Finding Affordable Life Insurance After a Heart Attack

Matt King Life Insurance Editor

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If you are a victim of vascular disease, or have a history of having a heart attacks, you can still qualify for and purchase life insurance — often for a reasonable rate. And, as time goes by and you continue your check-ups and continue to be in good health, your rates could continue to go down.

In fact, it might be a good idea to wait a couple of years after suffering a heart attack to apply for life insurance, as most insurance companies will lower your rates if you continue to show improved health and no more incidents over a couple of years. The more recent the incident, the more likely you are to see higher rates.

Some carriers require longer windows of recovery time before insuring you, or before lowering your rates, while others’ windows are shorter. There is also a variation among the initial rates themselves. This is why it is so important to compare quotes from multiple companies.

The American Heart Association estimates that this year an estimated 700,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack. While this is a scary number, the good news is that a high percentage of these people survive and go on to lead normal lives. Many people may think that if they’ve had a heart attack, they will not be able to find affordable protection for their families.

There can be major variations in rates between life insurance companies for heart attack survivors. Some carriers require longer windows of recovery time before insuring you, or before lowering your rates, while others’ windows are shorter. There is also a variation among the initial rates themselves. This is why it is so important to compare quotes from multiple companies.

It is very important to be as complete as possible with the information you provide to your potential life policy insurer. If you provide your doctor’s contact information, so the insurance company can follow up to get validation on treatment information, dates, success stories, etc., evidence of lowered cholesterol or blood pressure levels, and good cardiogram readings, an insurance company will likely feel more comfortable insuring you, and charging you lower rates. The more information the better, as this allows the insurance company to treat you as an individual case, instead of lumping you in with all victims of vascular disease or heart attack survivors and coming up with an average.

Important terms from this life insurance article: heart attack, life insurance companies, blood pressure, life insurance

More information online: WebMD's heart attack page, American Heart Association