Get Life Insurance with Congestive Heart Failure
Posted in Life Insurance for Medical Conditions last updated on June 22, 2023Life insurance with congestive heart failure is possible to get. Guaranteed issue life insurance is likely the best option for CHF. In this article, we’ll explain how and examine the top four companies.
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Key Points
- Congestive heart failure means you will need to get a guaranteed issue life insurance policy in virtually all cases.
- Guaranteed issue policies do not require a medical exam, and most don’t ask health questions.
- Comparing premium rates between different companies is the best way to find the right policy for your specific situation.
Can you Get Life Insurance with Congestive Heart Failure?
Yes. You will be limited to specific types of life insurance, which limit your benefits.
Specifically, you’ll be looking at guaranteed issue life insurance. It has lower benefits and usually a waiting period before paying the full face amount. But it also skips over the medical exam. Most insurance companies don’t even ask health questions on the application or look at medical records.
Factors That Determine Your Eligibility for Life Insurance
Typically, insurance companies look at your health status, age, financial qualifications, and insurable interest.
The risks at different ages and health conditions affect what the company can safely offer at different rates without going out of business.
Financially, it doesn’t make sense to insure someone making $10,000 a year at $10 million because their earning potential over a 50-year career is $500,000. While the income-to-benefit ratio varies by insurer, it also impacts how much insurance you can buy. That’s why they often ask for the last two years of income.
Finally, insurable interest rules apply so that you can’t take an insurance policy out on your neighbor or some random person three states over.
With congestive heart failure or heart disease, the biggest difference between the top four companies we’ll look at below is their youngest issue ages. One is better for people in their 40s. Others work best for folks over 50.
Type of Policy You Can Qualify For
Since traditional life insurance won’t underwrite someone with CHF, the best thing to do is look at guaranteed issue life insurance.
It’s a type of insurance policy that accepts anyone within the age range determined by each company. The best way is to compare premiums to see which company will give you the best policy for lower rates.
Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance for Someone with CHF
What is guaranteed life insurance? Here’s the nutshell.
The life insurance company issues a policy with minimal medical questions, usually none, asked about your health. There’s no medical exam. Plus, the time between the application and having an active policy in your hand can be a few days, if not hours. In comparison, traditional life insurance can take six to eight weeks by the time you schedule and take the medical exam, wait for the results, then wait some more for the underwriters to double-check everything.
Nearly every guaranteed issue policy will have what the industry called “graded benefits.”
That is a hedge against people taking out life insurance right before they pass on. Here’s how it works:
| Years You’ve Held the Policy | Benefits Paid |
| 1st Year | 110% of premiums paid |
| 2nd Year | 110% of premiums paid |
| 3rd Year | 100% of face amount |
You can see in the first year that if you die, you’ll get back all of the premiums paid plus 10%. It’s not a complete wash. Then you’ll get the same the next year, and by year three, the whole thing.
What if Your Previous Application was Declined?
Sometimes people will call saying they just got declined from life insurance and wonder if they have any options left. It’s frustrating (to say the least), and I’m sorry that you got stuck in that position.
Just because one company declined your application doesn’t mean every company will. It may not have been a good fit because each company has wildly different underwriting guidelines. It also may not have been the right type of policy.
Case in point, the only reason people get declined for guaranteed issue policies is if they are outside of the age ranges on the life insurance applications.
What can you do about it?
Try a guaranteed issue policy, particularly if you’re suffering from congestive heart failure, have heart problems, or other serious health conditions.
Also, talking to an independent insurance agent can help. For example, we work with over 70 top-rated companies. That lets us match the company to the person’s situation. We don’t have to try to fit a round peg into a square hole, like a person representing only one company may have to do.
You might also consider an accident-only policy. But that type of life insurance only covers you if you die due to an accident, like a car crash.
Life Insurance Companies for Congestive Heart Failure
These are our top four companies listed in alphabetical order. Each has different strengths that we’ll outline below. If you want guidance on your particular situation, give us a call at 888-905-0333 today.
