HIV Life Insurance – Everything You Should Know

If you’ve been diagnosed with HIV and need life insurance, we can help you.

Yes, life insurance is available if you have HIV.

With our no-obligation service, you’ll receive quotes from companies specializing in high-risk life insurance.

The key factors of life insurance underwriting include:

1. How old were you when diagnosed with HIV?
2. What was your CD4 level at the time of diagnosis?
3. What was your lowest-ever recorded CD4?
4. Is your current viral load undetectable?
5. Was HIV acquired via blood transfusion or IV drug use?
6. Do you visit your physician every 3-6 months?
7. Medications – What medications/dosages do you take?
8. Medical History – Do you have any other health issues?
9. Lab Work – Do you have lab work completed regularly?
10. Tobacco Status – Are you a non-tobacco user?

All types of life insurance policies are available, whether you want term, universal or whole life insurance.

Underwriting life insurance for HIV takes 8-10 weeks to complete, sometimes longer.

Most life insurance companies have underwriters who specialize in HIV life insurance underwriting.

With some insurers, we must first submit your medical records for review.

Once the underwriter completes their review, they will let us know if we can proceed to a formal application.

All life insurance companies (except for guaranteed issue policies) require a paramed exam and labs and will test for HIV.

Here’s a brief overview of the process:

1. Criteria – Do you meet the company criteria (see below)?
2. Application – We submit a formal or an informal app.
3. Medical Exam – A paramedical exam is required.
4. Medical records – 5 years of medical records are required.
5. Underwriting Review – by a medical director.
6. Underwriting Decision – We received an answer.
7. Time Frame – Expect 8 – 10 weeks on average.

The policy will be issued for your review and acceptance when you’re approved.

If declined or postponed, we’ll discuss other options that may be available.

And we’ll keep you informed throughout the entire process.

The life insurance companies with HIV programs are listed here, with full program details later on.

Snapshot of the most competitive options:

• Prudential Life Insurance for HIV
• John Hancock Life Insurance for HIV
• AXA Life Insurance for HIV
• AIG Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance
• Kemper Life Insurance for HIV

Pacific Life Insurance Company recently released its program to offer coverage for people who are HIV positive.

We have had a positive experience with Pacific Life as their rates are the most competitive of any company that offers coverage for HIV.

Pac Life is the only company that does not automatically require a flat extra expense as part of term life insurance underwriting.

Some general guidelines for Pacific Life include:

• Available for ages 20-65
• Minimum of one year of treatment
• CD4 count of 500 cells/mm or greater
• Undetectable viral load
• Negative for hepatitis

Potential offers for insureds may fall into the following range:

• Age 20-29 – Table 8
• Age 30-49 – Table 6-8
• Age 50-65 – Table 4-8

Each table rating adds 25% to a standard rate.

Pacific Life is the only company we are aware of that does not add a flat extra expense to your policy cost. This can be a tremendous savings of $250 for every $100,000 of coverage.

Sample rates are as follows:

Male Life Insurance Rates with Pacific Life

AGE	$100,000	$250,000	$500,000	$1,000,000
30	$22 – $25	$34 – $40	$59 – $69	$108 – $127
40	$28 – $32	$49 – $57	$89 – $104	$165 – $194
50	$60 – $70	$114 – $133	$218 – $257	$416 – $491
60	$147 – $172	$284 – $334	$559 – $1660	$1078 – $1273

Female Life Insurance Rates with Pacific Life

AGE	$100,000	$250,000	$500,000	$1,000,000
30	$18 – $21	$29 – $33	$51 – $59	$83 – $98
40	$24 – $28	$44 – $51	$79 – $92	$146 – $171
50	$47 – 54	$87 – 101	$164 – $193	$307 – $361
60	$106 – $124	$216 – $254	$390 – $460	$761 – $898

With a long history of underwriting health issues, it’s no surprise that Pru was the first to introduce a formal HIV program.

Prudential offers a ten and 15-year term life insurance policy.

The policy may be converted to a universal life policy with no further medical underwriting.

Check out our Prudential life insurance reviews section for full details about the products available.

Prudential requires a self-identifying process outlined in the following document or “yellow” below.

Living with HIV – Discussing Life Insurance – Consumer Approved

Approved policies will receive a “standard non-tobacco with a table “H” rating and a $2.50 flat extra charge.

Prudential Life Insurance Rates for Males

Age	$100,000	$250,000	$500,000	$1,000,000
30	$65	$133	$257	$462
40	$86	$174	$340	$630
50	$155	$321	$633	$1198
60	$327	$702	$1395	$2592

Prudential Life Insurance Rates for Females

Age	$100,000	$250,000	$500,000	$1,000,000
30	$53	$111	$214	$406
40	$69	$149	$291	$559
50	$134	$285	$562	$1089
60	$256	$534	$1061	$1957

John Hancock has been the second most consistent company in approving policies.

If approved, John Hancock’s pricing is the most competitive available in the market.

Term lengths of 10, 15, and 20 years and universal life insurance policies are available.

