Does Life Insurance Cover COVID-19?

Does Life Insurance Cover Death from Coronavirus?

Covid 19 Life Insurance – Potential Exceptions to Coverage

Traditional life insurance policies, such as whole life and term life, likely cover deaths from COVID-19, according to life insurance industry spokespeople.

However, there are a few exceptions. For example, a life insurance carrier may deny a claim for death of a policyholder resulting from coronavirus if the policy owner:

 

1. Didn’t Pay the Life Insurance Premiums on Time. If your policy lapses for nonpayment and you die before the policy is reinstated, your beneficiary usually won’t receive a payout. When a premium payment is late, life insurance companies often offer a grace period of 30 or 31 days. Your coverage will continue as long as you pay the insurer during this time. Insurers may extend this grace period during the coronavirus pandemic — some state regulators are requiring it. If you’re having trouble making payments, contact your insurance company before your premium is late. Otherwise, your insurance coverage will end until you apply for reinstatement and your insurer agrees. To qualify for reinstatement, you may need to prove that you aren’t a risk to insure.
2. Submitted an Inaccurate or Incomplete Application for Coverage. Claims can be denied for reasons like not disclosing travel plans or lying about weight or income. If you die within the first two years of coverage, an insurer generally examines the claim and initial application more thoroughly. Still, a company can refuse to pay a claim if false information is found on the application even after the two-year life insurance contestability period ends. When filling out an application, take your time, be truthful and ask questions if you don’t understand what is being asked.
3. Bought Only an Accidental Death Insurance Policy. Accidental death and dismemberment insurance, or AD&D, is designed to cover death of the insured person resulting from a covered accident. It doesn’t pay out a death benefit if you die of illness, disease, or natural causes. Sometimes AD&D coverage is added to a standard life insurance policy as a rider, to provide additional death benefit coverage for death resulting from an accident. In that case, the underlying traditional life policy would still pay out for a death resulting from COVID-19.

Even in good times, no one knows what the future holds — and these are not good times as we work our way through the uncertainties of a world facing a pandemic.

One of the many sources of potential economic uncertainty for Americans these days involves a form of financial protection most of us consider a sure thing: life insurance.

Many of us are wondering whether life insurance covers deaths attributable to COVID-19. Whether you already own a life insurance policy, or you are considering the purchase of a new life insurance plan, this is a question on all of our minds.

With a few possible exceptions, your life insurance policy is very likely to pay full death benefits should you succumb to the coronavirus disease. That only applies if you currently have life insurance, and you remain current on your premium payments. Don’t let your premium payments lapse, you don’t want to risk your family losing out on your death benefits.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact would-be life insurance policyholders in the process of applying for coverage. 

Those approved for life insurance coverage during the pandemic are likely to be covered if they die of the disease. 

But, the pandemic could delay or halt the application process itself. Insurers are likely to scrutinize medical records and self-reported personal information more closely to ensure they’re not missing any medical conditions or lifestyle behaviors that could contribute to premature death, whether from the coronavirus, or anything else.

If You Already Own A Life Insurance Policy

If your life insurance policy predates the start if the pandemic in the U.S.A. and remains paid up-to-date, it’s doubtful your life insurer would refuse to honor its commitment to your beneficiaries (to pay the death benefit) simply because you died of COVID-19.

However, you should absolutely review your insurance policy documents, including all exclusions listed in your policy, and contact your insurance carrier directly if there’s any doubt in your mind about whether or not you are covered for the coronavirus. 

But insurers generally don’t treat deaths attributable to pandemic diseases any differently from diseases that are not related to a pandemic or epidemic.

That’s likely to be true even in cases where behaviors, travel patterns, or occupational hazards could plausibly have contributed to your COVID-19 infection and ultimate death. 

Your life insurance plan should still pay out even if you traveled to a known COVID-19 hotspot or continued employment at a long-term care facility experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak in the weeks before your death.

When Could Dying from Coronavirus Jeopardize Your Death Benefit Payout on Your Life Insurance Policy?

Your life insurance policy is not guaranteed to payout a death benefit, no matter what.

Every insurance policy includes specific exclusions under which the insurance company can legally refuse to pay out a death claim to the beneficiaries of the policy upon the policyholder’s death.

