Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans. Per the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 900,000 Americans died of cardiovascular diseases in 2023. As death rates continue to rise, seniors looking to protect themselves and loved ones would be wise to turn to life insurance. Seniors with heart conditions may think they don’t have many options, but there are several low-cost, reliable choices for life insurance for heart patients.
Burial insurance is the most reliable and accessible type of life insurance for seniors. These whole life policies offer affordable coverage, designed to cover seniors with medical concerns, including heart conditions. If you’re looking for the best life insurance for heart patients, burial insurance is a quality option. As experts in the burial insurance market, Final Expense Benefits is here to help you find a great policy that fits your needs and budget.
To learn more about your options for life insurance for heart patients, call us at (866) 786-0725 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, or check our free online pricing tool for a personalized quote.
Key takeaways
There are several options for life insurance for heart patients.
Burial insurance is the most reliable option for seniors with heart conditions.
Eligibility and rates depend on the severity of your condition and can get complicated.
Guaranteed life insurance is available to seniors with serious or advanced heart conditions.
Can You Get Life Insurance for Heart Patients?
Heart patients can get life insurance, but rates, policy options, and availability depend on the severity of your condition and your insurer’s medical underwriting. Life insurance companies use underwriting to determine applicants’ health status and life expectancy.
If you have a heart condition and apply for life insurance, underwriters will ask a list of questions on the application to determine your diagnosis, treatments, family health history, and current overall health.
They’ll verify this information with a thorough investigation through a Medical Information Bureau (MIB) report, so it’s wise to be thorough and honest. If you withhold or falsify information on a life insurance application, your application could be denied or the payout could be disqualified.
If you are honest and thorough with your medical questionnaire, you’ll be able to get accurate, affordable rates. Plus, even with serious pre-existing conditions like heart disease, you’ll have a wide range of coverage options.
What is the Best Life Insurance for Heart Patients?
Depending on condition severity, seniors may have many options for life insurance with heart conditions. These include:
1
Term Life Insurance for Heart Patients
Term life insurance only covers for a set period, usually 10 to 30 years, but offers low rates and large payouts that range from about $100,000 to over $5 million. These policies have strict underwriting requirements and are normally only used by young adults or workers with dangerous occupations.
Because of their strict underwriting requirements, seniors are often excluded from coverage under term life policies or are assigned higher rates. Most term life providers exclude even healthy seniors from term life coverage, so those with heart conditions likely won’t qualify either. Unfortunately, term life insurance is not a viable option for seniors with heart conditions.
2
Whole Life Insurance for Heart Patients
Unlike term life insurance, whole life policies offer lifetime coverage at higher prices. Whole life insurance offers cash value growth, plus rates and benefit payouts are locked at the policy’s start, providing significant upside over term life plans.
Benefit payouts are lower than term policies, ranging up to about $100,000 for most providers. Rates for whole life policies are generally higher than term life insurance. However, because term life underwriting is so unfavorable to seniors, rates for whole life insurance may be comparable to term life rates.
Whole life underwriting is more favorable to seniors than term life, but seniors with advanced heart conditions may have issues with policy availability. Traditional, high-value whole life insurance may have some strict underwriting practices that could exclude seniors with pre-existing conditions, so they may need to look elsewhere. Thankfully, seniors with heart conditions have one reliable whole life option: burial insurance.
3
Burial Insurance for Heart Patients
Also called final expense insurance, burial insurance is a type of whole life insurance that offers the benefits of whole life policies, but with reduced prices and relaxed underwriting. Burial insurance provides coverage for seniors’ needs, with average death benefit payouts ranging from around $5,000 to $50,000, plenty to cover end-of-life expenses like funeral, cremation, and burial plot costs.
Burial insurance underwriting is often favorable to seniors with pre-existing conditions, plus these policies normally don’t require medical exams. This flexibility allows those with heart conditions to qualify for affordable coverage. Rates vary depending on condition severity. Seniors with heart conditions could qualify for low rates comparable to those of healthy seniors, or you may need guaranteed life insurance.
Guaranteed policies are usually reserved for seniors with serious medical conditions. If you’ve recently had several cardiac events like heart attacks or congestive heart failure, you’ll likely only qualify for guaranteed policies.
Rates for guaranteed plans are about 25% to 40% higher than those of comparable level-benefit plans, benefits are limited to about a $30,000 maximum, and they have waiting periods. Guaranteed life insurance waiting periods are usually two to three years. If the policyholder dies during this time, rates may be reduced or paid over time in a modified structure, but these policies are the only way some people can secure coverage.
If you apply early while in good health, you’ll likely qualify for an affordable policy without a waiting period, so don’t wait. Call Final Expense Benefits for expert assistance finding a quality burial insurance plan.
How Do Heart Conditions Determine Life Insurance Options?
Life insurance companies determine your rates and options by reviewing the details of your condition and treatment. Here’s a breakdown of common heart conditions and how they affect your life insurance availability:
- Heart Attack
Burial insurance is a good option for seniors who have suffered heart attacks, though they may be eligible for some limited term or traditional whole life plans. Seniors who have suffered a heart attack in the past five years will have stricter rates and underwriting. With a recent heart attack, you’ll generally only qualify for graded-benefit plans with waiting periods, though some providers like Aetna Accendo may offer less expensive level-benefit policies.
- Congestive Heart Failure
Like those who have suffered heart attacks, senior congestive heart failure patients likely will only qualify for graded policies.
