Over 50 Life Insurance and a Heart Murmur

Being over 50 years old with a heart murmur is simply not a good enough reason to avoid buying life insurance.

The truth is insurance companies issue affordable life insurance to seniors with heart murmurs every day. You are not unusual in your diagnosis and should not be discouraged.

When it comes to a heart murmur, I’ve found insurance carriers are mostly curious about the cause of the heart murmur.

If there is an underlying medical condition creating the heart murmur, the life insurer will be focused on the severity of the original illness.

This is because some chronic heart conditions are mild without much interruption in daily activities, while other disorders are harsh enough to cause heart failure.

Insurance companies evaluate each applicant on their own merits and take into consideration the applicant’s whole profile.

The carrier is interested in clarifying information, reviewing medical records, and evaluating your overall insurability.

I recommend being prepared to fully and truthfully participate in the application process as it will make your life a lot easier.

To get you ready for the next step in buying life insurance, I highly recommend you read through all the tips below.

Possible Rate Class Approvals with a Heart Murmur

Insurance companies appraise all manner of risk before approving a life insurance policy. They won’t just assess your heart murmur and then calculate your premiums.

You will be asked about your complete medical history, hobbies, profession, and driving record. All facets of your life will be reviewed and evaluated.

If the life insurer determines you have a higher mortality risk than your peers, you will receive a lower rating. In turn, the lower insurance rating will mean a higher premium.

Obviously I can’t promise the final outcome of your application. However, I can give you an idea of what rate classes applicants over 50 with a heart murmur are typically approved for.

Ratings for People with a Heart Murmur

Functional Heart Murmur: If you have an innocent heart murmur which is not the result of a medical condition and you are in excellent health, you may receive as high as a Preferred Rating.

This means you will pay lower premiums than the average person despite your heart murmur.

Keep in mind, if you are a smoker then you should expect to pay (at least) TWICE the premium of a non-smoking peer.

This is true of all smokers. There are no exceptions to this guideline, even if you are a low risk individual in general.

Abnormal Heart Murmur: If you have a heart murmur caused by a health condition and you are managing your medical condition, you may receive a Standard Rating.

If you have this type of heart murmur and recently were hospitalized for heart complications, you will likely receive a Sub-Standard (Table Rating).

The level of your Table Rating will be determined by the severity of your heart condition, as well as other factors.

Each level of a Table Rating represents approximately a 25% premium increase above the Standard Rate.

Be aware, the chances are extremely low that you’ll be declined for life insurance strictly based on your heart murmur.

Application Questions for Those Over 50 with a Heart Murmur

The life insurance application will have a variety of questions for you to complete. The easiest information to share will be your age, height, weight, occupation, marital status, pastimes, alcohol and tobacco use.

The life insurer will also request your complete medical history, including details about any chronic conditions, surgeries, hospitalizations, or maintenance medications.

Disclosing your heart murmur will result in a number of follow up questions from the insurance carrier.  I put together a list below of the most common questions for heart murmur patients.

Heart Murmur Application Questions

To better prepare for the application process, I suggest you read through each of the following questions. When the time comes, you’ll want to answer as factually as possible to receive an accurate rating.

Let’s take a look!

1. When did you receive a heart murmur diagnosis?
2. What symptoms did you experience prior to diagnosis?
3. What age were you when first diagnosed?
4. What was your exact diagnosis?
5. What type of heart murmur do you have?
6. What is the cause of your heart murmur?
7. What is the location of your heart murmur? Is it contained?
8. Is the heart murmur heard constantly? Or in intervals?
9. Based on Levine’s Scale, how loud is the heart murmur?
10. Is the heart murmur considered systolic or diastolic?
11. Was your heart murmur confirmed with an electrocardiogram?
12. Do you have any other chronic medical conditions (such as high blood pressure or diabetes)?
13. What steps have you taken to control your chronic health condition?
14. What treatments, if any, are you receiving for your heart murmur?
15. How has the treatment impacted your heart murmur?
16. Has your heart murmur progressed?
17. What medications do you take?
18. What is the prescribed dosage and frequency of your medications?
19. Besides medication, what other steps do you take to control your chronic condition(s)? Do you exercise or eat a specific diet?
20. Have you had any lab tests completed within the last six months?
21. When was your last chest x-ray or cardiogram?
22. Have you been hospitalized because of your heart murmur? If so, when were you hospitalized and for how long?
23. Do you have any symptoms of chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, or chronic cough?
24. Has your doctor ever instructed you to limit activities?
25. Do you have a family history of heart disease?

The Cause of Your Heart Murmur

As you know, a heart murmur is just a sound made as your blood pumps through your heart. Heart murmurs are considered a symptom of something else.  The “something else” is what the insurance carrier is most interested in knowing.

If your heart murmur is a result of an abnormal heart condition, the insurance carrier will ask if the condition is one of the following:

• Heart Disease
• Blocked Vessels
• Heart Infections
• Heart Valve Collapse
• Heart Valve Structure
• Pulmonary Stenosis
• Aortic Insufficiency
• Aortic Stenosis
• Pulmonary Insufficiency
• Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Mitral Insufficiency
• Mitral Stenosis
• Bicuspid Aortic Valve Complications

Each of these heart conditions is rated differently by different insurance companies. I’ll be sure to guide you to the life insurer that will look most favorably upon your particular heart condition.

Possible Medical Exam

The second part of getting approved for life insurance is a possible medical exam.   A medical exam is a requirement for certain traditional term or whole life insurance plans.

There are no exam life insurance options available as well.  If you do qualify for one of those plans we will be sure to let you know what options are available to you.

If you are asked to go through a medical exam for life insurance, then you should know the process is pretty efficient. There really isn’t much to worry about!

The insurance carrier will coordinate a meeting with a medical professional. The meeting usually takes 30 minutes or less to gather blood and urine samples. You will also have your blood pressure, pulse, and heart rate recorded.

Tips on Getting Approved with Good Rates

I want to be sure you are able to get the best policy for the best price.

Tips like those below will help you better prepare for the life insurance application. Plus, if you follow my advice, you will be in a better position to secure the best rate class (and premium) possible.

1. Follow your doctor’s advice regarding medication and treatment
2. Visit your doctor as often as recommended, don’t miss appointments
3. Be sure your medical records are updated and complete. The insurance company will rely quite a bit on your medical records.
4. Be proactive in managing all other chronic health conditions. For example, if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, make sure you are doing everything you can to keep these illnesses in check.
5. Stay at a healthy weight by following a good diet and regular exercise program
6. Kick the smoking habit. Not being a tobacco user is a huge plus in the eyes of a life insurer.

Submit an Application Today

It’s been estimated heart murmurs affect about 10% of all American adults. The symptom of a heart murmur will not keep you from finding quality over 50 life insurance.

Insurance companies are mostly interested in what, if any, underlying heart condition you have which is causing the heart murmur.

They will want to know how well you are managing the heart condition, as well as all other aspects of your health.

Fortunately, I help seniors like yourself, everyday find life insurance that suits their unique needs.

There are a variety of insurance options available including whole and term life insurance, no exam life insurance, guaranteed acceptance life insurance, and final expense life insurance.

The key is getting the policy that is right for you.

Let’s face it, going without life insurance puts your family’s financial security at risk. After all, we are never promised tomorrow.

So your sudden passing could burden your loved ones with a tremendous amount of debt.

Don’t let this happen to your loved ones when the solution is so simple: apply for life insurance today.

Take a minute to fill out the online form for a free instant quote, or better yet just give me a a call.

Life insurance is an incredible gift for your family so don’t wait one more day.