Some exclusions are more common than others. Those that could jeopardize your policy’s death benefit payment if you die from COVID-19 may include the following:

1. You Lied or Omitted Information on Your Health Questionnaire. Failure to disclose any preexisting conditions, abnormal test results, or red flags in your family history could void your policy’s death benefit.
2. You Weren’t Lied About Your Occupation or Lifestyle. Any lack of candor on your life insurance application could justify withholding your policy’s death benefit. Your insurer will scrutinize your application more closely if you die during the two-year “contestability period” at the outset of its term. If you lied about an occupation or a lifestyle choice that could increase your risk of COVID-19 exposure, such as working in a hospital or frequently traveling overseas, your insurer could refuse to pay your beneficiaries.
3. Your Premium Payments Lapsed. If you fail to make timely life insurance premium payments, do not pay balances owed within the policy’s grace period, and cannot use your policy’s cash value (if any) to cover the shortfall, your insurer could cancel your policy and void its death benefit. Policy lapses are some of the most common circumstances under which beneficiaries miss out on death benefits to which they’re otherwise entitled. Life insurance policies lapse more frequently during periods of economic hardship, so if you’re experiencing a cash crunch due to the pandemic, talk to your insurer about your options.
4. You Were Awaiting the Results of a Test for COVID-19 as Your Life Insurance Coverage Went into Effect. Though unlikely, this situation — if not disclosed during the application process — could constitute a medical omission, especially if your test came back positive and you subsequently died of COVID-19-related complications.
5. You Only Have Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Coverage, Not Full Life Insurance. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage (AD&D) is a low-cost policy intended specifically to cover death or permanent injury attributable to certain covered accidents. AD&D is often included in broader travel insurance policies, where it redresses injuries and fatalities in the course of common carrier travel. AD&D never covers deaths attributable to acute or chronic illness, even when acquired by travel.

 

If Your Application For Life Insurance Is Pending 

If your life insurance application is pending approval, the question of whether life insurance will cover COVID-19 is not certain, in part because the insurance carrier has the discretion to delay approval for coverage, or even halt the application process – choosing not to provide you with insurance.

If you haven’t yet applied, your first step is to shop around. Source multiple quotes using an online broker like JRC Insurance Group. This way, you’re more likely to find an insurer that’s still expediting applications during the coronavirus pandemic. But there are a few things you still need to keep in mind.

Avoid Life Insurance Companies That Tell You Premiums Have Increased Due to the Pandemic

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a short-term increase in deaths and temporarily altered insurers’ actuarial tables, the long-term impact of the pandemic on life insurance covered deaths is likely to be manageable. 

Be very skeptical of any claims by insurance agents, brokers or underwriters, that life insurance prices have increased across the board due to the coronavirus pandemic. At this time, there is no proof this is true.

Expect Longer Processing Times & Closer Scrutiny

Life insurance application processing times vary widely in the best of times, usually from 4 to 6 weeks or more depending on the applicant and the insurer. 

In the throes of the worst outbreak of a pandemic in a century, and despite continued variation of underwriting applicants for coverage during this time, many insurers are not too fast in completing the review process of approving an applicant for life insurance.

That means a longer wait for final approval to get insured, and a much closer scrutiny of your application for coverage. 

Medical exam results or questionnaire answers that might have marginally increased your premium in the past could now be grounds for outright denial of coverage.

Maximum amounts of life insurance available may be somewhat limited, forcing you to rethink how much life insurance you really need. And if you’re older (age 75 or over), your application could be denied simply due to your current age.

The best approach is to shop around and compare plans and pricing from multiple insurers, to find out which companies may offer you full coverage at the best price.

Answer All Questions About Your Occupation & Lifestyle Honestly

When applying for life insurance, honesty is the best policy, if only to spare your beneficiaries from a financially devastating surprise after your death – meaning no payout of death benefits due to your lack of transparency about your health and/or lifestyle when you applied for your policy. 

Answer all questions about your lifestyle and occupation wholly and honestly, and don’t — under any circumstances — pretend you’re in a line of work you presume is less risky than your actual job. 

The insurer can deny any claim if they find out you made a material misrepresentation on your application for coverage. Each and every question on the application is important, so make sure you tell the absolute truth when applying for life insurance.

