Diabetes and Life Insurance

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Life Insurance for Diabetics

The Life Insurance Medical Exam

The life insurance application will include a medical exam, usually consisting of a series of medical questions, blood pressure and pulse readings, and blood and urine samples. If you have diabetes or another medical condition, the insurance company will have a nurse collect copies of your medical records from your doctors. Additional tests may be requested, most often an EKG if you have a history of serious heart disease.
                                                       
The insurance company will send a nurse to your home to conduct the para-medical exam. It usually takes less than 30 minutes. You can make the most of your time by having handy contact information for your doctor(s), as well as the names and dosages of any medications that you take. To insure the most accurate results of your exam, you should also prepare yourself for the blood and urine samples.

These tips will help people with diabetes to attain the most accurate exam results:
- Schedule the exam for 2 ½ hours after a meal, with no sweets or sugars after the meal
- Empty your bladder right after the meal
- Limit salty and high-cholesterol foods for 24 hours prior to the exam
- Refrain from drinking alcohol for 24 hours, since it may increase fat in blood and skew liver functions
- Limit caffeine and nicotine for 24 hours prior to the exam, since they can increase blood pressure and cholesterol
- Smokers should not smoke for at least 30 minutes before the exam, since it tends to constrict artery walls and elevate blood pressure
- Drink 1-2 glasses of water one hour prior to the exam
- Get a good night sleep prior to the exam

Remember that insurance companies crave certainty to base their risk ratings on. Unfortunately, diabetes is an inherently unstable and irregular disease. Make sure to reinforce to the medical examiner that your glucose levels are well-controlled by your current treatment (if indeed they are). Treatments that are not working, emergency room visits or poor compliance with your doctor’s advice are red flags to the insurance company.

 

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