By Brandon D. Sears, CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter)
Getting a letter that says your life insurance application was declined can feel like a verdict — as if a company looked at your health and decided your family isn't worth protecting. In 27 years of placing coverage for more than 17,000 clients, I can tell you it is almost never that. A denial from one carrier is a single company's answer, on a single day, based on the specific way that company reads your file. Another carrier, looking at the exact same medical records, may say yes — and sometimes at a surprisingly reasonable price. This article walks through why applications get denied, what your denial letter is actually telling you, and the concrete steps that turn a "no" into an approval.
In most cases, no. "Uninsurable" is a much smaller category than people think. The nonprofit education group Life Happens puts it plainly: if you're denied, you're not alone, and there are options. Life insurance underwriting is not standardized across the industry. Every carrier builds its own rulebook — its own tables, its own tolerance for particular conditions, its own view of how well a diagnosis is being managed. One insurer might automatically decline anyone who had a cardiac event in the last two years; another writes that same applicant every week at a rated price.
That variation is the entire reason independent agencies exist. We aren't captive to one company's rulebook. When we compare more than 80 carriers — including Prudential, AIG, Lincoln Financial, Nationwide, and Transamerica — we're really comparing 80 different opinions about your risk. A denial closes one door. It says nothing about the other 79.
Understanding the "why" matters, because the reason for your denial determines your next move. Broadly, declines fall into a few buckets.
Serious or poorly-controlled conditions are the most common trigger. Active cancer treatment, a recent heart attack or stroke, advanced kidney or liver disease, and severe or uncontrolled diabetes are frequent culprits. But here's the nuance underwriters actually care about: it's rarely the diagnosis alone — it's the control. Two applicants with Type 2 diabetes can get completely different decisions. The one with an A1c of 6.8, a normal kidney panel, and steady physician follow-up looks entirely different on paper than someone with an A1c of 11 and skipped appointments. Underwriting rewards evidence of stability. (If diabetes is your situation specifically, we go deeper in our guide to life insurance for diabetics.)
As Experian notes in its overview of what to do when an application is denied, high-risk occupations (pilots, loggers, miners), dangerous hobbies, a positive drug test, or a pattern of serious driving offenses like recent DUIs can all lead to a decline. Many of these are time-sensitive: a single DUI three years ago reads very differently than two in the last twelve months.
Sometimes the problem isn't your health at all. Applying for a death benefit far larger than your income and assets reasonably justify can trigger a decline for lack of "financial justification." So can a recent bankruptcy. And one of the most avoidable causes is a simple mismatch — when what you wrote on the application doesn't line up with what the medical records or prescription-history database show. That's not always dishonesty; people forget a medication or misremember a date. But to an underwriter, an unexplained discrepancy is a red flag.
This is the single most important distinction in this entire article, and most people never have it explained to them. Not every unfavorable decision is a true decline, and the word on your letter changes your strategy completely.
A postpone means the carrier wants to wait — often because you're mid-treatment, recently post-surgery, or too soon after a diagnosis. The answer isn't no; it's "not yet." A decline is a true "we won't offer coverage right now." And a rating (also called a table rating) isn't a denial at all — it's an approval at a higher price. Applicants sometimes see a rated offer, assume it's a rejection, and walk away from perfectly good coverage.
This is also where the industry term impaired risk comes in. High-risk life insurance (also called impaired risk life insurance) is simply the specialty of placing coverage for people whose health, history, or occupation pushes them outside standard underwriting. An impaired-risk case that one carrier declines is often exactly the case another carrier is comfortable rating and approving. Knowing which bucket you're in — postpone, decline, or rating — tells you whether to wait, shop, or simply accept a solid offer you mistook for a rejection.
Here is the practical sequence I walk clients through. It mirrors the guidance from consumer-education sources and, honestly, it's what I'd do for my own family.
You have a right to know why. Request the specific reason for the decision from the carrier's underwriting department, and ask which records or data sources drove it. Under federal fair-credit rules, adverse decisions tied to consumer or prescription-history reports must be disclosed to you on request. You cannot fix what you can't see.
Pull your prescription history and MIB (Medical Information Bureau) file and compare them against reality. Denials sometimes rest on a mistaken medication record, a lab value transcribed wrong, or a condition attributed to the wrong person. If the decision was based on incorrect or incomplete information, you have the right to appeal, and a documented correction from your physician can reverse a decline.
The worst move after a denial is firing off three more applications to random companies. Every decline can show up in the shared industry database and make the next underwriter more cautious. Instead, the case should be shopped — ideally informally, before a formal application — to carriers known to be favorable for your specific condition. This is precisely what an independent agent does that a single-company website cannot.
Some denial factors improve with time and effort. General recovery timelines look roughly like this: minor health issues may warrant reapplying in 3–6 months, while major changes often need 12–24 months of stability; smoking cessation typically needs 12+ months before nonsmoker rates apply; and an occupation change can help almost immediately. These are general ranges, not promises — every carrier and case differs.
When you're approved but rated, the extra cost is expressed in "table ratings." According to Insurance.com's breakdown of table ratings, each table typically adds about 25% to the standard premium, and carriers label them either by number (Table 1–16) or letter (Table A–P). So a Table 2 (or "B") offer generally costs about 50% more than standard — not double, not a rejection, just a defined surcharge.
The table below shows how that math works on an illustrative $100 standard monthly premium. These figures are simplified estimates to explain the mechanism — not quotes for any individual, and actual carrier percentages can vary.
| Table rating | Approx. increase over standard | Illustrative monthly premium (on a $100 standard) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | — | $100 |
| Table 1 (A) | +25% | ~$125 |
| Table 2 (B) | +50% | ~$150 |
| Table 4 (D) | +100% | ~$200 |
| Table 6 (F) | +150% | ~$250 |
| Table 8 (H) | +200% | ~$300 |
Two things clients rarely know about ratings. First, some carriers offer a "table shave" or first-year credit program that effectively forgives one or more tables for otherwise-healthy applicants — the same person can be Table 4 at one company and Table 2 at another. Second, a rating isn't necessarily permanent. If your health improves, many policies can be reconsidered for a better class down the road. The goal is to get coverage in force now, protecting your family, and then improve on it — not to leave your family exposed while chasing a perfect rate.
For a smaller group — people mid-treatment, or with the most serious conditions — there are still real options that require little or no health underwriting.