Be Truthful About Recent Travel & Potential Exposure

Likewise, if asked, be truthful about any travel during the pandemic or specific situations in which you could have been exposed to COVID-19. 

It’s not certain they’ll ask those questions or that your answers will factor directly into the insurer’s decision to approve or deny your application. Leave nothing to chance. Make sure the insurance company you are applying to for coverage knows all about any travel, and possible exposure you may have had to COVID-19. 

Non-Medical Life Insurance Plans are Available

For applicants in good health, consenting to medical underwriting is an easy way to achieve a lower premium on your policy that could add up to thousands of dollars in savings over a long-term life insurance policy.

However, if you’re uneasy about visiting an medical facility to get a health exam, or would rather not interact with a medical technician in your own home during the pandemic, you have the option to bear the additional cost of a no-exam life policy. Forgoing the medical exam is likely to shorten your application processing time as well.

In fact, one highly-rated life insurer offers up to $2,000,000 of affordable life insurance protection for which you can apply online and start your coverage today, if you qualify. Most healthy individuals between the ages of 20 to 60 qualify for coverage. Learn More.

NOTE: Life insurance provides you with peace of mind knowing that in the unfortunate event of your premature death, your loved ones are protected from financial hardship and able to maintain the standard of living to which they’ve become accustomed. It helps you provide the financial security you wish for your family’s future, in case you are no longer there to provide for them.

Anything that jeopardizes your insurance can keep your loved ones from the financial security you want for them. 

Why bother paying premiums on your policy for years and years only for your heirs to learn they’re not going to get the death benefit they believed was a sure thing upon your passing?

Fortunately, law and custom permit life insurers to withhold death benefits only in specific situations that policyholders can (and should) easily understand in advance. 

COVID-19 does not justify the withholding of any death benefits owed from a life insurance policy. That means policyholders who don’t lie on their insurance applications and remain current on their premium payments are quite likely to make good on their policy’s promise.

Life Insurance Quotes

Top Pick – JRC Insurance Group

JRC Insurance Group helps you shop, compare and save on life insurance. Regardless of your age or health background, we'll shop our 40+ insurance companies and find you affordable life insurance you need to protect your family and fit your budget. Compare the best life insurance rates for savings up to 73%. Get Your FREE Quote. 

 

Covid 19 and Its Affect on Life Insurance 

 

The entire life insurance industry is based on evaluating and managing risk. That’s why life insurance carriers do not like risk for coverage where they don’t have enough information and statistics about risks related to their potential insureds. 

People who have, or had the Coronavirus represent this category of unknown risk.

The current outbreak of Coronavirus has already infected over 111,464 (as of 3/9/20) worldwide resulting, so far, in 3,892 deaths. The majority of cases are taking place in China at this time. 

However, the virus has already spread across more than 25 other countries, and is growing to more than 36 states in the U.S.A. 

The world’s knowledge about this virus is still fairly limited, including very approximate data about its death rate and the ways in which the virus spreads. 

 

Coronavirus vs. Other Deadly Viruses

 

Coronavirus vs. The Flu

According to reports from Johns Hopkins, there are 603 reported cases of Coronavirus in the US and at least 24 deaths as of Monday 3/9/2020. 

Of the more than 110,000 people who have caught the virus globally, the Johns Hopkins data show that almost half — more than 62,000 — have recovered. The health risks associated with the virus rise significantly with age and many younger, otherwise healthy people who contract it might show only mild symptoms, if any.

 

Currently there is no vaccine available to combat Coronavirus. The current estimates put COVID-19’s death rate at approximately 3% of the people affected by the virus.

Comparatively, the death rate of SARS (outbreak in 2003) was placed at 9.6% and the death rate of Ebola (also known as EVD – Ebola Virus Disease) varied from 25% to 90% with the average values at 50% as per the World Health Organization.

All this leaves life insurance companies with a lot of uncertainty on how to deal with current and past Coronavirus patients. 

There are several ways in which life insurance companies may choose to handle applicants for life insurance coverage who may or may not have been exposed to Coronavirus.

 

Insurance Companies Are About Managing Their Risk

 

Insurers manage the risk presented by the people they insure, collect and manage the premiums they receive, and pay their claims, in order to operate their insurance business. 

