Various health issues affect term life insurance rates, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affects an estimated 15.3 million Americans which means that many people suffering from the condition still apply for insurance and are accepted for coverage. Even so, life insurance companies view COPD as a risk, so your term life insurance rates might be affected. The good news is that insurance companies underwrite health impairments like COPD a little differently.
Quotacy is here to dig through the different life insurance companies to help you find affordable term life insurance rates that keep you and your family covered.
Buying Life Insurance with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD is a common medical condition we see with Quotacy clients. It’s a condition our agents are familiar with and have successfully helped people with COPD get life insurance coverage.
If you have COPD, your best chances of getting affordable life insurance is to apply through a broker, like Quotacy. Brokers are not tied to one life insurance company and are able to shop the market.
We want you to get approved and will work hard to help you get coverage. Start the process by getting a free term life insurance quote or keep reading for more in-depth information about life insurance and COPD.
See what you’d pay for life insurance
Underwriting COPD
When you apply for life insurance, underwriters review the complete application and all the records that go along with it. They then decide how much coverage and at what cost to offer the applicant, unless they decide to deny or post-pone the application.
Below is an example of what a life insurance company may rate you depending on the condition of your COPD. The chart is for illustrative purposes only.
| Degree | Symptoms | Treatment | FEV1 | Possible Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal | Asymptomatic, normal exercise tolerance, no chronic oral medications, stable chest x-ray with no more than minimal interstitial markings | None | Greater than 80% and stable for at least 2 years | Typical classifications may apply – no table rating |
| Mild | No more than occasional throat clearing or respiratory infection | None | 60-80% | Table B |
| Moderate | Shortness of breath (dyspnea) with moderate exertion such as climbing two flights of stairs | Inhaler | 50-60% | Table D |
| Severe | Dyspnea with mild physical activity such as dressing or walking one block | Steroids, multiple medications | 40-50% | Table G |
| Extreme | Disabled, dyspnea at rest or with minimal activity | Home oxygen | < 40% | Decline |
The table rating system typically means that your pricing for life insurance will be the Standard price plus 25% for every step down the table you are, Tables A-J or 1-10 depending on which format the insurance company uses. Let’s go over what the premium costs may be for the examples in the previous chart.
If your COPD has a minimal degree of severity, you may qualify for the typical life insurance classes such as Preferred and Standard. These classes do not have the added on percentage like the Table Ratings.
Keep in mind that life insurance companies all underwrite a little differently. A benefit to working with Quotacy is that we work with multiple A-rated life insurance companies. Shopping your application around to more than one insurance company can only help you. Quotacy will do this behind the scenes so no need for you to hop around applying to different life insurance companies.
Start the process by running quotes online here at Quotacy. Our quoting tool can give you an idea of what life insurance costs, but cannot factor how COPD will affect the pricing. There are just too many variables for online quoting tools to calculate.
To find out exactly how much life insurance will cost you, simply run a quote and apply online and your Quotacy agent will set realistic expectations after reviewing your application. We’ll walk you through the process of buying life insurance and can help answer any questions along the way.
Many health conditions impact your life insurance eligibility and potential costs. Learn more about life insurance and pre-existing conditions in our guide.
Hello, I would like to have an isurance which is valid in Europe, espacially in Austria for my mother who has diagnosed with COPD and her age 60. Please advise which insurance company will cover COPD in Europe?
Many thanks
Hello Saruul, we suggest looking for insurance companies in Austria versus here in the United States. In order to purchase a life insurance policy in the U.S. on your mother, she has to be on U.S. soil to sign the paperwork and complete the medical exam.
Hi, I’m looking at geting life insurance for my 64 year old grandmother with COPD.
Hi Tre,
Whether or not your grandmother can be approved for a traditional life insurance policy will be determined by her individual situation, especially the severity of her COPD. If the severity is mild, she may be able to find affordable coverage. The more severe it is, especially at age 64, the more cost-prohibitive a traditional life insurance policy would be. Insurable interest is another hoop you may have to jump through. Do you rely on her financially? In general, if she is insurable, it will be an easier process for her to buy her own life insurance policy and name you the beneficiary.