Another feature available is the Vitality program, which rewards healthy lifestyles.

Hancock uses a different approach to HIV+ life insurance underwriting.

Underwriting requires that we submit an informal application and medical records upfront for review.

Most underwriting offers will be standard non-tobacco, Table 8 with a $2.00 Flat Extra.

AXA offers universal life insurance and whole life insurance.  Term life insurance is not available.

Face Amounts – $100,000 – $10,000,000

The minimum underwriting criteria for AXA include the following:

• Minimum age = 20
• Treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the last three years or longer
• Viral loads have been undetectable for the past 2.5 years or longer.
• The lowest historical CD4 count was 500 or higher.
• A current CD4 count is 750 or greater.
• Regularly scheduled checkups with a physician every three months
• The patient is in total compliance with all medical regimens and follow-up monitoring.
• No History of AIDS-defining illness
• No history of hepatitis
• Cancer histories will be declined
• No other significant health issues.
• Normal cognitive function with no psychiatric disorders.
• No history of drug or alcohol abuse
• Non-tobacco users

Under Age 50 – The best-case scenario is a Table “E” rating, which adds 125% to the standard rate class.

Age 50 or older – Table “D” (100% added to standard) is the best-case scenario.

AIG’s American General Life Insurance Company now offers a Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance (GIWL) policy.

This policy is available to those with HIV or AIDs.

Guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance is an excellent choice for:

• Face Amounts up to $25,000
• Issue Ages 50 – 85
• No health questions and no exams are required.
• Graded death benefit during the first two years.
• Living benefits are available in many states.

Reserve National Insurance Company is part of the Kemper Life & Health Company.

Kemper offers a guaranteed issue whole life insurance policy as follows:

• Coverage Amounts from $2,000 – $25,000
• Issue Ages 40-80 (Missouri is 40-75)
• Rates are the same for smokers and non-smokers
• There are no health questions
• The death benefit during the first two years of the policy is graded.
• The total death benefit is paid for deaths in year three or later.
• The premium is guaranteed never to increase.

For people looking for a small burial life insurance policy for HIV patients, this is a great option to consider.

Underwriting takes 5 – 7 days from the time you complete the application until we receive underwriting approval.

Symetra offers universal life insurance. 

With Symetra, all offers are subject to reinsurance review and approval.

That means Symetra doesn’t control the decision-making process, unlike Prudential or John Hancock.

Symetra had some competitive products a few years ago but has since discontinued those products.

There’s been no need to use Symetra since then, as Prudential and John Hancock products are better-priced options.

American National Insurance Company (ANICO) is based in Galveston, Texas.

ANICO offers universal life insurance policies to insureds who are HIV positive.

Face Amounts of $250,000 – $1,000,000 will be considered.

Additional life insurance may be available through reinsurance relationships.

The following are general criteria that ANICO considers when underwriting policies:

• Antiretroviral therapy for a minimum of 6 months.
• Physician visits at least every six months.
• The virus was not acquired from intravenous drug use.
• Stable, undetectable viral loads.
• CD4 counts greater than 500.
• No evidence of AIDS-defining conditions.
• There can be no history of drug abuse ever.
• No co-infection with Hepatitis B or C.
• No other significant health conditions. Sleep apnea is ok.

When life insurance is available, the most likely offers will receive a standard rate plus an additional rating.

The typical table rating will add 150-200% to the standard rates.

In some cases, obtaining a Table 4 rating may be possible, adding 100% to standard rates.

Guardian Life Insurance Company now offers HIV insurance coverage.

With Guardian, the types of policies available are term life insurance and whole life.

Some additional details to their HIV lifetime coverage include:

• Issue Ages – Age 20 – 60.
• Coverage amounts
  • Term – $250,000 – $2,000,000
  • Whole – $25,000 – $2,000,000
• Term and Whole Life Insurance
• Anti-retroviral therapy must have started at least two years ago
• Favorable lab results
• Regularly scheduled visits with physicians who specialize in helping HIV patients.
• No AIDS-defining illnesses
• There can be no history of IV drug use or substance abuse
• Hepatitis, even when treated, may be declined.

It’s too early to tell if this program will be competitive.

The low face amounts of coverage available may be used as burial insurance for HIV patients.

Check back often as we update this section frequently.

Yes, a person with HIV can get life insurance when they meet the criteria of the company they wish to apply to.

All life insurance companies test for HIV when applying for term, universal, or whole life insurance.

If you buy a guaranteed issue policy such as AIG’s or Kemper’s, there are no medical tests.

Yes, you may still qualify for life insurance even if you were declined for HIV in the past.

Let us know upfront which companies declined you.

We’ll review your options and help you determine the best game plan.

If you have an HIV-negative partner who takes pre-exposure medication, we also have life insurance companies available for them.

You have questions about getting life insurance with HIV, and we have the answers.

When you submit your request, it’s sent directly to me – Michael Horbal.

I own RiskQuoter.com and will be the only one handling your request.

There’s no obligation or pressure with my service.  I’ll tell you what to expect regarding underwriting and price with life insurance.