Get the Best Life Insurance Table Rating for Your Situation

We help you minimize or eliminate table ratings!

A Life insurance table rating can be expensive, but they don’t have to be!

Need More? Keep reading for detailed info about table ratings.

Table ratings represent an insured’s excess risk to a life insurer due to health issues, professions, and avocations.

Ratings are numbered (1-16) or lettered (A-P); each rating adds 25% to a standard rate.

The numbers and letters are interchangeable.

The exception to the 25% rating system is Prudential, as we explain later.

Minor health problems such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol do not require table ratings.

However, heart conditions and other chronic health disorders like asthma or lupus may require a table rating.

Below is an example of how underwriting table ratings work.

On the surface, Prudential might seem to be at a disadvantage due to higher percentage ratings.

The reality is that Prudential is more aggressive with underwriting offers than most companies.

Suppose you are looking at a survivorship policy for estate purposes.

In that case, having one uninsurable client on the policy is possible.

Uninsurable ratings range from U1-U7, depending on the medical condition.

Table ratings are negotiable, but not often.

The primary consideration by underwriting is the risk associated with the applicant’s profile.

A higher risk profile pays more for life insurance than someone with no health issues.

Suppose an applicant with an increased risk profile applies for life insurance.

In that case, we may be able to improve the offer by one table rating (25%) if favorable factors exist.

The reality is that life insurance underwriters follow internal and reinsurance guidelines, which leave little room for better offers.

It’s often easier to move you to a new company for a better rate than to try and renegotiate your offer with the existing company.

Table shave programs help improve underwriting offers.

A table shave program may offer you a universal life policy for a similar price to term life insurance.

AIG – American General – Flex Points Crediting Program – Suspended

Provides a one-table reduction if you meet 4 of their 16 factors.

An example of a factor would be no family history of heart disease, heart attacks, bypass surgery, or other cardiac conditions like aortic stenosis.

Lincoln National Table Reduction Program – Suspended

People rated up to Table 3 receive standard rates.

Principal Healthy LifeStyle Credit and Automatic Standard Approval Programs – Active as of 01/2021

Removes up to two table ratings.

Specific cases that receive flat extra ratings may also qualify here.

Automatic Standard Approval Program (ASAP) – Insureds rated to Table 3 may receive a standard offer.

Prudential Rate Reduction Program – Active as of 01/2021

Allows insureds rated up to Table B to receive standard rates.

While technically, this is not a table shave program. The bottom line is more favorable offers.

Available for term life and permanent life insurance products.

We’ve used this for endocrine conditions such as thyroid diseases, type 2 diabetes, Addison’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and proteinuria.

United of Omaha Fit Underwriting Credit Program

Insureds rated up to Table 4 may receive standard life insurance rates.

Conditions like a TIA or stroke history or well-controlled type 1 diabetes fall into the table 4 range.

Term life and universal life insurance policies are available.

United does well when the insured’s build is rated.

Credit programs are unavailable for non-medical issues such as scuba divers or private pilots.

The severity of your medical condition will determine whether ratings apply to your policy.

Here are some general guidelines for top medical conditions:

Cancer History – Table ratings for cancer histories depend on the stage and any cancer recurrence.

Some additional details based on the type of cancer you had.

• Bladder – Most bladder cancers, even in situ, will have a 50% table rating.
• Breast – While there are many variations with breast cancer, stage T1c or greater will be table rated.
• Cervical – Table ratings may start at the earliest stages of cervical cancer.
• Colon – Colon cancer table ratings generally start at stage 2.
• Kidney – Ratings occur at stage T2 or later for kidney cancer.
• Prostate – Stage T2c for prostate cancer with positive surgical margins.
• Skin – Stage 3 melanomas will add a table rating to the policy.
• Testicular – For testicular cancers, table ratings start at stage 3.
• Throat – Throat cancers are difficult to insure, and most may be rated.
• Thyroid – Table ratings may be required for stage 3 thyroid cancer.

Gastrointestinal conditions like hepatitis, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s disease involve table ratings.

If you are HIV positive, the average table rating is 6-8 tables.

Many medical conditions do not typically require table ratings.

For example:

• Sleep Apnea and other respiratory conditions like asthma – most cases are standard or better
• Mental health conditions, anxiety, and even bipolar disorder sometimes are not rated.
• Prostate disorders such as BPH are rarely rated.

If you received a table-rated offer, what should you do?

Your options include the following:

• Decline the Offer
• Accept the Offer
• Temporarily accept the offer
• Reduce the Coverage/ Change the Terms

In most cases, you should probably accept the offer temporarily.

That’s especially true for ratings related to medical conditions like elevated liver enzymes. Get the coverage first and then explore if there is genuinely a liver problem.

Certain brain conditions, such as epilepsy or MS, worsen over time, so you want to get coverage early while your condition is stable.

We’ll then re-shop the market for you to see if better offers are available.

You may even be able to use your paramedical exam from the first company.

You can switch to the new company if we find a better offer.

If not, you will have coverage if you are denied life insurance with all other companies.

Our expertise is life insurance underwriting.

Our approach works by taking the time upfront to understand your medical history.

We use a Quick Quote process to receive preliminary underwriting feedback in days.

The benefit is that you receive accurate quotes from companies specializing in your medical history.

Remember that there is never any obligation or pressure with our service.

Thank you for your time.

We look forward to working with you.