Simplified-issue policies ask a short list of health questions and skip the medical exam, with coverage commonly available in the $25,000–$300,000 range. Guaranteed-issue (guaranteed-acceptance) policies ask no health questions at all and cannot decline you, but they trade that certainty for smaller benefit amounts — often up to about $25,000 — and a graded death benefit. As MoneyGeek explains in its guaranteed-acceptance cost guide, most of these policies carry a two-year waiting period: if death occurs from natural causes in the first two years, the insurer generally refunds the premiums paid (often with interest) rather than paying the full benefit. Accidental death is typically covered in full from day one.
To set expectations on price, illustrative monthly premiums for roughly $15,000 of guaranteed-acceptance coverage on a nonsmoker run in the neighborhood of $50–$61 at age 45, $65–$80 at age 55, and $90–$116 at age 65, rising steeply after that — women generally lower than men. These are averages that vary by state and carrier, not quotes. For many people, though, guaranteed issue should be a last resort, not a first stop. Because agencies like ours can shop the impaired-risk market, plenty of applicants who assume they'll need guaranteed issue actually qualify for far more coverage, at a better price, through a fully underwritten carrier.
A captive agent — someone who works for one company — can only bring you that company's answer. If it's a no, that's the end of their story. An independent agency is built for exactly the opposite situation. We know, from placing thousands of cases, which carriers look favorably on well-managed diabetes, which are comfortable with a cardiac history a few years out, which forgive an old DUI, and which run table-shave programs. We can pre-screen your case informally so we don't trigger another formal decline, and we advocate for you during underwriting — supplying the physician letters and context that move a file from "decline" to "offer."
"I thought the life insurer would decline me because of my pre-existing health conditions. I was quite amazed when they approved me for the amount I wanted, and at a price that was reasonable." — Dennis H., Carlsbad, CA
Dennis's experience is the rule far more often than the exception. You can read real reviews from our clients to see how these cases tend to play out. If a pre-existing condition is at the heart of your denial, our detailed guide on life insurance with pre-existing conditions is a good next read.
If you take nothing else from this article, take these steps in order. First, read your letter carefully and identify whether it's a postpone, a decline, or a rated offer — because a rating is an approval, not a rejection. Second, request the specific reason and the records behind it in writing. Third, verify those records for errors, and appeal with your physician's help if something is wrong. Fourth, before reapplying anywhere, have the case shopped to carriers known to be favorable for your exact situation. Fifth, if traditional coverage genuinely isn't available yet, secure a simplified- or guaranteed-issue policy now to protect your family, and revisit fully underwritten coverage once your health stabilizes. A denial is a starting point in a process, not the end of one.
If you've been declined, postponed, or handed a rate that felt like a punishment, let an independent agency take a fresh look before you accept that a "no" is final. We compare 80+ carriers, we specialize in high-risk and impaired-risk cases, and there's no cost to have your situation reviewed. Often the second opinion is the one that gets you covered.
Get My Rates Now → or call us directly at (310) 478-6395.
This article is general information, not financial, tax, or medical advice; underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and individual circumstances.
By Brandon D. Sears, CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter)
If you live with diabetes, you have probably wondered whether a life insurance company will even take you seriously — or whether the price will be so high it is not worth applying. It is one of the most common worries we hear, and it is usually based on outdated information. More than 40 million Americans are living with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which means underwriters see this condition every single day. Far from being a dealbreaker, well-managed diabetes is a case that the right carrier is comfortable insuring.
Over 27 years and more than 17,000 clients served, our independent agency has placed coverage for people with Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, insulin-dependent cases, and applicants who had already been declined elsewhere. This guide explains how underwriters actually think about diabetes, what separates a Type 1 case from a Type 2 case, what you can realistically expect to pay, and the concrete steps that move you into a better rate class.
In most cases, yes. Diabetes is not an automatic decline — it is a rated condition, which is underwriting language for "we can insure this, and here is how we price the added risk." The vast majority of people with diabetes who apply through an experienced agent qualify for a fully underwritten policy. Those who do not qualify for standard coverage almost always have a guaranteed-acceptance or simplified-issue option available, so it is genuinely rare for someone to walk away with no path to protection at all.
What changes is not whether you can get covered but the price and the rate class you land in. And because we are an independent agency that compares more than 80 carriers rather than representing a single company, we can shop your exact profile to the insurers that treat diabetes most favorably — a difference that often matters more than anything else in the whole process.
Underwriting is the process of estimating how a health condition affects life expectancy, then translating that estimate into a rate class. For diabetes, an underwriter is not reacting to the word "diabetes" on your application — they are building a picture from several specific data points pulled from your application, your medical records, and often a lab-tested exam.
The main factors that shape a diabetic applicant's offer include: your A1C level (a blood test showing your average blood sugar over roughly three months); whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes; your age at diagnosis and how long you have had the condition; whether you use insulin and how it is managed; and the presence or absence of diabetes-related complications such as kidney disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, or cardiovascular issues. Underwriters also weigh the same general factors they consider for everyone — build, blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco use, and family history — because those either compound or offset the diabetes risk.
Of all these factors, A1C tends to carry the most weight, because it is an objective, recent snapshot of how well your diabetes is actually controlled. A person with an A1C in the mid-6s is demonstrating tight control and a lower long-term risk profile; a person consistently in the 9s is signaling the opposite. Two applicants with the same diagnosis can receive dramatically different offers based on this single number, which is why the months leading up to your application genuinely matter. Underwriters generally want to see a stable, well-controlled pattern rather than a single good reading, so consistency over the prior six to twelve months works in your favor.
This is the question we get most often, and the honest answer is that the two types are underwritten quite differently — though both are insurable.
Type 2 is by far the most common form, accounting for the large majority of the more than 40 million diabetes cases the American Diabetes Association tracks. It is also the type that tends to earn the friendliest offers. A person with well-controlled, non-insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes, a healthy build, and no complications can often qualify for a Standard or even Standard Plus rate class — and in some cases, older applicants who are diet- and medication-controlled with excellent numbers can reach Preferred tiers with certain carriers. Because Type 2 is frequently diagnosed later in life and is often managed with lifestyle and oral medication, underwriters view a controlled case as a manageable, well-understood risk.
