Life Insurance And Std Testing: What You Need To Know

Life insurance companies conduct medical examinations to determine whether an applicant is insurable and to establish premium rates. These examinations include routine screenings that may detect health issues. While insurance companies do not test for all conditions, they do look for issues that are likely to affect a person's life expectancy. At a minimum, companies will screen for HIV and AIDS, and other conditions that may indicate heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers.

HIV and AIDS

Life insurance companies will, at a minimum, screen for HIV and AIDS, even though these conditions are not always transmitted sexually. This is because insurers are looking for issues that are likely to affect a person's life expectancy.

People living with HIV can take out life insurance, as medical advances mean that many people with the virus have a near-normal life expectancy. However, your viral load, CD4 count, and other pre-existing conditions may impact the life insurance cover you can get, including the premiums (monthly payments), length of the policy, and cash sum paid.

If you are applying for life insurance and are HIV-positive, you will be asked detailed questions about your health, including:

• When you were diagnosed
• Your CD4 count and viral load
• What and how much medication you are taking
• What other health conditions you have
• If you have had any symptoms, now or in the past
• Whether you have ever used drugs in your lifetime, or within the past five or ten years

Insurers will also ask for written statements from your GP and HIV clinic about your health. They may also require lab results, including drug screens and Hepatitis B and C tests.

Some insurers require an undetectable viral load, a specific CD4 count, and no history of AIDS or related conditions. Others will need you to wait until at least a year after your diagnosis and require at least six months of stable ART, while others won’t write a policy until several years after a diagnosis.

If you have access to a group life insurance plan through your employer or trade union, you may not need to complete a medical questionnaire or disclose your HIV status. However, if they do require a medical questionnaire and you do not feel comfortable sharing this information with your employer, you could ask to submit it directly to the insurer or broker in confidence. Under the Equality Act, you are protected against discrimination in the workplace.

It is important to be honest about your HIV status when applying for insurance. Insurance can be cancelled for non-disclosure, and your policy may be invalidated if you are found to have withheld information.

Hepatitis

Life insurance medical exams are used to determine insurability and premium rates. They are usually required for term and permanent life insurance policies. The exam includes a physical, blood test, urine test, and sometimes an electrocardiogram (EKG).

A regular life insurance medical exam does not specifically screen for hepatitis. However, insurance companies look for indications of liver damage from a regular blood panel and can require follow-up testing for hepatitis B, C, or alcoholic hepatitis. If the results show elevated transaminases, underwriters will investigate the applicant's medical history, as these levels can be the first sign of hepatitis B infection.

The underwriting process for hepatitis will depend on the type of hepatitis, how it was contracted, and how well the symptoms are managed. For hepatitis A, as long as the condition has completely resolved, the applicant can qualify for the best risk class. For hepatitis B, if the condition has completely resolved and there is no evidence of being a chronic carrier, the applicant can qualify for Standard and possibly Preferred risk classes. If the hepatitis B surface antigen remains positive, the applicant may be approved but will likely be table-rated, meaning they will have to pay an extra percentage on top of the Standard rate. Cases of cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B will usually be highly table-rated or declined for individual coverage.

For hepatitis C, underwriters will carefully evaluate the application, considering the extent of liver damage and the results of any treatment. Depending on the applicant's risk assessment, they may be table-rated or declined.

Herpes

Life insurance companies are interested in your health and any conditions that may affect your life expectancy. They will ask about your medical history and may require a medical exam, including blood and urine tests, to screen for health issues.

Applying for Life Insurance with Herpes

If you have herpes and need life insurance, you should go ahead and apply without delay. Most individuals with herpes can qualify for a traditional term or whole life insurance policy, and some may even be eligible for a no-medical exam policy at a Preferred Plus rate. This is because herpes typically does not cause serious symptoms or complications that would concern a life insurance underwriter about your long-term health.

Life insurance companies care about herpes because it can lead to other more serious sexually transmitted diseases, such as AIDS, and bladder infections or complications. They will ask general health questions to determine your overall health condition and may request a prescription database check and an application questionnaire to assess your eligibility for coverage.

Factors Affecting Life Insurance Rates with Herpes

The rate or price you can qualify for with herpes depends on various factors, including your current health status and any pre-existing medical conditions. If you are in good health and have no other pre-existing conditions, your herpes diagnosis is unlikely to affect your life insurance application or the rate you qualify for.

However, if herpes has led to severe medical complications, such as meningitis, this may impact your life insurance options and rates. It is important to be honest and disclose your herpes condition on the application, as nondisclosure may lead to more questions or even a decline of your policy.

To ensure the best outcome, work with an experienced agent who can guide you towards insurance companies that view herpes favorably. Maintaining excellent overall health and a proper weight-to-height ratio, as well as a balanced diet and regular exercise, can also help you obtain the best premium rates.

Lifetime Medical Costs of Genital Herpes

The average lifetime direct medical cost of genital herpes was estimated to be $972 per treated case or $165 per infection in 2019 dollars, according to a study by Eppink et al. in 2021. This includes costs for clinical visits, medication, and potential hospitalization, as genital herpes is a lifelong condition. However, these estimates do not include costs associated with neonatal herpes or the increased risk of acquiring HIV due to HSV-2 infection.

Syphilis

• Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TP-PA)
• Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test
• Microhemagglutination assay for antibodies to T. pallidum (MHA-TP)
• T. pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA)
• T. pallidum enzyme immunoassay (TP-EIA)
• Chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA)

The lifetime cost of treating syphilis in the United States averages $1,190 without insurance. Testing for syphilis is typically done through a blood test and can be screened on its own or as part of an STD test panel. Without insurance, the cost of testing ranges from $10 to $350.

Life insurance companies do not specifically test for STDs, but they do screen for health issues that may affect a person's life expectancy. They will also ask questions about your medical history, including whether you have an STD. While answering yes to having an STD is unlikely to impact your insurance application, it is important to be honest and disclose any relevant information.

HIV antibodies

Life insurance companies do not test specifically for sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STDs or STIs). However, they do screen for HIV and AIDS, even though these conditions are not always transmitted sexually. This is because insurance companies look for issues that are likely to affect a person's life expectancy.

HIV antibody tests are the most common type of HIV screening test. They do not look for the virus but instead look for disease-fighting proteins (antibodies) that the body makes to combat HIV. These antibodies can be found in blood, urine, or saliva. It can take 3 to 12 weeks for the body to make enough antibodies to detect HIV. Antibody tests that use blood from a vein can detect HIV sooner than tests done with blood from a finger stick or with oral fluid.

The rapid antibody test, usually done with blood from a finger stick or with oral fluid, gives results in 30 minutes or less. This includes HIV self-tests used at home or in a private location. The rapid antigen/antibody test, done with blood from a finger stick, also takes 30 minutes or less.

If you test positive for HIV antibodies, you will need a follow-up test to confirm the results. If the follow-up test is also positive, it means you have HIV. Receiving an HIV diagnosis can be life-changing, but it is important to remember that HIV treatment can help individuals live a long and healthy life. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), for example, involves a combination of HIV medications taken daily, which can help to manage the virus and reduce the risk of transmission.

Frequently asked questions