Can I buy life insurance after heart surgery?
Buying Life Insurance after Heart Surgery
Life insurance is one of the most useful insurance policies nowadays, due to the protection offered to your loved ones in the case that the unexpected occurs. People who have this coverage can expect the beneficiaries to receive a lump sum payment after death. Many people decide to get this policy to ensure that their family will never have a hard time paying for costly funeral expenses, as well as unpaid mortgage, loans and utility bills.
Life Insurance after Heart Surgery
Buying life insurance after heart surgery may be a bit tougher, as this will generally translate to higher premiums and rates. Most insurance companies charge higher premiums to those who have had heart surgery, because heart diseases are among the most common causes of death in the US. In fact, surveys show that heart problems are the primary cause of death for men and women in the US; the disease claims around one million lives in the country every year. Worldwide, there are around 8.6 million people who die from heart diseases annually.
Keeping these statistics in mind, it is no longer surprising why insurance providers decide to charge higher premiums to those who are at risk of experiencing heart attacks. The increasing number of deaths caused by heart disease, creates higher risk for these providers. Thus, the reason for the higher insurance premiums and rates.
What are the risk factors for heart disease?
Buying life insurance after heart surgery involves understanding risk factors for heart diseases. Note that if you don’t understand these risk factors, then your chances of suffering from an attack again are higher; this will also translate to insurance qualification difficulties and high premiums and rates. The following are some of the factors that can contribute to higher insurance costs:
- Heart attacks experienced at a young age
- Multiple attacks experienced in the past
- Continuing episodes of chest pain and angina
- Diabetes
- Being overweight or obese
- Electrocardiogram changes
- Malfunctioning left ventricular
- Uncontrolled hypertension
- Other renal and cardiovascular diseases
- Severity of your coronary artery disease
- Heart complications like arrhythmias
- Unregulated lipids
How to Lower your Risk of having a heart attack?
- Prove the stability of your health by following the recommended waiting times – Life insurance policies are available to those who undergo heart surgeries such as angioplasty and bypass six months after the procedure. There are also insurers who wait for one to two years to prove the stability of the health condition in their prospective clients. Be willing to stick to this waiting period and try to improve your health during that time, in order to have an easier experience gaining approval and lowering your premiums.
- Maintain a healthy weight – If you are obese or overweight, then you have to work hard to reach a healthy weight. Note that excess weight can strain the muscles in your heart. It will increase your risk of suffering from another heart attack, which may also have a negative impact on your insurance rates.
- Avoid smoking – If possible, remove this unhealthy habit from your life. Excessive smoking can lead to heart attacks and other harmful medical conditions including lung cancer. Stay away from tobacco products including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and pipe and chewing tobacco.
- Exercise – Increased physical activity can keep your heart pumping, thereby ensuring that it stays healthy. Taking part in cardiovascular exercises such as walking, biking and running for twenty to thirty minutes daily is enough to improve your cardiovascular system.
- Relax – Reduce your stress levels. Find time to relax so you won’t put unnecessary strain on your heart.
Purchasing life insurance after undergoing heart surgery may be challenging due to the high rates and premiums that come along with it. The good news is that even if you are you can lower your insurance rates by also reducing your risk factors. Continue browsing this site to find an affordable life insurance plan to meet your specific needs.