Life Insurance with Asthma

Affordable life insurance is an option for those who suffer from asthma.   In some cases, those with mild asthma can qualify for preferred best rates. Ultimately, your health rating with the insurance company will depend on the severity of your asthma along with all of your other relevant health factors.  Every life insurance company has its own underwriting guidelines for how it rates applicants with asthma.  It is important to use an independent agent that can shop your particular case to multiple carriers to find the company that will best rate your asthma situation.  Here is what you need to know about life insurance with asthma.

Facts About Asthma – Asthma can be characterized as a chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes that causes swelling and narrowing of the airways.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), almost 9% of the US population suffers from some form of asthma.  The CDC also reported that from 2001-2011 the number of people with asthma in the US increased by 28%.

Asthma Severity – Life insurance companies generally classify asthma conditions as mild, moderate, moderately severe or severe.  The severity of your particular asthma condition will depend on a number of factors.  It is important to note each life insurance company has its own underwriting guidelines with respect to rating asthma severity.  With that said, here is a general description each classification.

Mild Asthma – Someone with mild asthma is generally described as having 2 attacks or less per year that do not require hospitalization.  Attacks can usually be treated with inhalers or other mild medications. There should be no occurrences of hospitalization from asthma in the past 2 years.   Mild asthma is usually brought in by seasonal changes or mild exercise.  Mild asthma can usually qualify for preferred ratings and in some cases preferred plus.

Moderate Asthma – Someone with moderate asthma is generally classified as having 4 attacks or less per year.  Inhalers, oral medications, nebulizer treatments are usually required to treat attacks.  Generally, there should be no occurrences of hospitalization from asthma in the past year.  Moderate asthma cases are usually rated in the range of standard to table B, but the final rating will obviously depend on the specifics of the case.

Moderately Severe Asthma – Someone with moderately severe asthma is generally classified as having 5 attacks or less per year.  Inhalers, oral medications, nebulizer treatments and adrenaline shots may be required to treat attacks.  Generally, there should be no occurrences of hospitalization from asthma in the past 6 months. Moderately severe asthma cases are usually rated in the range of standard to table C or lower, but the final rating will obviously depend on the specifics of the case.

Severe Asthma – Someone with severe asthma will have regular episodes that often require hospitalization.  They may suffer from persistent wheezing and my require oxygen.  In the case of severe asthma, most life insurance companies will decline coverage.

Questions About Your Asthma Condition – In order to make the most accurate assessment of your situation from a health rating standpoint, we would ask to you answer the following questions about your asthma condition.

•  Are you a current or former smoker? Details of history.
• Date of Diagnosis?
• What are the symptoms? How long do they last?
• Frequency of symptoms (Daily/ Weekly/ Less than once per week?)
• Last episode?
• Has a cause been established (allergies, exercise, etc.)?
• Any hospitalizations? Dates and length of stays.
• Any emergency room visits? How often? Date of most recent visit?
• Names of medications taken? How often? Details of any steroid use.
• What testing has been performed (chest x-rays, pulmonary function tests, etc.)?

This information along with an assessment of your overall health (i.e. build, cholesterol, blood pressure etc.) will give us the information we need to shop your case to over 40 insurance companies to find you the best rate for your asthma life insurance coverage.

Industry Ratings for Underwriting Life Insurance with Asthma – Here are some examples of how specific companies view life insurance applicants with asthma.

Met Life – Preferred classes are available for nonsmokers over age 20 with mild and infrequent daytime symptoms and minimal medication.

Prudential – Prudential may offer standard rates for mild asthma if inhalers are used and there has been no hospitalization for asthma or other respiratory disease in the last 2 years

United of Omaha – Mild asthma applicants may be eligible for preferred rates.  Applicants with mild intermittent asthma will most likely be rated standard.  More persistent asthma could be rated as high as table 2.

Genworth – Preferred rates are possible for mild, stable asthma controlled with inhaled medications for 5 years or longer.

Conclusion – If you have asthma and need life insurance, don’t go it alone.  We can assess your situation with a free consultation where we will gather all of the necessary information about your particular case.  Once we have a better understanding of your particular asthma condition, we will access multiple companies to find you the best option for coverage.  We can do all this before you even fill out an application!  If you would like a consultation, feel free to email us at info@archstoneagency.com or call us at (888) 687-9444.

About Us

Archstone Insurance Services, LLC is an independent agency that shops over 40 of the top life insurance carriers to provide huge savings on life insurance coverage for our clients.  We are happy to answer any questions you might have about any of the insurance products we offer, your planning needs or your existing coverage.  Feel free to call us directly at (888) 687-9444 or email us at info@archstoneagency.com.