People all over the world today are paying huge amounts for life insurance and health insurance. However, people diagnosed with HIV may go through difficulties when finding a plan.
While some companies may not be willing to give you life insurance for people with HIV at all, there are many ways to get a good policy for yourself, even if you suffer from HIV or AIDS.
Can You Get Life Insurance with HIV?
Yes, you can. It was impossible before to avail of life insurance for HIV patients but the days have changed. Now, you can get your policy within your budget.
“Yes, you can get life insurance with HIV/AIDS”
Types of Life Insurance Available for HIV Patients
HIV patients can choose among the various options available to them, regarding the type of life insurance that they may prefer. Insurance companies now offer customized policies for individuals with special needs, such as HIV patients.
The three main categories are as follows:
Critical Illness Life Insurance
HIV comes under critical illnesses and institutions providing these insurances can offer a fair premium for individuals suffering from HIV and AIDS. Not all of these insurers will require a medical exam, and their coverage can vary between institutions.
Find your policy today, click here now!
Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance
These issues are policies that can be obtained by any individual, without any consideration of their health status. However, these are limited in their coverage and have a very high premium due to the higher risk.
These could be considered as insurers of the last resort. You can find details about this policy, in this content.
To get FREE quotes for guaranteed acceptance life insurance, click here.
Group Employment Life Insurance
This life insurance includes HIV patients and is provided by employers for all employees.
Challenges for the HIV Patients
For those inflicted with HIV or AIDS, life insurance isn’t the only challenge. During the 1980s and 1990s, most people diagnosed with such sexually transmitted diseases were discriminated against, particularly because back then it was a disease associated with the homosexual community.
However, while people today have become more accepting of homosexuals, a certain stigma still exists towards these people. Whether in terms of employment or life insurance, or even their daily activities, such as playing sports or grocery shopping, HIV patients are often discriminated against.
To prevent any such discrimination, the Americans with Disabilities Act has been introduced, which defines HIV as a pre-existing condition, and therefore, should not be discriminated against.
This empowers and helps all such patients to be employed, and be covered by the group employment insurance, without discrimination.
Another challenge that HIV patients face is the fact that even after their diagnosis, almost 50% of these people are not cared for properly, either due to a lack of awareness and access to information, or lack of access to proper medication. While government-funded programs are available, these people do not have access to it.
What Is Covered For HIV Patients Under Life Insurance?
For patients with HIV or AIDS, not very long ago, it was impossible to attain life insurance. However, with the improvement of the living standard of such patients, and the technological advancement in the field of medicine, the situation has improved significantly, and many of these people are able to attain good life insurance policies.
According to the CDC, over a million individuals are affected by HIV, out of which approximately 18% are unaware of it. However, the spread of the disease has slowed down over the past decade, and the awareness rates have improved as well.
While the premium is still higher for HIV patients, their increased life expectancy, improved health and better survival rates allow them to get life insurance.
It is essential, however, for such patients to ensure that they opt for a policy a little while after their diagnosis to help reduce their premium by ensuring medical fitness.
Their age at which they were diagnosed, in particular, is very important because earlier diagnosis reflects a greater life expectancy and better quality of life, meaning those individuals who are diagnosed earlier may be able to get a better life insurance policy.
In order to get life insurance, it is essential that their medical records from diagnosis, are kept, and all their medical record is updated. Ideally, HIV patients should have their records for at least 3 years, including any information about their previous illnesses, such as Hepatitis.
It should also be ensured that they have been taking anti-retroviral drugs, smokeless tobacco, and are non-smokers and non-drinkers.
Disclosure of HIV Status
Life insurance for people with HIV is denied in most cases where the individual fails to disclose their HIV status.
People often tend to hide such crucial information to avoid paying a very high premium, and even fear of rejection. It is better to disclose the diagnosis if you are aware of it.
The life insurance companies will find about this non-disclosure, or withheld information from your doctors, prescriptions and medical records, during their investigation.
Such critical information should not be withheld, as it is a pre-existing condition and, although insurers may ask for a high premium, they are obligated by law not to discriminate on the basis of HIV, unless the patient is considered very high risk.
Life Insurance and Sexual Orientation
It is unfortunate that homosexuals are still discriminated in various situations, even in the case of life insurance policies.
While efforts have been made to remove this bias against homosexuals from obtaining life insurance, particularly those who are inflicted by HIV or AIDS are often rejected life cover for unusual or unsubstantial reasons.
Laws have, however, helped in removing the questions to a person’s sexual orientation, and their sexual behavior, in an attempt to reduce this discrimination for the LGBT community.
The questions have become more neutral towards gender and sexuality of the individual, refer to unsafe sexual activity, drug abuse, blood transfusions, or the risk of HIV or Hepatitis in a recent time period.
Final Words
Life insurance for People with HIV is no longer as difficult to obtain as it was about a decade ago. People are now more open to the possibilities, particularly because of widespread information, and advances in medicine, to HIV patients living a normal life.
While some hindrances still exist to the process, improvements are being made through legislation, to help these people, allowing them to leave something behind for their family.