How to Buy Life Insurance With High Cholesterol

Purchasing Life Insurance With High Cholesterol & Receive the Lowest Rates in [2023] 

If you’re shopping for life insurance with high cholesterol, you’re in the same boat as millions of other Americans. The good news is you can very quickly get preferred rates if your cholesterol is controlled with medication.

Over 74 million people in the United States have high Low-Density Lipoprotein, otherwise known as LDL, which is the bad version of cholesterol. However, purchasing life insurance with high cholesterol is simple, unlike years ago when this was considered a high-risk condition.

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 LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is a “bad” form of cholesterol. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is a “good” form of cholesterol.

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Can I Get Life Insurance With High Cholesterol?

Can you get life insurance with high cholesterol? To answer this simple question? The answer is yes, and usually with no problem at all. If your cholesterol levels are within normal limits, you can get preferred rates considering your overall health is acceptable. If your limits are higher than average, you could be classified in Standard Plus or a Standard rating which is still OK.

If your cholesterol used to be high and you are taking medication, that brings it down to an average level. That would work great also, just as long as your readings are within a safe level. Insurers are concerned that high cholesterol causes artery restrictions, leading to a fatal heart attack or stroke.

 

How Life Insurance Companies Consider High Cholesterol

Life insurance companies understand that this can be a serious condition if left untreated. They consider high cholesterol levels a possible beginning of heart disease or stroke. Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in fats, otherwise known as lipids, in your blood.

Even though your body needs cholesterol to continue to build healthy blood cells, having too much high cholesterol can drastically increase your risk of heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. Heart disease kills more people than cancer each year.

Individuals with high cholesterol may develop dangerous fat deposits in their blood vessels. These deposits make it very difficult for a lot of blood to flow through their arteries as time passes. A heart that does not have enough oxygen-rich blood will increase the risk of a heart attack. Also, a shortage of blood in one brain can cause a stroke. Strokes can be as quick and fatal as heart attacks.

High cholesterol can be inherited, but it’s often the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices and is thus preventable and treatable. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and sometimes medication can significantly reduce high cholesterol.

 

Will High Cholesterol Affect My Life Insurance Rates?

The answer to this question can be either yes or no. If you have mild to moderately elevated cholesterol and it is controlled with medication, you will probably see no increase in your premiums.

Even if your cholesterol levels are slightly high and you don’t take any medication, you will probably still qualify for preferred rates, mainly if you apply with the best life insurance companies for high cholesterol.

Suppose your condition is more severe and not being controlled with medication. You will then see an increase in premiums by adjusting your health classification accordingly. Also, being overweight and using tobacco products will fuel the fire. Having multiple health conditions simultaneously will usually promote a higher rate increase and sometimes a decline.

 

Will Taking Statin Medication Increase My Rates?

Taking medication to improve your condition is a good move, which shows the underwriters that you periodically see a doctor and improve your health. A person with this condition seldom sees a doctor without ever taking medication and will have problems. Insurance companies do not appreciate the idea of ignoring one’s health.

If possible, improve your diet, lose some weight and exercise more. This, in many cases, can eliminate your medical issues and the need for medications along with their side effects. Remember that statin drugs used for elevated cholesterol have a long list of severe side effects.

 

What if My Assigned Rates Come Back Too High to Afford?

If you apply for life insurance and your final rates come back too high, you will have several options. If we were your agents, we would find out exactly why they went up in the first place. It could be due to lab results, notes in your doctor’s records, or something found in a Medical Information Bureau report.

You can submit your application to multiple other life insurance companies and even ask for a reconsideration from the company you just applied to. You will usually have several alternatives, such as lowering the face amount or reducing the term period, to name a few.

However, if the main problem is your degree of elevated cholesterol, you will have to try to lower it naturally and then re-apply. See the paragraph below to reduce the intensity of your condition.

 

How Can I Reduce My Cholesterol Naturally?

If you are diagnosed with this condition, the first step should always be an attempt to reduce your high cholesterol naturally, such as:

Start Eating Heart-Healthy Foods

• Eat more whey protein
• Increase your soluble fiber intake
• Increase your Omega-3 fatty acid intake
• Decrease or eliminate trans fats
• Reduce eating saturated fats 

If You Smoke, Stop!

• If you stop smoking, it will reduce your blood pressure and heart rate within minutes.
• Your body’s blood circulation and respiratory system will increase within a few months.
• It will drastically reduce the risk of heart attack or coronary heart disease within a year.
• After six months, the risk of having a major stroke will be reduced by over 60%.

Stop or Reduce Your Alcohol Intake

• Limiting your alcohol intake can increase your HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) by a maximum of 1-2 drinks daily.
• Too much alcohol can drastically increase the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and stroke.
• If you consume a lot of alcohol, your chances of ever-lowering your cholesterol are slim.

