Insurance Reject

[Les]

Spring is here, mood is elevated, everything going great until yesterday evening when I opened the letter from a Life Insurance Company, explaining my application had been rejected because of my "condition" of having an artificial valve. This was after passing a rigorous physical, etc. Thankfully, I had enough Life Insurance purchased "pre-valve" but this was to be in addition, to provide increased financial security for my family. I called them to get an answer on what scientific basis they made their conclusion and was bluntly told, "No matter how physically active you are and how good you feel at the present, the fact remains that statistically, at your age (almost 50), the mortality rate increases greatly after 10 years, post-op." Didn't matter that I have run a marathon, planning on running another, travel globally, try to eat right and don't smoke... According to them, I was a "croak risk" (my terminology, not theirs...) Well, didn't that just mess up my evening! I'm interested to know how many other "valvers" have been unceremoniously dumped into the insurance 'Reject-Defect" category because of having valve surgery. I have read and responded to so many members' "vents" here at vr.com, and I thank you all for the opportunity for it to be my turn... I take offense that having a louder n' hell St. Jude is a death sentence... To me, it is a statement of the continuance of life! Keep on running valvers...There's still road left!
__________________
Les AVR '93 / '95

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Les,

Sorry to hear bout that. All these statistics... I sure wish they would provide more than the final results. I would be very curious for example of the average age group used for the study. If the control group was composed mostly of folks in their mid to upper sixties..lots of things could effect mortality at that age.

Well,, just wanted to say hi, and tell ya I can sure understand how you feel.

Rob

 

[Rich]

Les,
I don't know where these insurance people come from.
When a valve was going bad and you or anybody else didn't know about it they would give you anything you wanted.
You were at a lot higher risk then don't you think ?

 

[TIM W.]

This topic is something I thought about prior to my surgery. If you have a bad gall bladder, it gets removed. If your appendix goes bad, it gets removed. Insurance isn't affected by these operations. But, if you have a bad heart valve and you get it replaced or repaired, you suddenly become a "high risk" and are no longer insurable.

Rich hit the nail squarely on the head. We tend to be more insurable prior to the surgery and we are at a higher risk then!!!

I just mailed in my job issued life insurance policy to convert it to a private policy now that the plant has shut down. I'm so glad I had that to fall back on because I figured I would be un-insurable since the surgery. The conversion is guaranteed with no questions asked.

Very interesting thread, Barrett. I think there will be lots of opinions on this one!

 

[Georgia]

Insurance risks

Insurance risks

I really don't know life insurance, but perhaps you could seek a policy that wouldn't provide coverage if you die from a heart-related condition. It seems that there are a few specialist writers out there who will put in such a condition. You'd probably still be rated rather high, due to the general abuse the body takes from having anything screw with the circulation, but there might be a policy available with this exclusion.

 

[epstns]

If I may add a question. . .

If I may add a question. . .

Barrett - I would be frustrated, too. (And, I guess, I AM.) I was just getting ready to add some additional term life insurance to my portfolio when I was diagnosed with aortic stenosis.

The question I would also like to ask the group is "Are we likely to be rejected when applying for life insurance 'just' due to heart murmurs and diagnoses like valve problems?"

Also, as Georgia suggested, I would try to see if there are any companies which would write policies with either exclusions or with time-period exclusions such as to exclude paying benefits if one dies of a heart-related event for the first XX years the policy is in effect, etc.

 

[Scottie]

HI !

HI !

Having been born with Congenital Heart Disease I've always been a insurance reject and to get a morgage I had to pay "through the nose so to speak " really annoying!
Had an amusing one last summer when looking for travel insurance for my holiday ...one company said that they would insure me just not my heart ..Hubby said take it but leave my heart in the fridge until I came home LOL....
Anyway now I use only Insurance companies that are recommended by the British Heart Association ...these ones seem more sympathetic to the likes of us .
Take care and vent all you want ...we will listen
Scottie

 

[EVELYN]

We just applied for additional term life. Our physicals are set for this Friday. I'm covered at $537.....Tyce is in a wait-and-see mode. They wouldn't even give him a quote until after the nurse/practitioner comes; and they've already said that we would be better off waiting from 1-3 years post op. Thank goodness we had insurance on him that is satisfactory pre op!!! Makes you a bit angry, doesn't it!!!

Evelyn

 

[John Cochran]

My wife was an exec for a life insurance company for many years, and here is how this deal works.

Actuaries gather all sorts of data on medical conditions and make statistical calculations based upon it. Much of this data spans many years. Insurance companies then decide which conditions are "uninsurable" and which ones require exclusions, or higher premiums. In the case of valve replacement, data from the early days of valve recipients is likely included, and I suspect the mortality rate was higher then than it is now, skewing life expectancy downward. Insurance companies are highly averse to unpredictable risks, so it will probably take several years of valve recipients having near-normal longevity before this condition will change.

For years before I had surgery, I was uninsurable because of my murmurs. The best deal is to get your insurance through a group, like work, where you don't have to prove insurability. When you leave that company, you can almost always convert it without having to prove insurability.

--John

 

[terry40]

I could not get coverage even before surgery, with RF and 4+ mitral regurg. the little coverage I have now is through my husband's and my work, which no physical exam was needed and through other organiztions I am involved with that are the same.

But I've been dealing with a faulty heart since age 25. I was strong enough to put 3 kids through college (debt free) work fulltime, on my feet, in a medical facility, and yet too sick for coverage?!?

I just put extra in a IRA/ pension plan to compensate.

Try getting medical insurance on your own, if you do get it, they won't cover anything having to do with your heart and meds being taken.

Terry40

great work on the marathons, your an inspiration to us all!

 

[medtronic of borg]

insurance

insurance

Just be glad you could ever get life ins. I have not had insurence (health) since I turned 18. With one exception. I have looked into it....the lowest I could find in recient years(when I got married) was $2670.00 per month. I use to make that kind of money. But not since becoming a nurse and then disabled.

Medtronic of Borg