Insurers do this through defining various levels of life insurance plans they offer, which are associated with different degrees of risk presented by the applicants seeking coverage. 

 

Overview of Life Insurance Products

 

An overview below shows key products and their main characteristics.

1. Standard life insurance is associated with low risk, comes with the highest coverage limits available, but requires an extensive physical examination and completion of a medical questionnaire.
2. Simplified life insurance comes without any doctor exams, but with a short health questionnaire. It comes at a higher cost, and a lower maximum coverage limit than is available through standard life insurance policies.
3. Guaranteed approval life insurance does not require any health exam, and there are no health questions asked. It is a type of life insurance product you can always buy if you meet the age requirements, but it comes at a much higher price, with limited amounts of coverage available, and extra clauses not providing any coverage if an applicant passes away within the first two years after purchasing their policy.

The last two types of life insurance are also known as "No Exam" life insurance because they don't require any medical check-up. They are more popular among seniors and people with pre-exisitng health problems.

 

How Do Insurance Companies Treat People with Coronavirus? 

When it comes to insurers choosing to accept or reject applicants for life insurance considering possible coronavirus exposure, there are two main approaches:

1. Insurers who do not have a defined approach of dealing with Coronavirus, and
2. Insurers who are able to share the exact conditions under which people with Coronavirus will be able to get insured for life insurance.

 

The first group of life insurers would either decline your application or delay it until a clear course of action is defined, or offer you only a Guaranteed Approval life insurance policy.

The second group of life insurers will be able to offer you a standard life insurance policy, but only once you are within defined parameters, for example:

1. 3 months have passed since full recovery from the Coronavirus, OR
2. Fully healed and cleared by a physician after being diagnosed with Coronavirus

 

Standard Life, Simplified Life and Guaranteed Issue Life may be available for the following:

1. People who were diagnosed with Coronavirus, were treated, have no remaining symptoms or complications, and are cleared by a physician.
2. People who have been fully recovered from the virus for at least 3 months. 

 

Denied Life Insurance If:

1. Diagnosed with Coronavirus and still have symptoms – not fully recovered.
2. Have current medical issues related to Coronavirus and/or are waiting for test results to find out if you have the virus.

 

What if Life Insurers are Not Ready to Insure Coronavirus Patients?

Life insurance carriers who are not willing to provide life insurance for Coronavirus patients may have one of two responses to your application for coverage:

1. No coverage is available for anyone who has the Coronavirus.
2. Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance coverage may be available.

 

It is important to know that all guaranteed issue policies come with graded death benefits. 

This means, if you die within a pre-defined period of time after starting your policy (in most cases 1 or 2 years), no death benefits will be paid. 

You will only get back the premiums paid and a certain rate of interest on those premiums.

The idea behind this is to prevent people who know that they are terminally ill from buying life insurance where a life insurer will need to pay the claim sooner rather than later, which presents a much greater risk of loss for the insurance carrier.

 

What About Life Insurers Who Consider Insuring Coronavirus Survivors?

The second group of insurers who are open to providing life insurance for Coronavirus patients may offer the following options to applicants for coverage:

1. No coverage available now, but three months after you have fully recovered, we would be able to consider you for life insurance.
2. We could possibly consider an applicant for life insurance who has been diagnosed with Coronavirus, who was treated, has no residual symptoms or complications, and has been cleared by their physician. This would be subject to a full underwriting of the applicant, including a medical examination, health questionnaire, and current coronavirus test results.
3. Applications for coverage will be postponed until full recovery of the applicant.

 

How to Learn More 

Each day society and the life insurance industry will gain greater understanding, and more statistics about the effects of the Coronavirus. 

Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty across the insurance industry and the situation will continue to change in the coming months.

If you want to find out more about Coronavirus (COVID-19), you can visit the World Health Organization website to learn more.

 

Are You Concerned About Coronavirus?

If so, you may be considering the purchase of a life insurance policy to help provide your family with financial security in case the worst happens.

We all want to make sure our loved ones are safe and financially secure should something happen to us. And life insurance can be there for them, to make sure they have the resources to go on living their life and pursuing their dreams.

