Buying Over 50 Life Insurance with Kidney Disease

Ryan CravitzPosted in Life Insurance last updated on May 25, 2019

The American Kidney Fund declares there are more than 30 Million Americans living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

Life insurers know Chronic Kidney Disease is a very common illness.

However, carriers also know CKD puts stress on the body that may trigger an applicant to develop even more health conditions.

In the worst case scenario, Chronic Kidney Disease can eventually lead to the failure of an applicant’s kidneys resulting in a life-threatening situation.

Maybe you’re worried that no life insurance company will issue a policy because of all these concerns….but you shouldn’t be.

You see, I’ve worked with lots of people that have Chronic Kidney Disease and many have found an affordable over 50 life insurance plan.

Insurance ratings for those with CKD varies quite a bit depending on the individual applicant and the carrier’s own guidelines.

People with Chronic Kidney Disease tend to receive life insurance ratings somewhere between Standard and Substandard/Table Ratings.

This will be completely dependent on your unique health history and lifestyle.

If you want to give me a call we can go over the important questions insurance companies will ask and help figure out the best possible policy for your needs.

Or keep reading for more details about buying 50+ life insurance with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Life Insurance Breakdown: Chronic Kidney Disease

I put together this sneak peek at how many insurance carriers handle applicants with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Impact on Application: Often Major
Best Rating: Standard (Average Premium)
Worst Rating: Substandard/Table Rating (minimum of 25% rate up)
Main Factors: Cause, Severity, Treatments, Complications, Other Diseases

Did you know that your final life insurance rating WON’T be based on just your Chronic Kidney Disease?

All aspects of your life, including other chronic medical conditions and risky lifestyle choices, will affect your insurance rating.

To help you better understand what to expect, I’m sharing more detailed examples of ratings for applicants with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Common Ratings for Chronic Kidney Disease

If you just started searching for a cheap 50+ life insurance policy then you may not be very familiar with how ratings work.

Well, you’re in the right place!

We’re going to explain all the nitty gritty about life insurance ratings.

Check out the grid showing all the rating categories, the criteria for each rating, and how the assigned rating changes the price.

Rating	Reason For Rating	Premium Pricing
Preferred	Very Healthy, Low Risk	Better than Average Pricing
Standard	Controlled Medical Condition(s), Average Risk	Average Pricing
Sub-Standard (aka Table Rating)	Chronic Disease (Moderate to Severe)	Below Average Pricing - About a 25% rate up per Table Rating

Every life insurer comes up with their own guidelines so occasionally ratings may be a bit different than those listed above.

That’s why it’s a great idea to talk to us one-on-one when trying to estimate your life insurance rating and the premium you would have to pay.

We know all the best life insurance companies for people over 50 and how they may view your application.

Life Insurance Ratings for Chronic Kidney Disease

As I mentioned before, there really are no “typical” life insurance ratings for those with Chronic Kidney Disease.

This may be because each person is in different CKD stages.

For example, Stage 1 has the lowest risk and, therefore, the best ratings.

However, applicants in Stage 5 are usually in kidney failure and, therefore, will receive the lowest ratings.

Standard Rating

You should be able to get a Standard Rating if your CKD is classified as mild.

This rating will result in an average price for your life insurance policy.

According to the National Kidney Center, the main indicator used to stage CKD is the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR).

Basically the GFR is the percentage of kidney function remaining…

Stage 1 (Mild) – Normal/good kidney function (greater than 90% GFR)
Stage 2 (Mild) – Reduced kidney function (60% to 89% GFR)

Bottom Line: The higher your percentage of kidney function then the better your life insurance rating.

Substandard/Table Rating

You will probably receive a Substandard/Table Rating if your Chronic Kidney Disease is classified as moderate.

Stage 3 (Moderate) – Kidney insufficiency begins (40% to 59% GFR)

Occasionally a life insurer will also give a Substandard/Table Rating to someone with severe CKD.

