Unlike medical insurance which doesn’t pre-screen your health before offering coverage, long term care insurance requires medical underwriting. Long term care underwriters use medical records, phone health interviews, and face to face interviews to determine if you’re eligible for coverage.
Certain conditions in your health history may make you ineligible for long term care coverage.
Top Reasons for Declines in LTC Coverage
What health issues are LTC carriers most concerned about? The following are a few of the top reasons for declines due to pre-existing conditions.
- Needing help with any of the six activities of daily living
- Use of a walker or wheelchair
- Alzheimer’s or dementia
- Certain forms of cancer
- Parkinson’s disease
- Current use of narcotics and certain medications
- Recent surgery and ongoing treatment
- A combination of common illnesses. Example: diabetes combined with increased height to weight ratio or tobacco use.
It’s important to note, an applicant’s height to weight ratio or use of tobacco almost always has an impact on other medical conditions increasing the possibility of becoming “chronically ill.”
How Can I Get Covered?
You may wonder, “So, how do I get covered?” While you can’t change your health history, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of getting covered.
Know What’s in Your Medical Records
The last time you visited your doctor and told them you were having memory issues during a stressful time, how did they record this in your records? Insurance companies comb through medical records, and it’s important to know what your doctor is noting. You may be surprised at what they say and some notes may not be correct! Just like you check your credit score, check your medical records every year to make sure they’re accurate.
Be Honest
The best advice: be honest and don’t try to hide anything in your medical history. Leaving out health information or prescriptions on your application creates a red flag when your medical records don’t match the information you disclosed. This causes underwriters to dig deeper to see if there’s anything else you left out. Always be honest and forthright so an underwriter knows they’re working with a customer in good faith.
Shop Around
While the declines listed above are fairly standard declines across all LTC carriers, some medical issues may be declined by one carrier and accepted by another. Work with an LTC Specialist who can shop the market and find an insurer who may accept your condition
So, can you get long term care insurance with pre-existing conditions? The answer is, sometimes. Do you have a pre-existing condition and unsure if you’re eligible for long term care insurance? LTC Consumer helps people just like you find out if long term care insurance is right for them. Get an instant quote and speak with a specialist today to explore your options.
LTC Consumer is an independent, free online service to help consumers understand what long term care insurance is, how it works, and how to evaluate coverage options. Our mission is to provide an educational, no-pressure resource for learning about long term care planning, with the opportunity to speak with specialists who can help them.
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