If You Are Overweight, Lose a Few Pounds

• Try to eliminate as much sugar as possible. This includes candy, soda pop drinks, and many types of food you eat, such as apples and oranges, which contain a lot of sugar. Also, many bread products have a high degree of sugar after eating. The dangers of sugar in the body are intense and should not be overlooked.
• Getting involved with cardiovascular exercises such as fast walking, jogging, and staying more active on your feet will help.
• Be careful of fattening foods such as fast-food restaurants. Instead, do extensive research on what foods to eat and what not to eat.
• Weightlifting is a great way to burn calories and burn off body fat. 

 

What Foods Should I Avoid With High Cholesterol?

It is essential to pay attention to foods to avoid high cholesterol. You can reduce your harmful LDL levels by just taking a moment to research food on the internet. Learn more about what foods to eat and what to avoid. With all the side effects of statin drugs, taking the bull by the horns and watching what you eat will pay off.

If you add more physical exercise to your lifestyle, you can reduce it even more. Then, when the smoke clears, you could look at perfectly normal cholesterol levels. Here is just a sample of foods to avoid. Remember, eating these foods in excess is where the cholesterol problems start.

Limit these foods if you want to lower your cholesterol.

• Egg yolk, including whole eggs (eaten regularly)
• Butter (if consumed in excess)
• Shellfish family of foods, examples: lobsters, oysters, and shrimp (eaten in excess)
• Beef and pork-related are limited to (fatty cuts of meat)
• Salmon and other fish are known to be greasy and fried
• Cheese, cream, sour cream (unless the low-fat versions)
• Organ-related meat, such as liver, which is the worst
• Bacon and sausage, along with other (processed meats) 

 

What Are the Best Companies for High Cholesterol? 

We work with the most competitive life insurance companies with A+ ratings.

Banner Life – Banner is one of our favorite companies that offers folks Preferred Plus rates if you have a cholesterol ratio of no more than 4.5—with a total level not exceeding 300. Rates over 4.5 but under 5.5 can qualify for Preferred rates, which is still an excellent rate class. Remember that Preferred Plus rates will be limited to people in perfect health. Those under 6.5 are eligible for Standard Plus. Standard rates are offered to those with high ratios under 8.0, with total cholesterol levels still below the range of 300.

Voya – Men with ratios below 5.0 (with total cholesterol below 300) can qualify for their Preferred Plus rates. Meanwhile, women under 4.5 are eligible for the same rates. Requirements are getting tighter for their Preferred rates, with 5.5 being the limit for men and 5.2 for women. Those with ratios no higher than 6.0 can still qualify for their Standard ratings.

Prudential –  Applicants with ratios of no more than 5.0 are eligible for Prudential’s Preferred Plus rates. While those with a ratio of no more than 6.0 will be placed in their Preferred rate class. Those with ratios no higher than 7.0 are eligible for Standard Plus. Prudential also allows total cholesterol levels for all of their health classes to go up to 300. Prudential is an excellent choice for many since they are more liberal with their requirements than most other companies.

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Many excellent life insurance companies do a great job underwriting applications for people with high cholesterol. As long as your condition is controlled, you should receive preferred rates. 

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Medical Symptoms

The downside of this medical condition is that it has no symptoms. Only a blood test will detect high cholesterol. The lack of symptoms is why so many people walk around with it and don’t even know it. It is very similar to high blood pressure in that respect.

 

What is Total Cholesterol?

The meaning of the phrase “total cholesterol” is simply a measurement of the “total” amount of cholesterol in your blood system. The phrase entails low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The LDL version is the bad version that can cause a blockage in the arteries of your body. This is one of the leading causes of strokes and heart attacks.

Causes of Elevated Cholesterol

Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream and attaches to proteins in your blood. This combination of proteins and cholesterol is a lipoprotein. The different types of cholesterol are based on what kind of cholesterol the lipoprotein carries throughout the bloodstream. For example, the low-density lipoprotein LDL, the bad version, spreads these particles entirely through your body.

The dangerous LDL builds up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard and narrow to the point of blood flow restriction. Unfortunately, this also promotes high blood pressure.

Remember, the HDL Version is Good for You!

On the other hand, the high-density type lipoprotein HDL. Also known as “the good” form consumes excess cholesterol and returns it to your liver which is a good thing. However, many people do not know that there is a good form.

Inactivity and obesity are otherwise known as being overweight, and an unhealthy diet will increase high LDL cholesterol levels. Low HDL cholesterol levels put you at significant risk of a heart attack or stroke. This medical condition can also be passed down through your genes by your parents and inherited in simple terms.

What Are the Factors That Cause High Cholesterol?

• Smoking – All forms of tobacco can damage the interior walls of your blood vessels. If this occurs, they can quickly accumulate fatty deposits. Smoking also lowers your HDL level, or “the good” form. Smoking will also add a tobacco rate to your rates, increasing by over 200%.
• Diabetes – High blood sugar caused by Diabetes contributes to higher LDL and lower HDL cholesterol. High blood sugar content can severely cause damage to the lining of your arterial walls.
• Obesity – Being overweight or obese can significantly put you at risk of developing high cholesterol.
• Not Enough Exercise – Physical exercise will increase your body’s HDL. This will increase the size of the particles that make up your LDL bad cholesterol, making it less harmful to your health.
• Unhealthy Diet – Consuming too much saturated fats found in animal-related products. Also, fats found in commercially baked cookies can raise your cholesterol level. Foods high in cholesterol, such as red meat, beef and pork, and fatty dairy products, can also increase your total levels.