But, if you do buy life insurance, will it pay out a death claim should you die from Coronavirus?

 

Do Existing Life Insurance Policies Cover Death from Coronavirus? 

Yes. Life insurance policies do cover death resulting from Coronavirus, because there is no standard exclusion stated in an existing standard life insurance policy.

However, if you buy a new life insurance policy, you may wish to purchase your life insurance now, rather than waiting, because insurers may choose to add an Exclusion for Coronavirus.

The best way to make sure it is covered is to buy life insurance now, instead of waiting.

Also, ask the life insurance broker, agent or insurance company if there is any Exclusion for Coronavirus before you purchase the policy. 

Get their reply in writing so you have it for your files. They can send you a letter through the mail, or they can send you an email which you can print out to have with your life insurance policy to make sure you are covered in case you get Coronavirus.

Once you receive your life insurance policy, make sure you review the Exclusions Section of your policy to verify that there is NO Exclusion regarding death resulting from Coronavirus.

 

Does Life Insurance Cover Coronavirus?

A standard existing life insurance policy does not have any exclusion for Coronavirus.

However, insurers may and probably will include some form of exclusion for coronavirus in the future, but this change will vary by insurance company.

 

Can I Get Life Insurance If I Have Coronavirus?

It depends on the insurance company and your health.  

If you are healthy and do not have the virus, you may be able to get insured without any hassles, other than a medical examination, which is common practice.

If you have the coronavirus, you may find it difficult to get insured at this time, depending on when you were diagnosed, your age, overall health, medication you are taking, and prognosis, among other factors.

If you have been exposed to the Coronavirus, and are quarantined, you may be unable to get insured at this time, until you are cleared by a physician as being without the virus. 

If you have had the virus, but have recovered, and been virus free for at least 3 months, you may be able to get insured for life insurance.

  

How Can I Get Insured for Life Insurance Today?

There are Quick-Issue life insurance policies available from several carriers that offer varying amounts of same-day protection for qualified applicants.

These policies are usually available for healthy individuals between the ages of 20 to 60. 

One highly rated insurer offers up to $2,000,000 of term life insurance with no medical exam, and coverage you may start today, if you qualify.

 

Do I Have to Take a Medical Exam to Get Life Insurance?

It depends on your age, health, and the insurance company requirements for medical exams.

Some insurers offer no exam life insurance policies, but you will have to answer several questions about the status of your health and your past health history.

 

What Companies Offer Instant Issue Life Insurance? 

There are several insurers that now offer life insurance plans without any physical exam, including but not limited to the following insurers:

1. Haven Life
2. Sagicor Life
3. Globe Life

 

Where Can I Buy Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance?

Several life insurers now offer life insurance plans with Guaranteed Acceptance.

These plans are usually offered to people age 45 or over.

If you meet the age requirements for acceptance, you are guaranteed approval for a policy. 

Some of the leading providers of guaranteed life insurance coverage include the following insurance carriers:

1. Mutual of Omaha
2. Colonial Penn
3. Met Life
4. AARP/New York Life

 

Life Insurance Quotes

 

Top Pick – JRC Insurance Group

JRC Insurance Group helps you shop, compare and save on life insurance. Regardless of your age or health background, we'll shop our 40+ insurance companies and find you affordable life insurance you need to protect your family and fit your budget. Compare the best life insurance rates for savings up to 73%. Get Your FREE Quote.

  

Highly Recommended – Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha offers guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance for people age 45 to 85. Choose $2,000 up to $25,000 of coverage. Rates start as low as $8.84 per month. There’s no medical exam and no health questions. You cannot be turned down. You can get a quote and apply online now. START HERE to get a FREE Quote.

• Your life insurance policy comes with a 30 day Risk-Free, Money-Back Guarantee

 

What Is Coronavirus - COVID-19?

The 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak is an ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 that has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China. 

As of 7 March 2020, more than 102,000 cases have been confirmed, of which 7,100 were classified as serious. 97 countries and territories have been affected, with major outbreaks in central China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran. 

More than 3,400 people have died: just over 3,000 in mainland China and more than 420 in other countries. More than 57,000 people have recovered. 

Source: Wikipedia 3/9/2020

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Does Life Insurance Cover COVID-19?

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