Kidney disease is a red flag for insurance companies, but the devil is in the details regarding how it is treated by a carrier. In simple terms, kidney disease is when the kidneys can no longer filter waste from the blood stream. If left untreated the disease will be classified as End Stage Renal Failure requiring transplant or ongoing dialysis.
Knowing which questions to ask a client who has kidney disease can make the difference between getting them approved or declined for life insurance. Below are some of the most important questions:
- Age?
- Date of diagnosis?
- Type of kidney disorder?
- Cause, if known?
- Treatment details?
- Dates / results of most recent testing?
- Biopsy
- Ultrasound
- Completed labs?
- Blood Urea Nitrogen Levels (BUN)
- Creatinine?
- 24 protein?
- Protein / Creatinine ratio?
- Client have hypertension (high blood pressure)?
- Average blood pressure reading?
Depending on the answers, you may have to consider resources outside your core group. Make sure you are very clear with your marketing or carrier representative that you have a high risk case and need to exhaust your options. The beautiful part of being an independent agent is that you have the ability to shop that market to find solutions!
The moral of the story here is take time and ask the right questions. Be prepared to think outside the box and never give up. Many times it just takes a little patience and you can find an insurance company willing to underwrite your client with kidney disease.
Contact us today if you would like some help getting a life insurance quote. You can reach me directly at drew@redbirdadvisors.com or call 866-547-8780 ext. 102.
