Some professions usually put an employee’s life at risk. For instance, a miner can be considered as a high risk individual because of the nature of the work. The individual deals with heavy metals, contaminated areas, explosions and other risky interactions. So, being a miner puts your life at risk and as such, insurance companies will charge you high rates when compared to individuals in other professions that are less risky.

Also, it is important to note that two people in the same high risk occupation may receive different treatment from an insurance company if they are of different genders. Generally, men are usually considered riskier to insure than women. For instance, if two people, a man and a woman aged the same with perfect health condition and working in a mining company were to get insured by the same company, the woman will most likely pay lower premiums than the man for the same coverage despite the fact that they work in the same field of work. 

Also, if two men of the same age, a teacher and a pilot, both in great shape were to get insurance policies from the same insurer, chances are that the teacher will pay lower premiums than the pilot for the same amount of coverage. So, while the occupation of an applicant is factored in for qualification, the gender will also play a huge part. 

Hobby

There are some types of hobbies that are more dangerous than others. These are hobbies that put the life of the individual in jeopardy and as a result, such that people are riskier to insure than others. 

For instance, people who like indulging in activities like skiing, bungee jumping, parachuting, paragliding, and hand gliding, just to mention a few, will be considered as high risk individuals. 

Also, in the instance of  an individual with bad medical health, a high risk occupation and a dangerous hobby altogether may be very hard to insure. To reduce the risk of getting insured, indulge in softer activities that do not put your life on the line. 

Lifestyle

Your lifestyle will also play a major role in determining the type of insurance you will get, for how much you will get it, and the coverage you will get. It is okay to want to live a certain way but if it is considered risky then you may need to change a few things for better coverage. Here are a few lifestyles that may render you a high risk person to your carrier.

Driving history

When applying for a policy, your insurance company may want a record of your driving history. If you have been in a couple of accidents before or have records of driving under the influence of alcohol then you will be considered a high risk individual.

Careless driving risks your life and the result is high premiums from any insurance company that accepts your application. So, make sure that your driving history has no or very few accidents and other careless driving records.

Frequent Travelling

If your lifestyle includes traveling every other month or week, then you will be considered highly risky. Travelling, whether by road, air, water or rail has its own disadvantages which include negative effects on your health and wellbeing as well as unforeseen accidents which may cripple you or take your life.

There is nothing wrong with traveling every once in a while, but if it is frequent, then it risks your life. To avoid been considered as a high risk individual by your insurer, there will be a need to limit how often you travel.  

Smokers and non-smokers

Smokers are also risky to insure. Smoking usually has serious implications to the body, and that is why most insurance companies will consider smokers as high risk individuals. When compared to a non-smoker, a smoker will end up paying very high rates for the same coverage as a non-smoker. Also, smokers may get limitations for the amount of coverage they get from a certain policy.

While the rates vary from company to company, they will not be very favourable. If you want to qualify for nonsmoker rates then quitting is the only way because lying to your insurance company about it will be impossible. And if you are convincing enough and lie you way into getting approved, future consequences will be detrimental to both you and your family once the lie is discovered. 

To qualify for nonsmoker rates you will have to wait for a year, and in some cases for up to five years for the insurance company to consider you a nonsmoker.

How rates are calculated

High risk life insurance companies usually calculate their rates differently from companies that deal with the normal insurance plans. The costs attributed to such policies are usually high and that is why they are finalized in a different way. 

There are three ways in which companies calculate these rates, and they include flat extras, table ratings, and a combination of the flat extra method and table ratings. With table rating, prices fluctuate in a way that the figure for each table rating reflects a certain percentage increase from the base premium.  

The flat extra fee, on the other hand, is based on the policy details and will not be calculated like the table ratings. It can be explained as the increase in the cost per thousand for a given time span. One advantage of the flat extra is that after a certain period of time, the fee may disappear. So, while some flat extra fees may last for many years, others may end after a few years. 

Cases where the flat extra fee may last for long include scenarios where the individual’s occupation is high risk. 

The combination of table ratings and flat extra may not be applicable in most cases since the risk elements for both are different. This is because table rating is best for cases that carry medical risks while flat extras are attributed to individuals that often indulge in dangerous activities or those with a bad driving history like DUI. 

Better rates and working with a pro

It is highly recommended to work with a seasoned agent if you need high risk underwriting and want better rates. Your agent will help you choose the best option from a list of insurers that you can work with. Since a lot of people pose as agents, be sure to do a good background check just to make sure that he/she is qualified and experienced enough.

Working with a pro agent has a quick quoting advantage over working alone or with an amatuer. Quick quoting is where your agent can inquire about the possible ratings by different companies from underwriters before making your formal application. It allows you to submit applications to insurance companies with possibly low prices, leaving out the doctor’s orders until later. 

Make work easy for your agent by providing in-depth information about your field of work, hobbies, and medical history. This way, they will be in a position to match you with the insurance company possible, given your condition. 

Also, if you want a cheap insurance plan, then undergo a medical exam since no exam policies have higher rates. Since high-risk policies tend to increase premiums over time, you can opt to make annual premium payments to offset the increase and in the long run, you will be able to save about 5% to 9% of the premiums you pay. 

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Here at CFA we are life insurance pros that are dedicated to getting you the coverage you need. We specialize in high risk life insurance cases and know which companies favor certain risks. We do all the shopping for you and it doesn’t cost you a penny more. Give us a call today or run quotes on this very page.