Stage 4 (Severe) – Chronic kidney insufficiency (15% to 29% GFR)

As a result, your application will probably not be approved. And if it is, the cost will be much higher than the average applicant.

Give me a call and I’ll help you figure out what your cost may be. Or simply run a FREE over 50 life insurance quote.

Kidney Transplant Ratings

Have you already received a kidney transplant? If so, it’s best to wait one year before applying with most life insurance carriers.

The life insurer will want to wait 12 months so your body has time to either reject or accept the new kidney.

Also, any complications from the transplant will be evident by that time.

Once you have successfully reached the 1 year anniversary of your kidney transplant, you will most likely receive a Substandard/Table Rating.

Decline

If your Chronic Kidney Disease is a Stage 5 (less than 15% GFR) then you are most likely in the end stages of kidney failure.

This generally means the only way you will maintain good health is to receive a kidney transplant.

In this case, I would not recommend a traditional life insurance plan because you would most likely be declined.

Instead I would recommend a guaranteed issue life insurance policy. There are plenty of options on the market nowadays!

Chronic Kidney Disease Case Studies

Case Study 1

Male, Age 60, Non-Smoker. Stage 2 Chronic Kidney Disease (75% GFR) caused by high blood pressure. The applicant keeps his hypertension under good control through medication, exercise, and healthy eating.

Standard Rating with the average premiums.

Case Study 2

Female, Age 70, Non-Smoker. Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease with 45% GFR. The applicant’s CKD is from a long history of diabetes.

Substandard/Table Rating of Level 4 which is a 100% premium rate up.

Case Study 3

Male, Age 55, Non-Smoker. The applicant was diagnosed with Stage 5 CKD (kidney failure) two years ago. He had a kidney transplant six months ago. So far the transplant has been successful.

The application will be put on hold (postponed) for another six months. At that time, the life insurer will re-evaluate the applicant.

The Chronic Kidney Disease Questions

I created a list of the questions most frequently asked of applicants with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Life insurers will touch on a variety of topics to piece together your level of risk.

Take a look at what most insurance carriers usually will want to know…

When were you diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease?
What type of Chronic Kidney Disease do you have?
What is the current Stage of your CKD?
How well-managed is your condition?
What types of treatments, medications, or surgeries have you needed for your CKD?
Has your kidney disease caused complications like gout, anemia, or high blood pressure?
Do you have any other health conditions besides Chronic Kidney Disease?
What is your most recent blood pressure reading?
Do you have a family history of Chronic Kidney Disease?
Have you used tobacco in the last 12 months?
Is your Chronic Kidney Disease congenital or acquired? (see below)

Congenital or Acquired

Life insurance companies will want to know if you were born with a form of kidney disease or if you developed CKD later in life.

People with a congenital form of kidney disease were probably born with a genetic illness such as Polycystic Kidney Disease.

On the other hand, a large portion of CKD patients ended-up with the disease as an adult because of things like kidney stones, kidney cancer, or diabetes.

Kidney Transplant

As you know, kidney transplants can result in numerous complications after the surgery is performed.

For this reason, life insurers will want to know all about your transplant.

What was the reason for your kidney failure?
Where did your new kidney come from?
When was your kidney transplant?
What treatments did you have before the transplant?
Was your transplant done inside or outside the United States?
How has your kidney function improved since your transplant?
Did your transplant cause any complications?

Remember: Tell the truth on your life insurance application.

If you do not tell the truth, the policy can be voided and your beneficiaries will not receive the benefit payout.

Why Not Get Life Insurance Today?

It’s been reported that each year Chronic Kidney Disease kills more people than breast or prostate cancer.

Kidney disease is chronic and possibly life-threatening illness, which is why buying life insurance can be a bit challenging.

I can help you find the most accepting insurance company and the best policy for your family’s needs.

Securing cheap life insurance over the age of 50 is attainable and you can start today!

It’s easy to run a FREE life insurance quote on our website.

Getting the financial security your loved ones deserve is the most important thing you’ll do all day….take care of it now.