Type 1 is an autoimmune condition, usually diagnosed earlier in life, and always insulin-dependent. Because of the longer disease duration and insulin requirement, Type 1 cases are more often priced with what the industry calls a table rating — an offer that sits above the standard rate. A table rating adds a set percentage on top of the standard premium, commonly in the range of roughly 25% to 100% or more, depending on control and complications. That sounds intimidating, but a rated offer is still a real, permanent policy that pays a full death benefit; it simply reflects the additional risk. Well-controlled Type 1 applicants who manage their A1C carefully and avoid complications routinely secure coverage at reasonable, predictable prices.
Price depends on your age, coverage amount, type of policy, tobacco use, and — above all — your control and overall health. The table below shows illustrative monthly premium ranges to give you a feel for how A1C and rate class interact. These are estimates for educational purposes only, based on published market data for a healthy-weight, non-smoking applicant on a 20-year, $500,000 term policy. They are not quotes, offers, or promises — your actual rate can only be determined by applying and being underwritten.
| A1C range (well-documented) | Typical rate class | Est. monthly premium, age 40 | Est. monthly premium, age 55 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No diabetes (reference) | Preferred / Standard | ~$30–$45 | ~$90–$130 |
| Under 6.5 | Standard Plus | ~$45–$60 | ~$120–$160 |
| 6.5–7.0 | Standard | ~$50–$75 | ~$140–$190 |
| 7.0–7.5 | Table 2 (approx. +50%) | ~$75–$110 | ~$200–$270 |
| 7.5–8.5 | Table 4–6 (approx. +100–150%) | ~$105–$155 | ~$280–$400 |
| Consistently 9.0+ / complications | Higher table rating or guaranteed-issue alternative | Varies widely | Varies widely |
Two things stand out in numbers like these. First, the jump from "controlled" to "poorly controlled" is much larger than the jump caused by having diabetes at all — which is exactly why the effort to lower your A1C pays off in dollars. Second, at the same age and A1C, a Type 1 applicant will typically land a notch or two higher on the table-rating scale than a Type 2 applicant, reflecting the longer disease duration and insulin dependence.
When a health condition like diabetes affects your offer, you are shopping in what agents call the high-risk life insurance (also called impaired risk life insurance) market. This is a specialized corner of the industry, and it is where the choice of carrier makes an enormous difference. Every insurer publishes its own underwriting guidelines, and those guidelines treat diabetes very differently. One carrier might cap a well-controlled Type 2 applicant at a table rating; another might offer that same person a Standard rate outright. One company might decline an insulin-dependent applicant over a certain age; a diabetes-friendly specialist might welcome the case.
This is the single biggest reason working with an independent agency beats going straight to one company's website. A captive agent can only offer you their own carrier's answer. Because we compare 80-plus carriers, we can match your specific numbers — your type, your A1C, your age, your medications — to the insurer most likely to reward them, rather than accepting the first offer that comes back. For anyone with a pre-existing condition, that shopping process is often worth thousands of dollars over the life of a policy.
"I thought the life insurer would decline me because of my pre-existing health conditions. I was quite amazed when they approved me for the amount I wanted, and at a price that was reasonable." — Dennis H., Carlsbad, CA
You can read real reviews from our clients to see how these cases tend to play out in practice.
Three beliefs stop people from applying — and all three are largely myths.
Diabetes is a rated condition, not a disqualifying one. Outright declines are usually driven by uncontrolled diabetes combined with serious complications, not by the diagnosis itself. The applicant who takes their medication, monitors their A1C, and applies through an agent who knows which carriers to approach is very likely to receive a genuine offer.
Most people dramatically overestimate the cost of life insurance in general — and diabetics overestimate it even more. Research from LIMRA found that younger adults overestimate the price of a basic term policy by roughly ten to twelve times its actual cost. When you see the illustrative ranges above, a controlled diabetic in their 40s is often paying a modest amount more than a non-diabetic, not several times more.
Guaranteed-issue policies have their place, but they are usually the most expensive coverage per dollar of benefit, they cap the death benefit at a low amount (often around $25,000–$30,000), and they typically include a two- or three-year waiting period before the full benefit is payable. For a healthy-weight diabetic with decent control, a fully underwritten policy will almost always deliver far more coverage for the money. Guaranteed issue should be a fallback, not a first stop.
If uncontrolled diabetes or complications put a traditional policy out of reach today, you still have real choices. Simplified-issue policies ask a handful of health questions with no medical exam and can approve many diabetics at moderate coverage amounts. Guaranteed-issue policies accept virtually everyone regardless of health, in exchange for a smaller benefit and a graded waiting period — often a sensible way to cover funeral and final expenses. Many people in this situation are a good fit for a final expense policy designed specifically to cover burial and end-of-life costs. And if your employer offers group life insurance, that coverage is typically guaranteed up to a limit with no individual underwriting, so it is always worth maximizing what is available there. The right move is often a combination — securing what you qualify for now, then revisiting a fully underwritten policy after you have improved your control. If you live in California, our California diabetes life insurance page walks through these same options with a local lens.
You have more influence over your offer than most people realize. Use this checklist before and during your application:
1. Get your A1C documented and trending down. A stable, well-controlled A1C over the prior six to twelve months is the most powerful lever you control. If yours is borderline, it can be worth working with your doctor to improve it before you apply.
2. Keep proof of good management. Regular doctor visits, current lab work, and a clear medication routine all tell the underwriter your diabetes is being actively managed rather than ignored.
3. Address the factors around the diabetes. Weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and tobacco use all stack on top of the diabetes rating. Improving any of them can move you up a rate class. If heart health is also part of your picture, our guide on life insurance with heart disease and high cholesterol explains how those conditions are rated alongside diabetes.
4. Know your numbers before you apply. Be ready to state your type, your diagnosis date, your current medications, your most recent A1C, and any complications. Accuracy prevents surprises and helps your agent target the right carrier the first time.
5. Shop the case — don't accept the first offer. This is the step most people skip. The same profile can be priced a full rate class apart at two different carriers, so comparing the diabetes-friendly insurers is where the real savings live. This is precisely what an independent agency does for you.
6. Apply, then revisit. If you take a rated offer today, you are not locked in forever. If your control improves substantially, many carriers will consider a reconsideration request to lower your rating, and you can always shop for a better replacement policy down the road.
Diabetes changes the conversation about life insurance, but it very rarely ends it. With the right preparation and the right carrier, the coverage your family needs is almost always within reach — often for far less than you would expect.
