Hepatitis C Insurance Questions & Answers

How do life insurance underwriters view a person who has hepatitis C?

Life insurance for people with hepatitis may be considered by underwriters as more of a risk to insure because the infection can affect the liver function. And, if you have aHepatitis C infection, certain lifestyle issues may result in a person being declined for life insurance.

One of the big factors with Hepatitis C is that quite often a person may not even know they are infected until they get a blood test when seeing their doctor or receiving an exam when applying for a life insurance policy.

How you may have obtained the infection may also have a very important bearing on whether the application is approved and in some cases declined. Many insurers may automatically decline an application if a person is still consuming alcohol while receiving treatment.

Some of the more pertinent factors that an underwriter will consider in an application for life insurance for people with hepatitis C could include:

• The date when the applicant was first diagnosed with hepatitis C
• The results of any live function tests performed including an ALT, AST and GGTP liver function levels
• Whether or not a person consumes alcohol
• The results of a liver biopsy if one was performed
• Ascertaining if the applicant had been previously diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver
• Whether they have been treated with medications such as Interferon or Ribvaviron

How much will YOUR life insurance cost?

There's only one way to find out. Get a free, no-obligation quote now.

What are the health risks of hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is contracted in a variety of ways and can cause damage to a person’s liver if it is a condition which is left untreated. Hepatitis C is more likely to cause liver damage and is considered more virulent than Hepatitis B.

There are many individuals who are infected and who may not even be aware they have been infected and are symptom free.

The virus can occur from unclean tattoo needles, through a blood transfusion, sexual activity or through sharing a needle for the purpose of taking a street drug.

Physical symptoms which do occur many be very similar to what one feels when they have a case of the flu and can range from mild to severe. Some of the more common symptoms might include joint pain, fatigue, mild fever, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. It can also result in the yellowing of the eyes known as jaundice.

Finding life Insurance with hepatitis C

Finding life insurance for people with hepatitis C will not be too problematic for most people depending on how the disease was contracted, alcohol consumption and if the condition has not progressively deteriorated.

The person applying for a policy should always keep in mind that all life insurance companies use different criteria in their rating system and that some companies are more lenient than others.

Also, another thing to consider is that the premiums charged by different companies can also fluctuate quite dramatically so even if a person is approved by a company for a policy it is possible they may be able to find a more affordable premium through another carrier.