Perhaps the most overwhelming part of finding insurance is the application process. Waiting to be approved or to find out your risk class is an anxiety-inducing experience.
What if you have to pay high premiums in Boca Raton?
Or, worse: what if you’re declined?
With a little knowledge, and the right tools, applying for coverage doesn’t have to be daunting.
When applying for an instant quote online, you will be asked your age, if you’re a smoker, your gender, and which health class you fit into.
This basic information can be useful when getting an estimate for your premiums, but won’t give you an accurate picture of what you’ll be paying.The process for underwriting insurance is a lot more detailed than instant quote forms lead you to believe.
Underwriting is the process an insurance company uses to determine your eligibility for coverage. Underwriters determine how much coverage you are eligible for, as well as how much your premiums should be.
When assessing you as a candidate for coverage, an underwriter will ask you a variety of questions regarding your health and finances, including: your height, your weight, your age, your health history, your lifestyle habits, your annual income, and your net worth.
A follow-up medical exam is usually done to asses your current state of health and your family’s medical history.
The most important thing to remember about these tests is to BE HONEST.
If you’re a smoker, say you’re a smoker. Lying could result in insurance fraud charges and your beneficiaries might not receive benefits after you pass away.
It’s important to know that even if you’re a smoker, or if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you can still get life insurance. Be upfront and honest when applying for coverage. If one company can’t work with you, chances are you just haven’t found the right company.
You are considered a “standard risk” if your life expectancy is the same as the average person’s. This category sets the base for how premiums are calculated.
You will be placed in this category if your life expectancy is lower than that of an average person. A person who smokes, for example, may be placed in the substandard category. The premiums in this category will be higher than the premiums for standard applicants.
A candidate who is expected to live longer than the average person is placed in the preferred category. If you are a preferred client, you premiums will be lower than the premiums for a standard and substandard applicant.
If an underwriter feels you pose too great a risk for the insurance company to cover you, you will be declined for coverage.
To find a policy for you, you should talk to a reputable independent insurance agent.These agents know which companies will look favorably on your risk, and can help you find a company that will work with you.
We work with a multitude of insurance companies, and form lasting relationships with them and their underwriters. This means we know which life insurance Boca Raton companies will look favorably upon your risk.
We also form relationships with our clients, and bridge the gap between clients and insurance companies. We know not all risk is created equal. Our personal relationships with you, our clients, and insurance companies allow underwriters to see past your risk, and to assess you on an individual basis.
You can work with an agent to find a life insurance policy and can get a personalized, free, and no-obligation life insurance quote in just a few minutes. It’s that easy to start protecting your family’s financial future! Requesting a life insurance quote through AIG Direct is now faster and easier than ever!
With My Term Life Guy, you can get quality term life insurance coverage for less. Call now and save up to 60% on your term life policy compared to the same coverage through other carriers. That means you can get similar coverage for your money – and that’s always a good thing!
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Typically, an individual can get up to 20 times her or his annual income in coverage.
The total coverage amount a person will qualify for often decreases with age, as retirement draws nearer.
For those who are not currently employed, it is still possible to get $50,000 – $100,000 of coverage for items such as final expenses. Unemployed individuals will have to provide information on the application to prove they can afford the premiums, such as disability or retirement income information.
It is possible to get more than 20 times your income for coverage if you have additional assets to protect over and above your income. It is also possible for a homemaker to qualify for the same amount of coverage their spouse has, even without a separate income.
This depends on what kind of policy you apply for.
Typically a No Medical Exam policy can be applied for, approved, and put in force within approximately two business days. No Medical Exam policies are available to clients up to age 60 or so, depending on the insurance company. The coverage amount you can apply for is limited, due to the greater risk the insurance company is taking. (When there’s no physical exam involved, the insurance company has less health information about the applicant.) For healthy applicants, these policies can cost up to twice the rate of a medically underwritten policy. However, there are people who don’t like needles, and the No Medical Exam option is a great one for that reason!
A medically underwritten, or traditional, term policy will typically take about 3 weeks from start to finish. This process can take longer when applicants have health issues and the underwriter orders medical records from their doctor. If this occurs, we let our clients know that they can call and ask their doctor to expedite the submission of the medical records to the underwriter in an effort to speed up the application process.
Most carriers have the same rules when it comes to paying premiums on life insurance policies. The only way to make monthly payments these days is to authorize a monthly automatic draft from your checking or savings account. If you prefer not to make automatic payments, there are some other options. You can receive a bill by mail if you elect to pay quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Most people choose to make automatic payments for their life insurance for the same reason they do for other bills, such as car insurance: they don’t want their policy to be canceled because of non-payment.
You do not have to send a payment with your application, unless you want to be covered during the underwriting process (which typically takes about 3 weeks). Most people choose to wait until their application has been approved to make a payment and begin coverage. Once an approval is made, you can make changes to the policy to fit your budget if the rate that comes back is different from the one you applied for. Also, most people want to know the exact cost before making a payment to begin coverage. You do not have to provide billing information on the application, either. That information can be collected after an approval has been made and you’ve decided that you want to begin the coverage afforded by the policy.
If you want to secure temporary insurance and be covered during the underwriting period, simply include a payment for two months’ premium. It’s refundable if you decide not to take out a policy based on the final approved rate.
It depends on the pre-existing condition. For example, it’s difficult to obtain life insurance when you’ve had cancer (skin cancer is the one exception) or within 5 years after having a heart attack. On the other hand, it’s fairly easy for people who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or high blood sugar, such as those with type 2 diabetes, to obtain coverage as long as they are under a doctor’s care and the condition is under control.
There are graded benefit and/or final expense policies available for people with greater health risks. The corresponding premiums will be higher, depending on the severity of the pre-existing condition. It’s often beneficial for an applicant with pre-existing conditions to discuss them with an agent before applying for coverage, to increase the chances of a more favorable approval.
hat depends on your needs. A person’s needs change over time. Most term life insurance policies have a premium that increases each year after the initial guaranteed level term period. If you are nearing the end of your initial term period and want to lock in a rate that won’t change for another predetermined number of years, it might benefit you to apply for a new policy and replace, or surrender, the old one.