Every diabetic case is different, and the only way to know your real number is to have someone who does this every day match your profile to the right carriers. As an independent agency with 27 years of experience, 17,000-plus clients served, and 80-plus carriers to compare — including specialists who treat diabetes favorably — we can shop your exact situation instead of handing you one company's answer.
Get My Rates Now → or call us directly at (310) 478-6395 for a no-pressure conversation about your options. Whether you have Type 1, Type 2, or have already been declined elsewhere, we will tell you honestly where you stand.
This article is general information, not financial, tax, or medical advice; underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and individual circumstances.
If you've been putting off applying for life insurance because of your health — or worse, you applied once and got declined — here's the truth most people never hear: being declined by one life insurance company tells you almost nothing about whether you can get covered. It only tells you that one carrier, using one set of underwriting rules, said no.
After 27 years and more than 17,000 clients, we've helped people get approved with diabetes, heart conditions, cancer history, COPD, depression, and plenty of conditions they were sure made them "uninsurable." One of our clients put it best:
"I thought the life insurer would decline me because of my pre-existing health conditions. I was quite amazed when they approved me for the amount I wanted, and at a price that was reasonable." — Dennis H., Carlsbad, CA
Here's how that happens — and how to make it happen for you.
Every carrier has its own underwriting "appetite." One insurer might rate Type 2 diabetes harshly; another actively competes for well-managed diabetic clients and offers them near-standard rates. One company sees a 10-year-old cancer history as a decline; another sees a survivor with a decade of clean scans.
These differences aren't small. For the same person, the same coverage amount can be approved at standard rates by one carrier and flatly declined by another. That's not a flaw in the system — it's how carriers compete. Underwriters call applicants with health histories “impaired risk” cases, and some carriers actively specialize in high-risk life insurance (also called impaired risk life insurance). But it means the single most important decision you make isn't your policy type or coverage amount. It's which carriers you apply to, and in what order.
This is exactly why working with an independent agency matters. A captive agent can only show you their one company's answer. We compare 80+ carriers and already know which ones look kindly on your specific situation before you ever apply. It is the core of what we do as California high-risk life insurance specialists.
More than most people expect. Conditions we regularly help clients get covered with include:
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, heart disease and prior heart attacks (with recovery time), cancer history, asthma and COPD, sleep apnea, anxiety and depression, thyroid disorders, and obesity. Even clients with multiple conditions often qualify — approval depends on the whole picture: how long you've been treated, how stable your numbers are, and how recently anything serious occurred. For a full breakdown by condition, see our guide to high-risk life insurance in California.
A decline is a data point, not a verdict. Three things to know:
First, never take a decline from one carrier as final. The next carrier's underwriting manual is different. Second, don't rapid-fire applications on your own. Multiple applications can be visible to insurers through industry databases, and a trail of declines can make later approvals harder. An independent agent can often shop your profile informally with underwriters first — no formal application, no trail. Third, even genuinely hard cases have options, including no-exam simplified issue policies and guaranteed issue final expense coverage that asks no health questions at all.
Usually more than a perfectly healthy applicant — but often far less than people fear. Well-managed conditions frequently land within one or two rate classes of standard. The bigger cost mistake isn't the rate class; it's waiting. Every year older you get raises the base price, and health rarely trends in a favorable direction. The best premium you'll ever be quoted is, almost always, the one available today.
Be completely honest on your application — misrepresentation can void a policy when your family needs it most. Get your recent numbers in hand (A1C, blood pressure readings, medication list) because documented stability is your best friend in underwriting. And before applying anywhere, talk to an independent agent who can tell you which of the 80+ carriers we work with is most likely to say yes to your profile the first time.
Tell us your conditions, your medications, and what you want covered. We'll tell you plainly which carriers are realistic, what it should cost, and whether a no-exam route makes sense — no pressure, no obligation. That conversation is free, and it's the difference between guessing and knowing.
Get My Rates Now → or call a licensed advisor at (310) 478-6395.
Want to know what working with us is like? Read real reviews from our clients — including from people who thought they couldn't be covered.
By Brandon D. Sears, CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter) · This article is general information, not medical or financial advice; underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and individual circumstances.
Have a health condition or a past denial? We specialize in high-risk and impaired-risk life insurance and help people get approved. Explore high-risk life insurance by state and situation:
States we serve:
Specialized situations:
Yes. A cardiac history — coronary artery disease, a past heart attack (myocardial infarction), stents, or bypass surgery — does not automatically disqualify you from life insurance. Many applicants who assume they’ll be denied are approved every year, often at better rates than they expect. The key is applying to the right carrier, because underwriting for heart conditions varies dramatically from one insurer to the next. Applying blindly is the single biggest reason people with heart disease end up with a denial or an overpriced policy.
For heart disease and heart-attack history, underwriters focus on how serious the event was and how stable you’ve been since. The factors that move your offer the most:
High cholesterol on its own is one of the most approvable “high-risk” flags there is. If your cholesterol is treated and reasonably controlled — even with medication — many applicants still qualify for Standard, and sometimes Preferred, rates. Underwriters look at your total cholesterol, your HDL ratio, and whether the numbers are trending in the right direction. Being on a statin is not a penalty; it shows the condition is managed. High cholesterol only becomes a larger factor when combined with other cardiovascular issues, which is why it pays to review your full picture before you apply.
Outcomes range widely depending on your history. Mild, well-controlled high cholesterol or high blood pressure often lands Standard or better. A single heart attack with good recovery and normal follow-up testing frequently qualifies for a Standard or Table-rated offer. More significant cardiac disease may be Table-rated (a set percentage above standard) or best served by a guaranteed-issue or simplified-issue policy that asks no medical questions. We’ll tell you honestly where you’re likely to land before you apply.
Three things make the biggest difference: applying to the carrier whose guidelines fit your exact history, presenting your medical records in their best accurate light (recent favorable test results help), and not firing off scattershot applications that leave a trail of declines. That’s what we do — we pre-screen your case with multiple carriers so you only formally apply where you’re likely to be approved at the best rate. If you’ve already had a denial or been denied by one company, don’t give up; a decline with one carrier is often an approval with another.
