Proteinuria Life Insurance Underwriting
You may have had lab work recently that came back with high protein in urine levels, also known as proteinuria. Â
While proteinuria is not a specific disease, it may be an indication of endocrine conditions or, in some cases, may be the result of a kidney problem.
If you were applying for life insurance and your paramed exam lab results indicate high protein levels, your life insurance application may have been postponed.
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How Does Proteinuria Affect Life Insurance?
Proteinuria is a term used to describe elevated protein levels in your urine.
Normal urine samples contain a very small amount of protein.
The cutoff level for normal protein in urine is typically 10mg/dl.
A small part of that protein is Albumin. Albumin is a type of protein. The normal cutoff for Albumin is 3mg/dl. Elevated levels of Albumin is called Albuminuria.
Why Do Underwriters Care about Proteinuria?
As part of high-risk life insurance underwriting, the concerns that life insurance underwriters have about elevated protein in urine are that you may have more significant medical problems such as:
Kidney Damage – You may have damage to your Glomeruli, which is the filter for your kidney. If your Glomeruli aren’t working properly, protein leaks into your urine.
You’ll find more information on the EndocrineWeb site that is helpful.
Can the Proteinuria Lab Results Be Wrong?
The lab results are probably not wrong, BUT some situations cause a temporary increase in protein that may cause problems with life insurance underwriting.
It’s called transient proteinuria.
If you had a fever or were sick around the time of your paramed exam, your lab results may indicate elevated protein levels in your urine.
Exercise – Strenuous exercise may elevate your protein levels.
If you have never had any of the above-mentioned health issues, a repeat test performed by your doctor may rule out proteinuria. If this is the case with you, once you have ruled out protein problems, it should not be an issue with life insurance underwriting.
How Does Proteinuria Affect My Life Insurance?
If the cause of your Proteinuria is known, i.e., diabetes, heart disease, etc.. life insurance underwriters will determine your life insurance rates based on the other health conditions.
If you have a history of high protein levels and other health conditions are ruled out, life insurance companies may charge you more depending on your level of protein.
For example:
If your protein levels are:
30 – 50 mg/dl – You may qualify for standard life insurance rates, and some companies will add a table rating, which will add up to 50% to the standard life insurance rates.
51 – 125 mg/dl – Life insurance when available, companies will typically take the standard life insurance rates to double them, called a table 4 rating.
Above 125 mg/dl – On a case-by-case basis, may add 200% to the standard life insurance rates if available.
The best way for us to help you is to let us review your information with you to gain a better understanding of your medical history.
We can then present your information to multiple life insurance companies in order to find the best life insurance company for you.
Once we receive feedback from life insurance companies, we can give you an idea of the price, and you can decide at that time if it is worthwhile pursuing.
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