It’s American Heart Month! No, we’re not talking about the construction paper or chocolate hearts that you get on Valentine’s Day – we’re talking about your ticker. The American Heart Month is all about bringing attention to preventing heart disease through healthy choices. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States life insurance companies understandably put a lot of focus on heart-related issues.
Let’s take a look at how your heart can affect your life insurance policy and why it’s so important to make sure everything is up-to-date.
Heart-Related Issues That Can Come Up on Life Insurance Applications
Life insurance offers protection for your entire family, which means your heart health can have an effect on all your loved ones. When you apply for life insurance a lot of attention is going to be put on the following heart-related issues.
Medical History
If you’ve had any heart problems in the past, like a heart attack or even a heart murmur, this will need to be noted. The life insurance company uses your medical history to assess how healthy you are now.
Medications
You’ll need to disclose all the different types of medication you are taking, including anything for high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, blood pressure, etc. You may be asked to take a physical, which will screen for medications so be upfront about all the medications you’re taking.
Smoking
Smoking cigarettes and cigars can lead to many different health issues including heart disease. Your life insurance company is going to want to know if you smoke and how much. It’s important to be honest, because any information that is withheld could nullify your policy. Did you kick the butts to the curb? Great! Update your company about how you kicked the habit and you may be able to reevaluate the terms of your policy.
Drug Use
You’ll need to let your life insurance provider know of any drug use. This of course is seen as very adverse to your health, especially your heart. It’s one of those topics that can take most people by surprise, it is definitely a factor in the policy making and payouts.
Exercise
The American Heart Month puts a lot of emphasis on exercise. Probably because a new study covered by The American Heart Association found that being sedentary significantly increases the risk of heart failure in men. The AHA recommends that people get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity in each week to keep their heart healthy.
Annual Physicals
Going to the doctor on a regular basis is a great preventative measure and will help you catch issues before they become a problem. As far as your heart goes an annual physical will test your blood pressure and blood work could catch other possible concerns. Life insurance companies typically like to see people in their 60’s go in for a physical at least once every year or two.
Your Heart Health and the Cost of Your Life Insurance
All the issues above will be taken into account when determining the premiums and payouts for your life insurance policy. The good news is some things like taking medications to control heart-related issues could help to lower costs if you do have health problems. Of course, the healthier you try to keep your heart the better your rates will be.
However, it’s worth noting that if you have serious concerns such as a previous heart attack it may be difficult to find a provider that will underwrite a policy. Feel free to give Biscoe Insurance Company a call if you have any questions on how heart-related issues could affect a life insurance policy.
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Original Source: http://www.mybiginsurance.com/life-insurance-blog/making-life-insurance-part-heart-health-routine