Living with a heart condition, a past heart attack, or high cholesterol? We specialize in high-risk life insurance and compare carriers that approve applicants with cardiovascular and other conditions. Explore high-risk life insurance by state and situation:
States we serve:
Specialized situations:
By Brandon D. Sears, CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter)
Getting a letter that says your life insurance application was declined can feel like a verdict — as if a company looked at your health and decided your family isn't worth protecting. In 27 years of placing coverage for more than 17,000 clients, I can tell you it is almost never that. A denial from one carrier is a single company's answer, on a single day, based on the specific way that company reads your file. Another carrier, looking at the exact same medical records, may say yes — and sometimes at a surprisingly reasonable price. This article walks through why applications get denied, what your denial letter is actually telling you, and the concrete steps that turn a "no" into an approval.
In most cases, no. "Uninsurable" is a much smaller category than people think. The nonprofit education group Life Happens puts it plainly: if you're denied, you're not alone, and there are options. Life insurance underwriting is not standardized across the industry. Every carrier builds its own rulebook — its own tables, its own tolerance for particular conditions, its own view of how well a diagnosis is being managed. One insurer might automatically decline anyone who had a cardiac event in the last two years; another writes that same applicant every week at a rated price.
That variation is the entire reason independent agencies exist. We aren't captive to one company's rulebook. When we compare more than 80 carriers — including Prudential, AIG, Lincoln Financial, Nationwide, and Transamerica — we're really comparing 80 different opinions about your risk. A denial closes one door. It says nothing about the other 79.
Understanding the "why" matters, because the reason for your denial determines your next move. Broadly, declines fall into a few buckets.
Serious or poorly-controlled conditions are the most common trigger. Active cancer treatment, a recent heart attack or stroke, advanced kidney or liver disease, and severe or uncontrolled diabetes are frequent culprits. But here's the nuance underwriters actually care about: it's rarely the diagnosis alone — it's the control. Two applicants with Type 2 diabetes can get completely different decisions. The one with an A1c of 6.8, a normal kidney panel, and steady physician follow-up looks entirely different on paper than someone with an A1c of 11 and skipped appointments. Underwriting rewards evidence of stability. (If diabetes is your situation specifically, we go deeper in our guide to life insurance for diabetics.)
As Experian notes in its overview of what to do when an application is denied, high-risk occupations (pilots, loggers, miners), dangerous hobbies, a positive drug test, or a pattern of serious driving offenses like recent DUIs can all lead to a decline. Many of these are time-sensitive: a single DUI three years ago reads very differently than two in the last twelve months.
Sometimes the problem isn't your health at all. Applying for a death benefit far larger than your income and assets reasonably justify can trigger a decline for lack of "financial justification." So can a recent bankruptcy. And one of the most avoidable causes is a simple mismatch — when what you wrote on the application doesn't line up with what the medical records or prescription-history database show. That's not always dishonesty; people forget a medication or misremember a date. But to an underwriter, an unexplained discrepancy is a red flag.
This is the single most important distinction in this entire article, and most people never have it explained to them. Not every unfavorable decision is a true decline, and the word on your letter changes your strategy completely.
A postpone means the carrier wants to wait — often because you're mid-treatment, recently post-surgery, or too soon after a diagnosis. The answer isn't no; it's "not yet." A decline is a true "we won't offer coverage right now." And a rating (also called a table rating) isn't a denial at all — it's an approval at a higher price. Applicants sometimes see a rated offer, assume it's a rejection, and walk away from perfectly good coverage.
This is also where the industry term impaired risk comes in. High-risk life insurance (also called impaired risk life insurance) is simply the specialty of placing coverage for people whose health, history, or occupation pushes them outside standard underwriting. An impaired-risk case that one carrier declines is often exactly the case another carrier is comfortable rating and approving. Knowing which bucket you're in — postpone, decline, or rating — tells you whether to wait, shop, or simply accept a solid offer you mistook for a rejection.
Here is the practical sequence I walk clients through. It mirrors the guidance from consumer-education sources and, honestly, it's what I'd do for my own family.
You have a right to know why. Request the specific reason for the decision from the carrier's underwriting department, and ask which records or data sources drove it. Under federal fair-credit rules, adverse decisions tied to consumer or prescription-history reports must be disclosed to you on request. You cannot fix what you can't see.
Pull your prescription history and MIB (Medical Information Bureau) file and compare them against reality. Denials sometimes rest on a mistaken medication record, a lab value transcribed wrong, or a condition attributed to the wrong person. If the decision was based on incorrect or incomplete information, you have the right to appeal, and a documented correction from your physician can reverse a decline.
The worst move after a denial is firing off three more applications to random companies. Every decline can show up in the shared industry database and make the next underwriter more cautious. Instead, the case should be shopped — ideally informally, before a formal application — to carriers known to be favorable for your specific condition. This is precisely what an independent agent does that a single-company website cannot.
Some denial factors improve with time and effort. General recovery timelines look roughly like this: minor health issues may warrant reapplying in 3–6 months, while major changes often need 12–24 months of stability; smoking cessation typically needs 12+ months before nonsmoker rates apply; and an occupation change can help almost immediately. These are general ranges, not promises — every carrier and case differs.
When you're approved but rated, the extra cost is expressed in "table ratings." According to Insurance.com's breakdown of table ratings, each table typically adds about 25% to the standard premium, and carriers label them either by number (Table 1–16) or letter (Table A–P). So a Table 2 (or "B") offer generally costs about 50% more than standard — not double, not a rejection, just a defined surcharge.
The table below shows how that math works on an illustrative $100 standard monthly premium. These figures are simplified estimates to explain the mechanism — not quotes for any individual, and actual carrier percentages can vary.
| Table rating | Approx. increase over standard | Illustrative monthly premium (on a $100 standard) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | — | $100 |
| Table 1 (A) | +25% | ~$125 |
| Table 2 (B) | +50% | ~$150 |
| Table 4 (D) | +100% | ~$200 |
| Table 6 (F) | +150% | ~$250 |
| Table 8 (H) | +200% | ~$300 |
Two things clients rarely know about ratings. First, some carriers offer a "table shave" or first-year credit program that effectively forgives one or more tables for otherwise-healthy applicants — the same person can be Table 4 at one company and Table 2 at another. Second, a rating isn't necessarily permanent. If your health improves, many policies can be reconsidered for a better class down the road. The goal is to get coverage in force now, protecting your family, and then improve on it — not to leave your family exposed while chasing a perfect rate.
For a smaller group — people mid-treatment, or with the most serious conditions — there are still real options that require little or no health underwriting.