- Heart Disease
Per the CDC, the most common heart disease in the U.S. is coronary artery disease (CAD). Options for life insurance with heart diseases like CAD vary depending on the condition’s severity. Seniors with CAD and other heart diseases are best covered by burial insurance, and may qualify for low rates, depending on treatment, medication, and more. - Arrhythmia (Irregular Heartbeat)
Irregular heartbeat conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib), fast heartbeat, or slow heartbeat qualify for varying rates and underwriting categories. You can qualify for life insurance with AFib and these conditions, but, as with other heart conditions, rates depend on your condition’s severity, any medications, and more.
Underwriting and eligibility can be tricky for life insurance with heart conditions. Heart patients seeking life insurance should use brokerages like Final Expense Benefits to help search for affordable coverage. Call us today for help finding an affordable plan that matches your health needs.
How Much Are Rates for Life Insurance for Heart Conditions?
Rates vary by your condition’s severity, but most burial insurance policies cost around $30 to $150 monthly for $10,000 policies for seniors ages 50 to 80. However, rates rise if your underwriting category is unfavorable, ranging above $200 monthly for guaranteed policies.
Final Expense Benefits partners with over 20 of the best life insurance providers, and we stand by our providers’ rates and service. Here are some sample rates for level-benefit, modified-benefit, and guaranteed-issue $10,000 burial insurance policies from our top providers. Because everyone’s health profile is different, these sample rates were calculated using a non-smoking applicant with no specific health conditions, but you can expect similar pricing, even with heart conditions.
1
Level-Benefit Burial Insurance Rates for Heart Patients
| Company |
Male 50y/o |
Female 50y/o |
Male 60y/o |
Female 60y/o |
Male 70y/o |
Female 70y/o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$34 |
$27 |
$50 |
$40 |
$70 |
$56 |
|
|
$31 |
$26 |
$43 |
$35 |
$71 |
$53 |
|
|
$31 |
$24 |
$44 |
$33 |
$75 |
$53 |
|
|
$34 |
$29 |
$45 |
$35 |
$79 |
$59 |
|
|
$33 |
$26 |
$48 |
$36 |
$82 |
$58 |
These figures are estimates only, based on a $10,000 burial insurance policy for a non-smoking applicant with no pre-existing conditions.
2
Guaranteed-Issue Burial Insurance Rates for Heart Patients
| Company |
Male 50y/o |
Female 50y/o |
Male 60y/o |
Female 60y/o |
Male 70y/o |
Female 70y/o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$91 |
$86 |
$115 |
$101 |
$157 |
$129 |
|
|
$61 |
$42 |
$74 |
$59 |
$115 |
$87 |
These figures are estimates only, based on a $10,000 burial insurance policy for a non-smoking applicant with no pre-existing conditions.
It’s important to get life insurance early, before your condition reaches a stage in which your only option is a pricey guaranteed policy. Call Final Expense Benefits today to learn more about your options, or check our free online funeral cost calculator or pricing estimate tool to see how much coverage you may need or how much it could cost.
Best Life Insurance Companies for Heart Patients
All of our top-rated life insurance providers offer quality coverage to seniors with pre-existing conditions, but some offer flexible underwriting ideal for those with heart conditions. Here are some of our top picks for life insurance for seniors with heart conditions:
- Aetna Accendo
Backed by CVS Health, Aetna Accendo life insurance offers quality customer service and affordable policies with relaxed underwriting, favorable to seniors with pre-existing conditions. If your medical condition is serious enough to put you into graded policies with other insurers, you may still qualify for lower-cost level-benefit plans with Aetna Accendo. Because of this, Aetna Accendo is a standout choice for life insurance for heart patients.
- American Amicable
With simple underwriting practices and a broad range of life insurance riders for extra coverage, American Amicable is a low-cost, reliable option for seniors with heart conditions.
- Americo
Americo offers low-cost life insurance options with a variety of underwriting categories. If you provide accurate and thorough answers to the medical questionnaire on your application, you could qualify for lower rates with Americo than with other providers.
If you’re interested in these or any of our other fantastic life insurance partners, contact Final Expense Benefits. Our expert agents can help you find a great policy that fits your needs.
Final Thoughts
Seniors with heart conditions can choose from a wide range of burial insurance options. However, your choices depend heavily on the severity of your condition, and you may only qualify for a high-cost guaranteed policy with a serious, advanced heart condition.
That highlights the need to apply early. Contact Final Expense Benefits and our expert agents can help you find a quality policy that meets your health and budget needs.
Call us at (866) 786-0725 to start your journey to affordable coverage today, or check our free online quoting tool for a personalized pricing estimate.
FAQ
Can you get life insurance with a heart condition?
There are several options for life insurance for heart conditions, but eligibility and availability is determined by the severity of your condition.
What is the best life insurance for heart patients?
Options and eligibility depend on the specifics of your condition, but the best life insurance for seniors with heart conditions is typically burial insurance.
What is burial insurance?
Burial insurance is a low-cost type of whole life insurance designed to offer seniors accessible, affordable coverage, even with pre-existing medical concerns like heart conditions. Average benefit payouts range from around $5,000 to $50,000 and are typically used to cover costs for funerals, cremations, burial plots, and other end-of-life expenses.
How much does a funeral cost?
In 2025, average funeral costs in the U.S. are around $10,000, which is why most sample burial insurance quotes are for $10,000 policies. Check our free funeral cost calculator to see how much coverage you need.