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is it leagal for a life insurance company to deny you coverage because you have BP?

is it leagal for a life insurance company to deny you coverage because you have Biploar Disorder? If so can i sue? If not how can is it leagal?

Public Comments

1. probably best to speak to your doctor. or indicate after a diagnosis that you have achieved FULL RECOVERY. tx dates ____ - _____ . maybe DR did not report diagnosis correct ? maybe insurance companies are reporting ? when you have any health threatening matter, they will either deny insurance or will cost you high premiums. it's like driving. under some circumstances , you can be in insurable. if you have cancer, and you leave a job .. you can't get private health care to cover you. lots of gaps in insurance. maybe try mortgage insurance ? for loan to be paid off higher than would need be for the loan balance ? speak to some different insurance sales people ... they know how to get things through there own underwriters. no commision for selling you life insurance if not. obviously. attend some community business networking business association meetings. get to know members. there are always underwrting folks at these dinners. freinds sometimes share relavent / valuable info. with other friends. understand ?/ good luck.
2. An insurance company can deny you for alot of reasons. They deny people with cancer or pre existing problems, like renal failure. I dont think there is a law against it. Thats why alot of insurance companies give a physical before insuring someone.
3. Life insurance is Not a government program , Not funded by taxpayers . So people actually have no rights , regarding forcing a business to take them on as a customer . All insurance is a business and each business has a right to proceed how they choose . I was denied health insurance because I have lower spinal cord damage . I could not get it even if that issue was waived . You can sue , but the courts will Not force any business to do business against their will . And You would just be out all the $$$$ you paid to the attorney . Such is life on planet earth . >
4. It is legal, insurance companies are in the business to make money and taking on any sort of high risk policy would not make them money. I know it sounds bad to people who need coverage, but keep checking, there may be a company that will take you on. You may have to pay much higher premiums though.
5. First, you should never ask "why is it legal". In the United States, everything is legal until a law is passed to make it illegal. There is no law in place that says every person who applies for life insurance has to be accepted. They can deny you coverage for a host of medical conditions, bipolar disorder included. If someone was told they had a disease that only gave them 6 months to live, and life insurance companies couldn't deny you coverage, what would stop you from paying a few dollars for a million dollars of coverage.
6. Yes. Please be aware that not all companies view all medical conditions with the same caution. It means little to me if one company has turned you down. You should work with an independent agent who is used to dealing with underwriting issues (like me or LifeInsuranceAgent). Final underwriting offers will depend on your history and level of control, but I have seen standard offers on folks with bipolar disorder.
7. Yes, it's legal. They aren't required by law to write ANYONE. They can turn down anyone they want. That's why it's legal, because there's no law saying, " you have to insure everyone no matter what." You can sue, but you'll lose. You CAN buy life insurance, you know, you just can't get ODDS on it. You can't pay in $300 and get out $3,000. You'll have to pay $3,000, to get $3,000, and they get free use of the money until you kick off.
8. Yes it's legal; all life companies have underwriting rules. The rules are filed with your state's DOI, if there was something illegal involved, the state DOI would issue a cease and desist order stopping the company. Yes you could sue, your case would have little merit since they apply this rule to everyone. I've done two life cases where the insured had BP. One was accepted at table B (one step above standard rate), the other declined. The accepted one had documented treatment and the insured was on meds. The other, not so much. Some life companies will accept and others won't so you'll need to shop around. Find an independent agent in your area that specializes in life insurance. Have her shop your policy with a brokerage to get the best rate. Good luck.
9. Each company has its own set of underwriting guidelines and not every company will offer insurance to you if you have BP. It is best to shop around informally by having an agent take your information and shop to multiple companies.