Life Insurance for Seniors With Diabetes - How Does it Work?

Final Expense Life Insurance Diabetics

Last Updated December 3, 2024

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Doctor examining senior patient blood sugar

About 1 in 10 American adults have Diabetes and about 1 in 5 people with diabetes, don’t even know that they have it. If you have a pre-existing condition like diabetes, we know how hard it can be to get life insurance.

What Is Considered Life Insurance For Diabetics?

As I’m sure you know if you’re here in this article, diabetes is the inability of the body to process glucose correctly, aka our main source of energy as human beings. Food we eat is converted to glucose or blood sugar by the organ called the pancreas, using the hormone insulin. Life Insurance for Diabetes occurs when insulin production is slowed or halted.

There’s two different types of diabetes, with those being type 1 and type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is genetic, and occurs very early on in life without many things one may do to prevent or stop the onset.

Type 2 diabetes generally is caused by an improper lifestyle or something diet related, and can be treated, and in some cases, managed/cured.

What Underwriting Can I Expect On My Application?

Insurance companies will always gauge your relative risk to the company in insuring you, with the only exception being under a guaranteed whole life insurance plan without a medical exam. In this case, the insurer already assumes you’re a risk to insure and will give you a baseline rate to follow.

In most cases, the insurance company will have you complete a medical questionnaire to assess the general status of your condition(s). On this questionnaire, there will definitely be a question or more than one question regarding your Life Insurance for diabetes diagnosis.

The good news is, the medical questionnaire will almost always specify, in that they will ask you how long since you’ve been diagnosed if it’s controlled, your A1C levels, as well as glucose levels. The higher the coverage amount, generally the more rigorous the questionnaire and/or exam. 

What Life Insurance For Diabetics Plans Are Available?

Even for seniors without a pre-existing condition like Life Insurance for diabetes, it can be difficult finding a life insurance policy simply due to age. The good news is, final expense insurance is designed to accommodate older folks that have pre-existing health conditions, with fixed incomes who simply cannot get regular life insurance. With face amounts from $1,000 all the way up to $50,000, final expense life insurance is a great alternative and the insurance that you need.

Final Expense Insurance is an underrated option for those who fear underwriting or may be deemed as too Life Insurance For Obese People or unfit to care for themselves. Final Expense Insurance exists as a guaranteed whole life insurance option meant to provide coverage to those without a medical exam or *sometimes* a questionnaire. As a result, you will be applicable for coverage although your rate may be adjusted depending on a few factors. 

Simplified issue life insurance is another fantastic option, as this coverage type minimizes the application process as much as possible and may approve you with minimal health questions. Simplified issue is marginally better then final expense insurance or another guaranteed whole life insurance policy because whole life insurance policies forgo medical questions completely and assume there is an inherent risk in insuring said individual. 

A group life insurance policy may also provide some relief to those struggling to qualify for the desired type of insurance they would like. A group life insurance policy is usually offered through an employer, and as a result of the large group, will not be grading the individuals but rather the group as a whole. The downside to this policy type is that it terminates if you leave your employer, on top of the fact that the rate offered to you may not be as lucrative as an individual policy.

Can I Get Final Expense Insurance For Diabetics?

Most people with Life Insurance for diabetics have type 2, this is the most common form. While some people are able to control their blood sugar levels with healthy eating and exercise, others may need medication or insulin to help manage it.

The good news is, even with a pre-existing condition like Life Insurance for diabetes, you can absolutely still get a final expense life insurance to cover your funeral expenses. This does pose a risk to insurers since they may have to pay out benefits sooner, but there still is hope.

How Much Does Final Expense Insurance Cost?

On average, final expense insurance can cost between $50 and $170 per month.

This is going to depend on how severe your diabetes is and how it’s managed. As long as your condition is manageable, your monthly premium should be pretty cheap for final expense insurance.

It takes minutes to apply and some of the top insurance carriers don’t even ask you medical questions.