Simplified-issue policies ask a short list of health questions and skip the medical exam, with coverage commonly available in the $25,000–$300,000 range. Guaranteed-issue (guaranteed-acceptance) policies ask no health questions at all and cannot decline you, but they trade that certainty for smaller benefit amounts — often up to about $25,000 — and a graded death benefit. As MoneyGeek explains in its guaranteed-acceptance cost guide, most of these policies carry a two-year waiting period: if death occurs from natural causes in the first two years, the insurer generally refunds the premiums paid (often with interest) rather than paying the full benefit. Accidental death is typically covered in full from day one.
To set expectations on price, illustrative monthly premiums for roughly $15,000 of guaranteed-acceptance coverage on a nonsmoker run in the neighborhood of $50–$61 at age 45, $65–$80 at age 55, and $90–$116 at age 65, rising steeply after that — women generally lower than men. These are averages that vary by state and carrier, not quotes. For many people, though, guaranteed issue should be a last resort, not a first stop. Because agencies like ours can shop the impaired-risk market, plenty of applicants who assume they'll need guaranteed issue actually qualify for far more coverage, at a better price, through a fully underwritten carrier.
A captive agent — someone who works for one company — can only bring you that company's answer. If it's a no, that's the end of their story. An independent agency is built for exactly the opposite situation. We know, from placing thousands of cases, which carriers look favorably on well-managed diabetes, which are comfortable with a cardiac history a few years out, which forgive an old DUI, and which run table-shave programs. We can pre-screen your case informally so we don't trigger another formal decline, and we advocate for you during underwriting — supplying the physician letters and context that move a file from "decline" to "offer."
"I thought the life insurer would decline me because of my pre-existing health conditions. I was quite amazed when they approved me for the amount I wanted, and at a price that was reasonable." — Dennis H., Carlsbad, CA
Dennis's experience is the rule far more often than the exception. You can read real reviews from our clients to see how these cases tend to play out. If a pre-existing condition is at the heart of your denial, our detailed guide on life insurance with pre-existing conditions is a good next read.
If you take nothing else from this article, take these steps in order. First, read your letter carefully and identify whether it's a postpone, a decline, or a rated offer — because a rating is an approval, not a rejection. Second, request the specific reason and the records behind it in writing. Third, verify those records for errors, and appeal with your physician's help if something is wrong. Fourth, before reapplying anywhere, have the case shopped to carriers known to be favorable for your exact situation. Fifth, if traditional coverage genuinely isn't available yet, secure a simplified- or guaranteed-issue policy now to protect your family, and revisit fully underwritten coverage once your health stabilizes. A denial is a starting point in a process, not the end of one.
If you've been declined, postponed, or handed a rate that felt like a punishment, let an independent agency take a fresh look before you accept that a "no" is final. We compare 80+ carriers, we specialize in high-risk and impaired-risk cases, and there's no cost to have your situation reviewed. Often the second opinion is the one that gets you covered.
Get My Rates Now → or call us directly at (310) 478-6395.
This article is general information, not financial, tax, or medical advice; underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and individual circumstances.
By Brandon D. Sears, CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter)
If you live with diabetes, you have probably wondered whether a life insurance company will even take you seriously — or whether the price will be so high it is not worth applying. It is one of the most common worries we hear, and it is usually based on outdated information. More than 40 million Americans are living with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which means underwriters see this condition every single day. Far from being a dealbreaker, well-managed diabetes is a case that the right carrier is comfortable insuring.
Over 27 years and more than 17,000 clients served, our independent agency has placed coverage for people with Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, insulin-dependent cases, and applicants who had already been declined elsewhere. This guide explains how underwriters actually think about diabetes, what separates a Type 1 case from a Type 2 case, what you can realistically expect to pay, and the concrete steps that move you into a better rate class.
In most cases, yes. Diabetes is not an automatic decline — it is a rated condition, which is underwriting language for "we can insure this, and here is how we price the added risk." The vast majority of people with diabetes who apply through an experienced agent qualify for a fully underwritten policy. Those who do not qualify for standard coverage almost always have a guaranteed-acceptance or simplified-issue option available, so it is genuinely rare for someone to walk away with no path to protection at all.
What changes is not whether you can get covered but the price and the rate class you land in. And because we are an independent agency that compares more than 80 carriers rather than representing a single company, we can shop your exact profile to the insurers that treat diabetes most favorably — a difference that often matters more than anything else in the whole process.
Underwriting is the process of estimating how a health condition affects life expectancy, then translating that estimate into a rate class. For diabetes, an underwriter is not reacting to the word "diabetes" on your application — they are building a picture from several specific data points pulled from your application, your medical records, and often a lab-tested exam.
The main factors that shape a diabetic applicant's offer include: your A1C level (a blood test showing your average blood sugar over roughly three months); whether you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes; your age at diagnosis and how long you have had the condition; whether you use insulin and how it is managed; and the presence or absence of diabetes-related complications such as kidney disease, neuropathy, retinopathy, or cardiovascular issues. Underwriters also weigh the same general factors they consider for everyone — build, blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco use, and family history — because those either compound or offset the diabetes risk.
Of all these factors, A1C tends to carry the most weight, because it is an objective, recent snapshot of how well your diabetes is actually controlled. A person with an A1C in the mid-6s is demonstrating tight control and a lower long-term risk profile; a person consistently in the 9s is signaling the opposite. Two applicants with the same diagnosis can receive dramatically different offers based on this single number, which is why the months leading up to your application genuinely matter. Underwriters generally want to see a stable, well-controlled pattern rather than a single good reading, so consistency over the prior six to twelve months works in your favor.
This is the question we get most often, and the honest answer is that the two types are underwritten quite differently — though both are insurable.
Type 2 is by far the most common form, accounting for the large majority of the more than 40 million diabetes cases the American Diabetes Association tracks. It is also the type that tends to earn the friendliest offers. A person with well-controlled, non-insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes, a healthy build, and no complications can often qualify for a Standard or even Standard Plus rate class — and in some cases, older applicants who are diet- and medication-controlled with excellent numbers can reach Preferred tiers with certain carriers. Because Type 2 is frequently diagnosed later in life and is often managed with lifestyle and oral medication, underwriters view a controlled case as a manageable, well-understood risk.