 

Examples of Normal Levels of Cholesterol

• Total cholesterol Less than 200 mg/dL
• LDL “bad” cholesterol Less than 100 mg/dL
• HDL “good” cholesterol 40 mg/dL or higher
• Triglycerides Less than 150 mg/dL

You can fall into readings such as these with or without cholesterol medications. You will be in good shape once you start your application process. For some reason, the insurance companies offer for life insurance is not as good as expected. We can send your application to other companies is always an option.

What Kind of Foods Lower Cholesterol Levels?

• Oats – Oatmeal, oat-based cereal like the big favorite, Cheerios.
• Barley & Whole Grains – Such as Oat Bran-related foods.
• Beans include – Navy and kidney beans, lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and others.
• Eggplant & Okra – These two foods are low-calorie vegetables that are good sources of soluble fiber.
•  Nuts – Eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Consuming 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL. Nuts also have additional nutrients that protect the heart.
•  Vegetable oils –  Consuming liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter or shortening when cooking can lower LDL.
•  Apples – grapes, strawberries, and citrus fruits – are rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower LDL.
•  Soy –  Putting soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, on your menu is an excellent way to lower cholesterol.

 

What Are the Three Main Types of Life Insurance?

1. Term Life Insurance – Term life insurance will always have the lowest cost and allow you to get the highest face amount you may need without breaking the bank. You can choose life insurance products with a term of 10 to 40 years. These policies can also be converted into permanent life insurance during the lifetime of your term policy period.
2. Universal Life – Universal life insurance is a permanent life insurance product that will last for the rest of your life as long as you keep paying your premiums. It does cost over double the price of the term, but it will last the rest of your life with no possible gaps in coverage like a term product can.
3. No Medical Exam – No medical exam life insurance is also known as Non-Med life insurance. The application is shorter than a conventional plan design, and the physical exam is also waived. Although the side effect is these plans cost more than traditional term policies for commercial fishermen, I would go the standard application route to keep the premium as low as possible.

Can I Apply and Get Approved Within 48 hours?

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, use your valuable time to your best advantage. The first step is to contact an independent agent who can shop for all the best companies. Your agent (hopefully we) will be able to quickly find the best companies to fit your specific needs and your monthly budget. You can then submit a No Medical Exam life insurance application after choosing the best life insurance company to apply with.

With many of these companies, you can be approved within several days or even as quickly as 24 hours. These non-med plans are also great if you do not like taking physicals or are in a hurry to buy your life insurance.

Why Should You Consider Working With Us?

We don’t make promises we can’t keep or tell you what we want to hear, as some other agents do. We will only give you the plain facts, whatever they are. We can tell you that we have over 25 years of experience and work hard to get our clients the best policy and the lowest premiums possible. The best part is you don’t have to listen to any sales-related malarky. 

We show you your options by researching our list of over 40 companies we deal with and letting you take it from there. If you decide to apply, then we will provide the best care every inch of the way until you are approved with the rates that we are both happy with. There is no sales pressure or any dog or pony show whatsoever, just an excellent professional experience we know you will be more than happy with.

 

Can I Apply Over the Telephone to Save Time? 

Telephone applications save a lot of time and make it very simple for all applicants. No one likes completing a lengthy paper application. Online applications are also an excellent way to apply, but some people are uncomfortable working with computers. About 95% of our applications are completed using the telephone application system. The application takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

 

Can a Medical Pre-Screen Help Get Lower Rates?

A medical pre-screen will help you get lower rates because it will help your agent choose the most applicable life insurance company for you to apply with. This process will only take 5-10 minutes to accomplish by completing a form that will ask for basic details of any medical conditions, prescription medications, and your height and weight.

Jumping into an application blind will create unwanted surprises once your application is in the underwriting department. A pre-screen will also give you an accurate idea of your rates before applying.

 

How Can I Compare the Best Life Insurance Quotes With High Cholesterol?

You can compare the best life insurance quotes from over 40 top-rated companies on our website’s instant rate comparison system. You will see which companies offer the lowest rates in less than a minute. You can also call us; we will help you over the phone or by email. Always remember that any medical condition you have can impact your rates. Your agent (hopefully we) can determine your projected rates if you apply after a brief conversation.

In Conclusion

If you are looking for the best life insurance quotes, don’t allow the idea of having high cholesterol to prevent you from finding the lowest rates and the best plan design for your specific needs. You will find that life insurance with this condition can be very affordable, especially when you have an excellent chance of getting preferred rates in the first place. You can contact us and get all the answers to your questions seven days a week. 

 

All the best,
Jack Venturi
708-334-6226

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If you have questions about life insurance for cancer survivors, contact us today to help you at no cost or obligation. Remember that we are brokers and work for our clients, not insurance companies. Our job is to help you get approved for the best policy for your needs with the lowest rates possible. You can also set up a time at your convenience to talk.  

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