Do you have high cholesterol?
You may pay too much for life insurance if you’re with the wrong company.
People with high cholesterol are at higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Still, they may not realize that some life insurers specialize in high cholesterol.
RiskQuoter maintains a database to help you find affordable life insurance, even if you take medication!
When you get a life insurance quote from us, we’ll review your medical history.
We ensure you receive the most accurate quotes based on your cholesterol history.
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Can You Get Life Insurance if You Have High Cholesterol?
You can get life insurance if you have high cholesterol.
It’s infrequent to get declined due to cholesterol.
Still, you may pay more if your cholesterol levels and ratios are above average.
There’s plenty of evidence available that supports high cholesterol being a significant risk factor for underwriting.
Elevated cholesterol levels contribute to heart disease.
Your risk of pancreatitis and steatohepatitis (fatty liver) also increase.
What is Considered High Cholesterol
As most of us know from physicals, lab companies’ normal cholesterol, blood pressure, and build ranges continue to be lowered, putting more people outside the normal range.
Fortunately, life insurance companies use their underwriting guidelines to decide what is high cholesterol.
Life insurance becomes difficult to obtain when:
- Total cholesterol is 300 or greater
- The cholesterol ratio is 8.0 or greater
Remember that insurance companies have different cholesterol and ratio cutoffs depending on the rate class.
A preferred best rate may require a cholesterol ratio of 4.5 or better.
In contrast, a standard plus rate may allow a 6.5 ratio.
Paramedical exams complete the following cholesterol lab tests:
- Total cholesterol
- Cholesterol ratio – there are 2
- HDL – high-density lipoprotein (the good cholesterol)
- LDL – low-density lipoprotein (the bad cholesterol)
- Triglycerides
The two cholesterol ratios are:
- Total cholesterol/HDL ratio – The lower the ratio, the lower the risk of coronary heart disease.
- LDL/HDL Ratio – The higher this ratio, the greater the risk for coronary atherosclerosis.
| Coronary Risk based on LDL/HDL ratio* | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 the average risk | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Average risk | 3.6 | 3.2 |
| 2x average risk | 6.2 | 5.0 |
| 3x average risk | 8.0 | 6.1 |
Avoid These Life Insurers if You Take Cholesterol Medication
The good news is that most competitive life insurance companies allow you to take medication and qualify for the best underwriting rate classes available.
But, not all life insurers allow cholesterol medication for their best rates, even when you have optimal control.
Life insurance companies to avoid:
- American National
- Assurity Life Insurance
- Foresters
- Illinois Mutual
- Sagicor Life
We’ll tell you which life insurance companies are best for your cholesterol medication history.
Cholesterol Guidelines by Life Insurance Company
Here are some general cholesterol guidelines by life insurance companies.
Remember that many factors affect your life insurance underwriting rate.
Suppose you have a history of heart problems, such as receiving open heart surgery after a myocardial infarction.
In that case, underwriting cares more about the heart issue rather than cholesterol guidelines.
Tips to Lower Your Cholesterol Quickly
If you need to lower your cholesterol quickly, there are several steps you can take, such as:
- Avoid trans fats from cakes, cookies, and fried foods.
- Lose weight
- Exercise more
- Eat high fiber foods – oatmeal, prunes, beans
- Fish – Eat more fish
- Nuts – Eat nuts that help lower LDL cholesterol
You may need to take some time to control your cholesterol before completing a paramedical exam.
Final Words
If you have high cholesterol, now is the time to get life insurance. You can learn more about getting your best life insurance rate by requesting a quote today.
There is never any pressure or obligation with our service. You get the information you need to make an informed decision about your life insurance.
By Michael Horbal – updated on – 10/27/2022