AIG
AIG is one of our go-to guaranteed issue insurance policies for any over the age of 50.
It’s also one of the fastest policies to get, with most being issued within 2-3 days of application.
The death benefit ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.
This policy includes two riders: Chronic Illness and Terminal Illness.
Chronic Illness kicks in when you cannot do two of the six activities of daily living. Those are: bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and continence.
The Terminal Illness rider triggers upon diagnosis of fewer than 24 months to live.
Gerber
Gerber is our other go-to guaranteed issue insurance company for people 50 years old or greater.
This is a whole life insurance policy, complete with cash value accumulation. Plus, Gerber adds a surrender option if you decide that you no longer need your policy after several years.
Benefits range from $5,000 to $25,000.
The other perk opens up at the three-year mark.
If you decide that you no longer want to pay premiums on your policy, you can use the Reduced Paid Up option. It locks your benefits in at the current cash value of the policy. Secondly, if you forget to pay your premiums, rather than cancel the policy (like most insurance companies), Gerber will automatically switch it to the Reduce Paid Up option.
Click here to read more about the policy details and see sample rates.
Great Western
Great Western Guaranteed Issue Whole Life (GIWL) is remarkable in that it is one of the very few companies offering guaranteed issue policies to people all the way down to age 40. That’s one of the lowest ages to apply for a guaranteed issue whole life policy.
Your benefits options start at $5,000 and cap at $25,000.
It’s a whole life policy. That means as long as you keep paying your premiums, the policy lasts for life. You’ll never need to renew it.
That also means that the policy will accumulate cash value. You can use that cash value to take out a loan against the policy or pay premiums.
Read more about Great Western’s Guaranteed Issue policy here.
Protection Plus
Finally, Protection Plus is a different style of guaranteed issue policy. It’s term life insurance with some extra perks. Think of a life insurance membership club.
Anyone 18+ can apply for this policy. Your health doesn’t matter either, making it a great option for younger people or if you have a serious medical condition.
You can choose a policy in $10,000 benefit increments up to $50,000. It’s a 5-year renewable and convertible modified term life contract. You can keep renewing the term policy at your current age up to age 80.
It comes with a membership to the Wellness Association of America. That means you’ll also get a huge number of other non-insurance benefits with your insurance policy. (There’s no extra fee for the membership, it just comes with the insurance.)
Read more about Protection Plus here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get life insurance with a heart condition?
Yes, but you’re most likely looking at guaranteed issue life insurance. Your best option is to discuss your particular medical condition with an independent agent.
Is congestive heart failure considered a critical illness?
Usually, yes. It will depend on the details of your policy. In most cases, you will be able to make a claim on your critical illness insurance.
How does heart disease influence the cost of a life insurance policy?
Depending on the severity, you may be able to get traditional life insurance with a lower health class. However, with moderate to severe heart disease, you can still get life insurance through guaranteed issue policies. They usually cost a little more than traditional life insurance. More mild heart disease may qualify for rated traditional life insurance coverage so talk with an independent agent about your medical history.
What are the best policies for people with severe heart disease?
The best choice of life insurance policies for people with severe heart disease will be guaranteed issue life insurance. It doesn’t ask medical questions and accepts everyone within the age limitations.
Next Steps
Now that we’ve covered that guaranteed issue is the best type of life insurance with congestive heart failure, understanding the ins and outs of a guaranteed issue policy is the best next step.
Click here to read the complete guide on guaranteed issue life insurance policies.
You can also click the links to the reviews for each of the companies we highlighted above if one catches your eye.
If you have had a heart attack or other pre-existing condition, take a look at this life insurance with medical conditions page. The American Heart Association also has some good insurance resources for folks with heart conditions.
Finally, give us a call at 888-095-0333 to get quotes and find the right coverage amount for your life insurance needs.
