Life insurance is essential to having peace of mind and to settle the future of your family and loved ones. The problem is, what happens if you apply for a life insurance plan and you are denied one? Firstly, it is good to understand why you were denied life insurance and how to move forward in this situation. Do not be disheartened if your first application was rejected. There are a lot of people that get their first application rejected due to either medical or lifestyle issues.
There are a number of elements that affect your life expectancy, and the cost of any given policy can vary depending on your age, gender, family medical history, overall health, and other lifestyle choices. This is measured by comparing your statistics to other people who have a similar lifestyle profile. If you are categorised as being high-risk, it means that you are statistically more likely to die at a younger age than other groups. Therefore, this results in a more expensive insurance policy since you’ll make fewer payments when compared to other people who are low-risk and will be paying the insurance company for longer. If you are deemed to be too high risk, your life insurance application can get rejected.
Needless to say, do not be disheartened; speak to your insurer and doctor to understand what lifestyle and health issues can be resolved in order to get your desired life insurance plan.
Why have I been refused life insurance?
If you have been denied life insurance, your first step should be to ask why. Usually, it will be based on your lifestyle factors and health. You can check your medical records to see what might be troubling for the application. If you are still unsure, speak to your insurer, as they can provide this information to you.
If you are a person of high risk, the insurer may deem that it is not in their financial interest to insure you. Common factors that make a person high risk are:
- High levels of glucose or blood sugar
- High cholesterol
- Being overweight or obese
- History of cancer
- HIV and AIDs
- Hepatitis
It is not a certainty that if you have one of the above your application would be instantly rejected because every application is reviewed case by case. However, it might be a bit harder if you have these medical issues or even others. Despite this, if you develop any of these medical issues after you have filled in an application and got accepted, your cover should still be valid.
It goes without saying that if you are planning to get your life insurance in the future, be sure to get your health in check or create a plan in order to live a healthier lifestyle.
Lifestyle factors that result in a rejected application
Getting your health in order is the first thing you should do prior to filling out an application. This means that you should apply certain limitations to your lifestyle in order to change the rejected status into an approved one. Some limitations include:
- Smoking
- Exessive alcohol consumption
- Job risk
- Income limitations
- Previous rejections
If your application has a mix of lifestyle and health risks, it is most likely that your application will be rejected. Prior rejections also play a part in an application being rejected, so even before applying, try to get your health and lifestyle on track.
Lifestyle factors could also include risky activities. Everyone has hobbies, activities they enjoy doing, but some hobbies are riskier than others. If you like rock climbing, bungee jumping, skydiving, race cars, and other activities that are more dangerous than certain other hobbies, you might be rejected. It is important to keep in mind that the insurer needs to see that your lifestyle is a safe one in order to consider the the deal between you and the insurer as safe. The insurer ultimately does not want you to live dangerously and be in the risk of harming yourself.
Be mindful of the choices you make; if you enjoy certain activities, it might be smart to apply for life insurance a bit later on. This is so you won’t get your first application rejected, making it harder for your second one to be accepted.
Can I still find an affordable life insurance plan if I’ve been rejected?
You can still get a life insurance plan, but the price will depend on the reasons as to why your previous one was rejected. If it was due to lifestyle factors that you changed and you have retained that change consistently, then you can very well get an affordable life insurance plan. One of these factors, for example, could be to stop smoking.
On the other hand, it is harder to get a cheap life insurance plan if your previous application was rejected due to medical reasons. You can still find a deal, but if you suffer from certain conditions, the insurer might deem your application as a very risky one, and it won’t make sense financially to give you a more affordable plan.
Take your time
If you have been rejected, do not automatically assume that you will never have a life insurance plan, but do not go filling out an application with a different insurer. The take-home message would be to take your time. If your first one was unsuccessful, it will probably mean that the one filled out immediately after will also be unsuccessful, making it harder for your life insurance application to be accepted in the future.
Instead, take the time to work on yourself and use the advice your insurer gave you to try and understand what can change and what cannot. Lifestyle choices can easily be changed to better ones. Medical reasons are admittedly harder due to the potential risk, but you will find insurers with special plans who may accommodate such health problems. Always be in constant communication with your insurer because they can direct you and give you advice in order to get life insurance.
Conclusion
If your application gets rejected, ask your insurer about the problems with your application and ask what you can change. If there are medical problems you cannot change, ask your insurer if there are plans that accommodate such people. Do not give up on your first try! Navigating getting a life insurance plan is no easy task, and many people get rejected, so speak to an advisor.
You can find out more information about our life insurance plans here. If you need any help with your life insurance plans, or if you’ve been rejected, don’t hesitate to contact us on (+356) 2226 9500, or email us at [email protected] so we can re-review your application and discuss what your options are.