How Long Are The Waiting Periods If I Have Life Insurance For Diabetics?

Some life insurance plans have “Graded benefits.” This means that you usually have to wait two years before your plan takes effect. You would continue paying your normal monthly premium however, if you pass away before the two year period is over, your beneficiary would receive $0.

Luckily, at Final Expense Benefits we have plans that provide your death benefit the very next day. This means there is no two year waiting period, even if you have a pre-existing condition, like diabetes.

 
There are also plans that give you partial benefits. For example, you might have a two year waiting period however, if you were to pass away in that time, your beneficiary would receive “Return of premium” which is a refund of what you paid monthly.

How Diabetes Affects Your Rate

Insurance companies and their underwriting usually contains a hierarchy where they place you based on the information provided to them. These classifications are determined based on your relative risk to the insurance company and will provide you with more inexpensive monthly premiums the higher you are on the list.

Preferred Plus: This is the most exceptional rating an individual can receive when being graded for coverage. If you’re in the Life Insurance for Overweight People by just a few pounds over the ideal weight given by the insurance company, you will not receive this rating. 

Preferred: The second best rating an individual can receive. This category is reserved for those who may have had minor health issues, or may have pre-existing conditions present within their family but are otherwise in great health. 

Standard Plus: The next best category, standard plus is reserved for those who are in good health but may have or have had an applicable condition in the past, or within their family. 

Standard: This category is reserved for those in average health. Those in this category may have conditions associated with them but are still manageable, like blood pressure. 

Table Ratings: This is reserved for those who pose a high risk to the insurance company. To get into this category, you must pose a severe risk to the company. 

Can I Get A Lower Rate If I Control My Life Insurance For Diabetes?

Absolutely, although not immediately in some cases. This process of re-evaluating your qualifications is called “reconsideration” and may be requested at your discretion. In most cases, 12 months is the period of time given to those that need to control their Life Insurance for diabetics or to maintain said control of diabetes. At this point, you will be asked to take another medical exam or fill out another questionnaire. 

This also may be reversed. If insurers find new risks associated with you during the process, they may raise your rate or flat-out disqualify you. The only exception to this process involves fixed premiums with a whole life insurance policy wherein your rates are locked in at coverage approval. 

If you’ve been denied Life Insurance for Diabetics, you can expect a few scenarios.

First of all, your qualification assessment may be postponed for 6-12 months with the stipulation that you control your Life Insurance for diabetics or produce lower A1C levels. 

Secondly, if you’ve controlled your diabetes recently, you may have to enter a probation period where you are expected to keep the respective levels down.

Finally, you may simply be offered a higher rate than someone else/the average. 

Best Insurance Companies For Life Insurance for Diabetics

Plenty of companies that offer burial insurance cover seniors with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Depending on how severe your condition, your price per month can vary.

The top insurance carries we work with still offer you plans with no waiting periods and face values from $5,000 to $50,000.
These carriers include:

-AIG
-Mutual of Omaha
-Aetna
-Prosperity
-And others

Whole Life Insurance For Diabetics

The best life insurance for type 1 or type 2 diabetes is a Whole Life policy. 

A whole life policy will remain in effect until the day of death. Your premiums will never increase and you benefits never decrease. Final expense burial insurance are whole life plans. Many of these carriers offer whole life plans with no waiting periods.

For many seniors with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you can’t qualify for a life insurance policy. Luckily, we have plans that require no medical exam.

We at Final Expense Benefits partner with over 20 carriers, with:

Being some of the ones that stand out among the crowd. Reduce the stress involved with life insurance for seniors and let us do all of the heavy lifting for you. 

Give us a call at 1(866)311-4338 M-F, 9-5.

Conclusion

Pre-existing conditions can make it seem impossible to find a life insurance to take care of your family.

We are here to say, you still have hope. A final expense life insurance is the absolute best option for you if you have a pre-existing condition, like diabetes.

Call us today at 1 866-311-4338 and let our licensed agent bring you and your family, peace of mind.