Printer FriendlyCardiomyopathy
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I Have
Cardiomyopathy. Now What?
Any condition affecting the heart is a
concern to life insurance companies. Cardiomyopathy is a particularly
interesting condition, since this is a condition describing a set of
heart muscle disease for which there is no identifiable cause. Until
recently, if you were diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, you would have
been declined by a life insurance company. Recently, however,
due to advances in technology and diagnosis techniques, there are
many insurers who now feel that there are individuals with
cardiomyopathy that can be insured.
If you have dilated cardiomyopathy, you
will receive a minimum two year postponement following your last successful
treatment before your application will even be considered. If you
have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, you will be evaluated based on age
of onset (the earlier the onset the worse the rating), whether
fainting spells were present, whether you had shortness of breath at
last treatment, if there is a family history of this condition,
and/or if there have been sudden, unexplainable deaths in your
family. Finally, if you have been diagnosed with alcoholic
cardiomyopathy, you will need to have been abstinent for several
years with evidence that your heart has returned back to its normal
state to even be considered for life insurance.
If you have cardiomyopathy, be prepared
for an extended application review period as the life insurance
company obtains and evaluates all your medical records and history.
Be prepared also for higher insurance rates, and even possible
declination depending on the severity of you cardiomyopathy.
Providing plenty of detailed information will help expedite the
process.
Cardiomyopathy's
Effect on Insurance Rates
This table outlines some general,
expected ratings for different cardiomyopathy scenarios.
|
Scenario |
Rating |
|
Dilated cardiomyopathy |
Initial two year postponement following last treatment; high Table ratings to Decline |
|
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy |
Table 4 to Decline |
|
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy |
High Table ratings, assuming several years of abstinence and evidence that the heart has returned to normal size and function |
More Information on
Cardiomyopathy
While the underlying causes for
cardiomyopathy are not clearly identifiable, there are some
conditions that are believed to help cause this disease. These
conditions include alcoholism, muscular dystrophy, amyloidosis,
collagen diseases, hemochromatosis, Friedrich's ataxia, and others.
Cardiomyopathy is classified into two major categories: dilated and
hypertrophic. Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by the
stretching out of either of the ventricles, or sometimes both. Only
about 6 out of every 100,000 people have this condition and it
impairs the contraction of the systolic ventricular function, which
often leads to congestive heart failure. In a study conducted by the
Mayo Clinic 77% of patients diagnosed with this condition died within
two years. The other 23% showed significant improvement and often
returned to normal heat size and function.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a bit
more common, occurring in about 19 out of every 100,000 people. This
condition is recognized by unusual enlargement of the left ventricle
outflow tract and the septum, which obstructs heart muscle
contractions. In turn, the volume of the left ventricle is reduced,
causing inefficient pumping activity which leads to symptoms such as
breathlessness, irregular heart beats, and fainting.
There is also alcoholic cardiomyopathy
which is a version of this disease that is triggered by frequent,
excessive alcohol use. Victims of this condition will experience
irregular heart beats and episodes of congestive heart failure in
conjunction with bouts of alcoholic consumption for no obvious
reason. This condition may be reversible in its early stages assuming
the individual quits drinking altogether.
Important Things to
Know for Those with Cardiomyopathy
What are some of the issues that interest underwriters?
-
When were you first diagnosed with this condition?
-
Do you have a family history of cardiomyopathy?
-
Do you experience symptoms? If so, what are they?
-
What were the results of your most recent Echocardiogram results?
What can I do to help the underwriting process?
Life insurance
companies have only recently begun to ensure those with
cardiomyopathy. As such, this is closely evaluated on a case-by-case
basis, which means you need to provide as much information as
possible. This information should include contact details for all
your treating physicians, test results, and any other information you
feel is relevant.
Complete the following form, or call us toll-free at 888-854-7526 if you would like to speak with someone or get more information.