Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, otherwise known as COPD, is one of the most common lung diseases experienced today.
Taking two main forms: Chronic bronchitis that involves a persistent cough and Emphysema, which involves the extensive deterioration of the lung passages over time, COPD is a pervasive disease that requires extensive treatment and frequent medical attention.
If you or someone you know is affected by COPD, having life insurance that will cover the costs of a major life event should one occur is critical. While attaining life insurance isn’t easy with such an extensive condition as COPD, finding the right life insurance company is the key.
If you’ve ever applied for life insurance before, and you’ve received massive rates or you were declined because of your COPD or your health, don’t jump to conclusions regarding your future eligibility with another carrier.
This article will give you some of the information you need to get the insurance protection your family needs.
Causes of COPD
We understand that COPD can be caused by a variety of factors, and that is why we help you get a personalized specific plan made just for you. One of the typical factors that is associated with COPD is the environment. Repeated exposure to pollution, chemical fumes, and other irritants can cause trauma to the bronchial tubes as well as the lung passages that can eventually lead to COPD.
Other factors include Emphysema caused by smoking or even hereditary factors such as the hereditary disease Alpha1-Antitrypsin (A1AT).
Life Insurance with Mild, Moderate, or Severe COPD
To help you get the best plan at the best rate, we’ll first need to define the severity of your COPD. One way that you can help us help you is by getting a common pulmonary functions test, the FEV1% or Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second, which helps determine the level of your COPD.
Knowing your FEV1% upfront allows us to determine if your COPD is considered mild, moderate, or severe. And this helps us determine a plan based on your classification.
After determining your FEV1, we can compare it to a typical level to classify your COPD. The average FEV1% of a healthy individual is 80 to 120%, which serves as a baseline for comparison. FEV1% of 60 to 80% is considered mild. Such a classification will qualify you for a table 2 rating for mild COPD and determine what type of life insurance plan and rate for which you are eligible.
In comparison, if your FEV1 is 50-59%, your COPD is considered moderate. This classification makes you eligible for a table 4 rating with certain life insurance companies.
While, if your FEV1 is 40 to 49%, your rating would qualify even higher at a level of 6-8.
Qualifications for FEV1 of below 40% are available; however, the options associated with such a rating are typically graded death benefit policies. The general timeline for these is typically 2 to 3 years before the full death benefit is in effect.
Additional Factors that Affect Your Life Insurance:
- Current and Previous Smoking and Tobacco Use
- Body Measurements of Height and Weight, including recent weight loss
- Symptom Severity
- Disease Progression Rate
- Additional or Associated Health Concerns or Conditions such as Coronary Artery Disease
- Previous Hospitalization
- Activity and Energy Level
Medical Exam for Life Insurance with COPD
When completing the application process, the company will require you to take the medical exam. The results of the exam will impact your chances of being approved for the plan and how expensive your policy will be.
Once you’re done with your initial application, you’ll schedule a time when a third-party (nurse or equivalent) can come by the complete the exam requirements needed.
This is almost always a blood and urine sample, verifying your application details on your height and weight, taking your blood pressure, and noting any prescriptions you take.
You may require more extensive testing because of your age or amount of coverage. So be prepared to spend an extra 20 minutes for EKG testing.
No Exam Life Insurance with COPD
If you want to skip the exam, you can skip the process by choosing a no exam plan.
Obviously, this hints at the fact you can still buy a life insurance policy without having to go through the exam outlined above. Now, this does NOT mean you will be able to bypass the motor vehicle report, MIB hit, or other underwriting factors (like viewing your doctor’s or specialists records).
It does, however, speed up the process by weeks. And can even mean coverage in as little as a few minutes. Just be aware there are slightly higher costs (especially for those who are older). And coverage limits tend not to go up nearly as high as a traditional term.
Let Us Help You Get Life Insurance with COPD
Every insurance company has different stances on COPD applicants. Some companies will give you expensive rates because of your health conditions. Other companies have more experience working with high-risk clients and they will offer you affordable insurance protection.
No matter what your rating or your health classification is, we can help you get qualified for a cost-effective, beneficial life insurance policy. Even if you are looking for end of life insurance coverage, we can help.