Type 1 is an autoimmune condition, usually diagnosed earlier in life, and always insulin-dependent. Because of the longer disease duration and insulin requirement, Type 1 cases are more often priced with what the industry calls a table rating — an offer that sits above the standard rate. A table rating adds a set percentage on top of the standard premium, commonly in the range of roughly 25% to 100% or more, depending on control and complications. That sounds intimidating, but a rated offer is still a real, permanent policy that pays a full death benefit; it simply reflects the additional risk. Well-controlled Type 1 applicants who manage their A1C carefully and avoid complications routinely secure coverage at reasonable, predictable prices.
Price depends on your age, coverage amount, type of policy, tobacco use, and — above all — your control and overall health. The table below shows illustrative monthly premium ranges to give you a feel for how A1C and rate class interact. These are estimates for educational purposes only, based on published market data for a healthy-weight, non-smoking applicant on a 20-year, $500,000 term policy. They are not quotes, offers, or promises — your actual rate can only be determined by applying and being underwritten.
| A1C range (well-documented) | Typical rate class | Est. monthly premium, age 40 | Est. monthly premium, age 55 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No diabetes (reference) | Preferred / Standard | ~$30–$45 | ~$90–$130 |
| Under 6.5 | Standard Plus | ~$45–$60 | ~$120–$160 |
| 6.5–7.0 | Standard | ~$50–$75 | ~$140–$190 |
| 7.0–7.5 | Table 2 (approx. +50%) | ~$75–$110 | ~$200–$270 |
| 7.5–8.5 | Table 4–6 (approx. +100–150%) | ~$105–$155 | ~$280–$400 |
| Consistently 9.0+ / complications | Higher table rating or guaranteed-issue alternative | Varies widely | Varies widely |
Two things stand out in numbers like these. First, the jump from "controlled" to "poorly controlled" is much larger than the jump caused by having diabetes at all — which is exactly why the effort to lower your A1C pays off in dollars. Second, at the same age and A1C, a Type 1 applicant will typically land a notch or two higher on the table-rating scale than a Type 2 applicant, reflecting the longer disease duration and insulin dependence.
When a health condition like diabetes affects your offer, you are shopping in what agents call the high-risk life insurance (also called impaired risk life insurance) market. This is a specialized corner of the industry, and it is where the choice of carrier makes an enormous difference. Every insurer publishes its own underwriting guidelines, and those guidelines treat diabetes very differently. One carrier might cap a well-controlled Type 2 applicant at a table rating; another might offer that same person a Standard rate outright. One company might decline an insulin-dependent applicant over a certain age; a diabetes-friendly specialist might welcome the case.
This is the single biggest reason working with an independent agency beats going straight to one company's website. A captive agent can only offer you their own carrier's answer. Because we compare 80-plus carriers, we can match your specific numbers — your type, your A1C, your age, your medications — to the insurer most likely to reward them, rather than accepting the first offer that comes back. For anyone with a pre-existing condition, that shopping process is often worth thousands of dollars over the life of a policy.
"I thought the life insurer would decline me because of my pre-existing health conditions. I was quite amazed when they approved me for the amount I wanted, and at a price that was reasonable." — Dennis H., Carlsbad, CA
You can read real reviews from our clients to see how these cases tend to play out in practice.
Three beliefs stop people from applying — and all three are largely myths.
Diabetes is a rated condition, not a disqualifying one. Outright declines are usually driven by uncontrolled diabetes combined with serious complications, not by the diagnosis itself. The applicant who takes their medication, monitors their A1C, and applies through an agent who knows which carriers to approach is very likely to receive a genuine offer.
Most people dramatically overestimate the cost of life insurance in general — and diabetics overestimate it even more. Research from LIMRA found that younger adults overestimate the price of a basic term policy by roughly ten to twelve times its actual cost. When you see the illustrative ranges above, a controlled diabetic in their 40s is often paying a modest amount more than a non-diabetic, not several times more.
Guaranteed-issue policies have their place, but they are usually the most expensive coverage per dollar of benefit, they cap the death benefit at a low amount (often around $25,000–$30,000), and they typically include a two- or three-year waiting period before the full benefit is payable. For a healthy-weight diabetic with decent control, a fully underwritten policy will almost always deliver far more coverage for the money. Guaranteed issue should be a fallback, not a first stop.
If uncontrolled diabetes or complications put a traditional policy out of reach today, you still have real choices. Simplified-issue policies ask a handful of health questions with no medical exam and can approve many diabetics at moderate coverage amounts. Guaranteed-issue policies accept virtually everyone regardless of health, in exchange for a smaller benefit and a graded waiting period — often a sensible way to cover funeral and final expenses. Many people in this situation are a good fit for a final expense policy designed specifically to cover burial and end-of-life costs. And if your employer offers group life insurance, that coverage is typically guaranteed up to a limit with no individual underwriting, so it is always worth maximizing what is available there. The right move is often a combination — securing what you qualify for now, then revisiting a fully underwritten policy after you have improved your control. If you live in California, our California diabetes life insurance page walks through these same options with a local lens.
You have more influence over your offer than most people realize. Use this checklist before and during your application:
1. Get your A1C documented and trending down. A stable, well-controlled A1C over the prior six to twelve months is the most powerful lever you control. If yours is borderline, it can be worth working with your doctor to improve it before you apply.
2. Keep proof of good management. Regular doctor visits, current lab work, and a clear medication routine all tell the underwriter your diabetes is being actively managed rather than ignored.
3. Address the factors around the diabetes. Weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and tobacco use all stack on top of the diabetes rating. Improving any of them can move you up a rate class. If heart health is also part of your picture, our guide on life insurance with heart disease and high cholesterol explains how those conditions are rated alongside diabetes.
4. Know your numbers before you apply. Be ready to state your type, your diagnosis date, your current medications, your most recent A1C, and any complications. Accuracy prevents surprises and helps your agent target the right carrier the first time.
5. Shop the case — don't accept the first offer. This is the step most people skip. The same profile can be priced a full rate class apart at two different carriers, so comparing the diabetes-friendly insurers is where the real savings live. This is precisely what an independent agency does for you.
6. Apply, then revisit. If you take a rated offer today, you are not locked in forever. If your control improves substantially, many carriers will consider a reconsideration request to lower your rating, and you can always shop for a better replacement policy down the road.
Diabetes changes the conversation about life insurance, but it very rarely ends it. With the right preparation and the right carrier, the coverage your family needs is almost always within reach — often for far less than you would expect.
