Does Family History Affect Life Insurance Rates?

Can Family History Affect Life Insurance Rates?

The answer is yes. Most life insurance companies consider your family health history when you apply for life insurance. In fact, family history could be one of the biggest factors that the insurance carriers use to determine your life insurance rates.

Why Insurance Carriers Want to Know Your Family History?

Your health condition is impacted by your family health history. Insurance companies take into consideration how many family members may have been affected with certain medical conditions, and note when they were diagnosed. Some of these conditions are shown in the list below.

  • Cancer
  • Blood Disorders
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney/Liver Disease
  • Obesity
  • Respiratory Disorders
  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Stroke
  • Neurological/Psychiatric
  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Other diseases

Keep in mind that a family history of disease won’t get you denied from an insurance company, but it may raise your life insurance premiums to some degree.

Can You Refuse to Disclose Family History When Applying?

The first thing you need to know is, be honest with insurance companies. If you provide false information regarding your family history, your insurance company can rule your policy null and void, which means that your family won’t receive the payout benefits from the policy. What can help you make the right decision, is comparing different life insurance quotes from top insurance carriers.

EINSURANCE.com is an online insurance comparison website. We provide you with the latest insurance news and free life insurance quotes to compare.

About Dale Williams

Dale Q. Williams, MBA, is a well-respected financial executive whose experience spans from insurance to investment banking. Dale has first hand underwriting experience through working for one of the largest U.S. based insurance carriers, and advisory experience from working for several bulge-bracket and middle-market investment banks. Dale also received his MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business, with concentrations in finance and accounting.