Get Final Expense Insurance with Kidney Disease. Call (614) 402-5160 or fill out the request form on the left.

Types of Final Expense

You may think that getting Final Expense life insurance is impossible if you’ve been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Many people immediately associate kidney dialysis with chronic kidney disease, but there are 5 basic stages of kidney disease, and stages 1, 2 and 3 often don’t require dialysis. If you don’t require dialysis, then there are options.  On the other hand, if you do require dialysis, then you’re likely still insurable, but with less options.

Whole Life VS Term Life Final Expense Insurance with Kidney Disease

Graded and Level life insurance polices can be either whole life or term insurance. Don’t purchase term life insurance to pay for your funeral or other final expenses. Term insurance policies that are intended to pay final expenses have a down side. You could live through the term, or the death benefit reduces by 50%. There are also polices that the premiums increase every 5 years making it unaffordable to continue later in life.

There are two main types of coverage available for individuals with chronic kidney disease: “Level” death benefit, or “Graded” death benefit, sometimes called a “Modified” death benefit. The amount of life insurance available varies by company and if it’s classified as level or graded. Most companies offer from $2,000 or $3,000 up to $25,000. There are a few that will go higher than $25,000 for level death benefits.

Qualifying for a Level or Graded Death Benefit

LEVEL (Immediate death benefit) benefit means the policy will pay the face amount of the policy if the insured dies anytime after the first premium has been received and the policy is active. If you purchased a $10,000 policy and died 3 weeks later, then your beneficiary would receive $10,000.

The main concerns are any treatments, medications or dialysis.  You might qualify for a level death benefit if you haven’t been treated for at least 2 years.  This would also include the initial diagnosis of the kidney disease, and taking medications.  If you get a level benefit, you’ll probably pay a slightly higher premium.

These guidelines don’t take into account the rest of your health, so remember that you’ll need to pass the rest of the questions and fall within the height and weight guidelines.  One of the biggest hurdles for someone diagnosed with kidney disease, are other health conditions including heart disease and diabetes.  Another condition that always makes it more difficult is the diagnosis of COPD, emphysema or other chronic respiratory disorder and the use of a nebulizer or oxygen.  The more conditions we need to work around, the harder it is to find a level death benefit.

GRADED or MODIFIED BENEFIT WITH SOME HEALTH QUESTIONS 

Death benefit policies have a waiting period of 2 to 3 years before the full amount is payable. If you die during the waiting period, your beneficiary would receive the amount equal to all the premiums you paid in plus some interest. The average Graded policy pays 10% interest although there are some that pay less. You don’t need to take policy that limits the death benefit for 3 years. There are plenty of companies that will only limit for 2 years, and they usually cost less too.

If we can’t find any company to insure you with a Level death benefit, the next step is to look for a policy that will pay out a percent of the death benefit during the first and second year.  A handful of companies offer this type of plan and it’s a still a better option than a Guaranteed Issue Graded policy. If you die during the first year, the policy would pay between 25% and 40% of the death benefit. If you die during the second year, it would pay between 50% and 75%. The amounts vary by company as well as the qualifying health questions.

There a few policies that you may qualify for a more generous version of a Graded Death Benefit. Think of it as a step up plan that pays a percent of the death benefit in the first year and a higher percentage in the second year. For example, you may find a plan that pays your beneficiary 25% in year one, 50% in year 2 and 100% year 3 and after.

GUARANTEE ISSUE POLICIES WITHOUT ANY HEALTH QUESTIONS

The last resort is to purchase a policy with a graded death benefit for 2 years.  Your beneficiary will get 100% of the death benefit if you live through the first 2 years. If you don’t, they’ll get a return of the premiums that you paid into the policy plus 10% interest. This coverage is available from ages 50-85. There are no companies that offer Guaranteed Issue policies after age 85.

Few companies have make policies available to those with kidney disease under age 50 but every situation is different. This would be one situation where it could make sense to purchase a term policy, if nothing else is available. It will depend on your age, and if you need to use a company that will accept a Power of Attorney (POA).

To get a better understanding of what you could qualify for, please call (614)402-5160 or fill out the quote request and we’ll contact you within 24 hours to get the best final expense policy.