Every diabetic case is different, and the only way to know your real number is to have someone who does this every day match your profile to the right carriers. As an independent agency with 27 years of experience, 17,000-plus clients served, and 80-plus carriers to compare — including specialists who treat diabetes favorably — we can shop your exact situation instead of handing you one company's answer.
Get My Rates Now → or call us directly at (310) 478-6395 for a no-pressure conversation about your options. Whether you have Type 1, Type 2, or have already been declined elsewhere, we will tell you honestly where you stand.
This article is general information, not financial, tax, or medical advice; underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and individual circumstances.
If you've been putting off applying for life insurance because of your health — or worse, you applied once and got declined — here's the truth most people never hear: being declined by one life insurance company tells you almost nothing about whether you can get covered. It only tells you that one carrier, using one set of underwriting rules, said no.
After 27 years and more than 17,000 clients, we've helped people get approved with diabetes, heart conditions, cancer history, COPD, depression, and plenty of conditions they were sure made them "uninsurable." One of our clients put it best:
"I thought the life insurer would decline me because of my pre-existing health conditions. I was quite amazed when they approved me for the amount I wanted, and at a price that was reasonable." — Dennis H., Carlsbad, CA
Here's how that happens — and how to make it happen for you.
Every carrier has its own underwriting "appetite." One insurer might rate Type 2 diabetes harshly; another actively competes for well-managed diabetic clients and offers them near-standard rates. One company sees a 10-year-old cancer history as a decline; another sees a survivor with a decade of clean scans.
These differences aren't small. For the same person, the same coverage amount can be approved at standard rates by one carrier and flatly declined by another. That's not a flaw in the system — it's how carriers compete. Underwriters call applicants with health histories “impaired risk” cases, and some carriers actively specialize in high-risk life insurance (also called impaired risk life insurance). But it means the single most important decision you make isn't your policy type or coverage amount. It's which carriers you apply to, and in what order.
This is exactly why working with an independent agency matters. A captive agent can only show you their one company's answer. We compare 80+ carriers and already know which ones look kindly on your specific situation before you ever apply. It is the core of what we do as California high-risk life insurance specialists.
More than most people expect. Conditions we regularly help clients get covered with include:
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, heart disease and prior heart attacks (with recovery time), cancer history, asthma and COPD, sleep apnea, anxiety and depression, thyroid disorders, and obesity. Even clients with multiple conditions often qualify — approval depends on the whole picture: how long you've been treated, how stable your numbers are, and how recently anything serious occurred. For a full breakdown by condition, see our guide to high-risk life insurance in California.
A decline is a data point, not a verdict. Three things to know:
First, never take a decline from one carrier as final. The next carrier's underwriting manual is different. Second, don't rapid-fire applications on your own. Multiple applications can be visible to insurers through industry databases, and a trail of declines can make later approvals harder. An independent agent can often shop your profile informally with underwriters first — no formal application, no trail. Third, even genuinely hard cases have options, including no-exam simplified issue policies and guaranteed issue final expense coverage that asks no health questions at all.
Usually more than a perfectly healthy applicant — but often far less than people fear. Well-managed conditions frequently land within one or two rate classes of standard. The bigger cost mistake isn't the rate class; it's waiting. Every year older you get raises the base price, and health rarely trends in a favorable direction. The best premium you'll ever be quoted is, almost always, the one available today.
Be completely honest on your application — misrepresentation can void a policy when your family needs it most. Get your recent numbers in hand (A1C, blood pressure readings, medication list) because documented stability is your best friend in underwriting. And before applying anywhere, talk to an independent agent who can tell you which of the 80+ carriers we work with is most likely to say yes to your profile the first time.
Tell us your conditions, your medications, and what you want covered. We'll tell you plainly which carriers are realistic, what it should cost, and whether a no-exam route makes sense — no pressure, no obligation. That conversation is free, and it's the difference between guessing and knowing.
Get My Rates Now → or call a licensed advisor at (310) 478-6395.
Want to know what working with us is like? Read real reviews from our clients — including from people who thought they couldn't be covered.
By Brandon D. Sears, CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter) · This article is general information, not medical or financial advice; underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and individual circumstances.
Have a health condition or a past denial? We specialize in high-risk and impaired-risk life insurance and help people get approved. Explore high-risk life insurance by state and situation:
States we serve:
Specialized situations:
Yes. A cardiac history — coronary artery disease, a past heart attack (myocardial infarction), stents, or bypass surgery — does not automatically disqualify you from life insurance. Many applicants who assume they’ll be denied are approved every year, often at better rates than they expect. The key is applying to the right carrier, because underwriting for heart conditions varies dramatically from one insurer to the next. Applying blindly is the single biggest reason people with heart disease end up with a denial or an overpriced policy.
For heart disease and heart-attack history, underwriters focus on how serious the event was and how stable you’ve been since. The factors that move your offer the most:
High cholesterol on its own is one of the most approvable “high-risk” flags there is. If your cholesterol is treated and reasonably controlled — even with medication — many applicants still qualify for Standard, and sometimes Preferred, rates. Underwriters look at your total cholesterol, your HDL ratio, and whether the numbers are trending in the right direction. Being on a statin is not a penalty; it shows the condition is managed. High cholesterol only becomes a larger factor when combined with other cardiovascular issues, which is why it pays to review your full picture before you apply.
Outcomes range widely depending on your history. Mild, well-controlled high cholesterol or high blood pressure often lands Standard or better. A single heart attack with good recovery and normal follow-up testing frequently qualifies for a Standard or Table-rated offer. More significant cardiac disease may be Table-rated (a set percentage above standard) or best served by a guaranteed-issue or simplified-issue policy that asks no medical questions. We’ll tell you honestly where you’re likely to land before you apply.
Three things make the biggest difference: applying to the carrier whose guidelines fit your exact history, presenting your medical records in their best accurate light (recent favorable test results help), and not firing off scattershot applications that leave a trail of declines. That’s what we do — we pre-screen your case with multiple carriers so you only formally apply where you’re likely to be approved at the best rate. If you’ve already had a denial or been denied by one company, don’t give up; a decline with one carrier is often an approval with another.
Living with a heart condition, a past heart attack, or high cholesterol? We specialize in high-risk life insurance and compare carriers that approve applicants with cardiovascular and other conditions. Explore high-risk life insurance by state and situation:
States we serve:
Specialized situations:
