Life Coverage Approval with Sleep Apnea

Many people like you suffer from the negative effects of sleep apnea: excessive snoring, waking up out of breath and the strain on your relationship with your partner. According to a study by the Association for Respiratory Care, around 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea.

More than just an annoyance or inconvenience, sleep apnea is also a major health concern that may have serious consequences for your ability to qualify for life coverage. It is considered a highly significant health condition by many insurance underwriters.

Why Is Sleep Apnea Such a Major Health Concern?

• If sleep apnea goes untreated, it can shorten the individual’s life expectancy by a number of years

• 50% of people who suffer from sleep apnea also suffer from high blood pressure

• Sufferers of sleep apnea are 3 times as likely to be involved in a car accident

• Sufferers of sleep apnea have an increased risk of serious cardiovascular problems, such as strokes and heart attacks

The Risk Profile of a Sleep Apnea Sufferer

Insurers make their profits from controlling the risk that they take on in terms of the coverage offered. Insurers compile an extensive profile of all insurance applicants that identifies the risks the applicants present as a potential insurance customer. Sleep apnea is one of the risk areas that insurers will examine, and they will include the associated mortality rates and the risk of other potential complications arising from sleep apnea in their decision to extend coverage.

In the case of sleep apnea, insurers are concerned with more than just the direct risks, but also the secondary risks that are likely to occur in people who suffer from sleep apnea. An example of these secondary risks are:

• Increased chance of cardiovascular disease

• Increased chance of type 2 diabetes

• Increased chance of metabolic syndrome

• Various problems with liver functioning

• Much higher levels of daytime fatigue

Managing Sleep Apnea Can Lower the Chances of Premature Death

Fortunately for people who suffer from sleep apnea, there exist treatments that reduce the risk of complications and generally aid in achieving more normal levels of healthy breathing.

One study involving sufferers of sleep apnea made a comparison of the mortality rates of people who controlled their sleep apnea using continuous positive airway pressure. The study found that people who controlled their sleep apnea in this way reduced their mortality rates down to those of the normal population, excluding those sufferers who were also diagnosed with a preexisting chronic respiratory disease.

How to Apply for Life Coverage When Suffering From Sleep Apnea

Despite all of the potential risks associated with sleep apnea, it does not automatically exclude you from life insurance coverage.

However, insurers will want to confirm that the applicant is controlling the affliction using the appropriate methods before potentially offering the applicant coverage. This will involve a lengthier and more complex process for the application.

The best way to ensure a successful application is to have solid answers prepared for the insurer’s questions associated with your sleep apnea. Examples of the most likely questions are:

• What is your sleep apnea type: complex, obstructive or central?

• What is the severity of your sleep apnea?

• Which treatments do you use to control your sleep apnea?

• Which surgeries, if any, have you used to treat your sleep apnea?

• To what degree is your sleep apnea under control?

• How often so you see a physician specifically concerning your sleep apnea?

• What additional steps have you taken to reduce the symptoms of sleep apnea, such as weight loss?

• What activities do you perform or products do you consume that might increase the risk of complications associated with your sleep apnea?

• Do you suffer from any co-occurring medical complications, such as hypertension or CPOD?

Applicants for life insurance are usually expected to undertake a basic health exam to establish blood pressure, weight and other key health statistics.

Some insurers may also require sleep apnea sufferers to undergo additional tests. These include regular appointments with a physician and a sleep study to establish the severity of your particular condition.

It is vitally important that you have all of your requisite documentation prepared, as any gaps in your records can lead to numerous and lengthy delays, or even an automatic denial of coverage.

Most insurers will eventually request your physician’s records, medical notes and the results of studies and tests you have undergone in association with your sleep apnea diagnosis, so be prepared by having these already available at the start of the application process.

How to Get Approved for Coverage

If you have made the effort to properly manage your sleep apnea, then you will be surprised to find out how easy coverage approval might actually be. People with well-managed sleep apnea and no other significant conditions may even be offered preferred rates reserved for the highest rated applicants.

Those people who are denied coverage usually have not properly managed their sleep apnea, or have not complied with the recommended follow-up regimen with their physician after achieving proper management.

On the other hand, not everyone has sleep apnea that is mild enough to be properly managed, and not everyone who suffers from sleep apnea is otherwise free from other health complications.

However, even in these cases, life insurance coverage is not impossible to achieve.

It is likely that in these cases you will simply have to pay more for equal levels of coverage. There are, however, a few things you can do in this case to increase you chances of approval and perhaps reduce your premium rates by reducing the complications that arise from sleep apnea.

Some examples are:

• Weight loss

• Alcohol avoidance

• Tobacco avoidance

Do not be discouraged by a coverage denial from one insurer, this does not mean that other insurers will also deny you coverage.

Certain insurance companies have rules where applicants with sleep apnea are automatically classified for a standard rate. Additional health complications will then further lower your chances of approval and increase your premium rates.

Other insurers, on the other hand, will show greater flexibility in their application process and examine each case according to its own merits. Being able to demonstrate control over your sleep apnea may lead to higher chances of approval and lower premium rates.

Even if your sleep apnea has disqualified you in past insurance applications, another insurer may approve your application based on their different criteria or changes in your profile since your last application.

How to Increase Your Chances for Approval

To achieve the greatest chances of approval for coverage with the lowest premium rates, you must be prepared to not accept “no” as an answer. Gather all of the information that relates to your sleep apnea, including physician advice, diagnoses and the treatment regimens you have undertaken or are undertaking to control your conditions.

By making as much information concerning your condition available as possible, you provide insurers with the chance to better grasp your specific condition and make a more informed choice about approving your coverage.

There exist a number of specific types of life coverage that might be offered to sufferers of sleep apnea.

The standard life coverage policy is what most people want for general coverage and more precise control over the exact details of that coverage. However, these traditional policies may not be available for people who suffer from sleep apnea.

Guaranteed-issue coverage is an option for people with preexisting medical conditions, such as sleep apnea, who would not normally qualify for standard life coverage.

The Next Step

If you are committed to acquiring quality life coverage at affordable premium rates, we are ready to help.

You do not need to try and take on the big insurance companies by yourself.

The secret to discovering and securing the best coverage is:

• Having the knowledge of all the insurance underwriters’ approval guidelines

• Knowing how to interact directly with the insurance underwriters

This is what we do as professionals. We are prepared to help you get the coverage you want. Our services are 100% free, and helping people get life coverage is what we do each day and every day, all day long.

Get a quick and easy life insurance quote through Pacific Insurance Group’s quote engine.

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