Low Resting Heart Rate
Many endurance athletes have a low resting heart rate, which can be misinterpreted by insurance companies as a heart abnormality. A low resting heart rate is one of a number of common training-related ECG alterations which are physiological adaptations to regular exercise and considered normal variants in athletes. A low resting heart rate in an athlete is actually a sign of better risk.
However, studies show that runners have a 30% lower risk of overall death.
Older marathon runners have up to a 50% decreased risk of heart disease.
Training for a marathon leads to 5% lower cholesterol and a 4% increase in cardiorespiratory fitness in just 18 weeks.
Read more:
Anderson A, et al. J Genet Counsel (2017) | Nomura et al. Int J Cancer (2016) | Korat et al. Curr Nutr Rep (2014) | Bao et al. Am J. Epidemiol. (2013) | Gramling et al. Breast Cancer Research (2010) | Ramsey et al. Genet Med (2006)
Poor Family History
Insurance companies use family history to evaluate your risk. One metric used is the age at which a family member has passed away from a disease. The earlier the death of a family member, the higher your rate will be. Carriers establish a threshold age for considering a death “early” — for example, most carriers consider any death from heart disease before the age of 60 to be early.
Health IQ recognizes that family history is not destiny and has pushed carriers to lower the threshold age for our customers living a healthy lifestyle — in the case of heart disease, from 60 years old to 55 years old. We were able to accomplish this by uncovering science like the following:
50% lower risk of coronary artery disease
Across four studies involving 55,685 participants, a healthy lifestyle was associated with a nearly 50% lower relative risk of coronary artery disease among those at high genetic risk.
Preventing Diabetes
More than 90% of type 2 diabetes cases are potentially preventable by following a healthful diet, having a BMI of ≤25 kg/m2, exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, avoiding smoking, and consuming alcohol in moderation.
Healthy Lifestyle Trumps Breast Cancer
The degree of benefit from healthy behaviors has been shown to be the same for women with or without a family history of breast cancer.
Read more:
Drezner JA, et al. Br J Sports Med (2013) | Zilinski et al. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. (2015) | Liu, Chen and Gao. J Insur Med (2012) | Fox et al. J Am Col Cardiology (2007)
Nutrition
Vegetarian credit
Vegetarians have an overall 12% lower risk of death and 24% lower risk of death from heart disease.
Vegans have a 16% lower risk of colorectal cancer. On average, those following a vegetarian diet are 3 points lower in BMI and have half the risk of developing diabetes when compared to meat eaters.
Read more:
Anderson A, et al. J Genet Counsel (2017) | Nomura et al. Int J Cancer (2016) | Korat et al. Curr Nutr Rep (2014) | Bao et al. Am J. Epidemiol. (2013) | Gramling et al. Breast Cancer Research (2010) | Ramsey et al. Genet Med (2006)
Low-Carb Dieter credit
Triglyceride/HDL ratio is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease. It is possible to have total cholesterol in 220-260 range with little risk of atherosclerosis if HDL high and TG low.
Meta-analysis reviews show across studies that a low-carbohydrate diet improves markers of cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk factors. Overall, the benefits outweigh any apparent rise in LDL cholesterol, as HDL tends to increase and triglycerides decrease.
Read more:
Ajala O. et al. Am J Clinical Nutr (2013) | Santos et al. Obes Rev. (2012) | de Luz et al. Clinics (2008) | Foster et al. N Engl J Med (2003)
High BMI
The height/weight ratio used for BMI doesn’t address body composition and leads to misclassification of strength athletes into weight classes that the insurance industry considers risky. That’s because BMI measures excess weight relative to height— not excess fat.
That’s why Health IQ has pushed our carriers for a “BMI buffer” for our health conscious clients. For example if the limit for the preferred plus rate category for someone 5'9" is 198 lbs, our health conscious client can still get the preferred plus rate category at 208 lbs.
Read more:
Kraschnewski JL et al., Prev Med (2016) | Despre JP. Can J. Cardiol (2015) | Flegel et al. JAMA (2013) | Ruiz et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev (2009)
High Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol levels below 6.0 for men and 5.0 for women or in some cases 4.0 for the best rates are standard for many carriers. However, a growing body of research is revealing that blood cholesterol level is not the biggest predictor of heart disease, especially for people who are on low-carb diets eating a higher proportion of nutrients from healthy fats and protein.
That’s why Health IQ has pushed our carriers to keep rates the same for our health-conscious customers but allow cholesterol levels up to 5.5 for our preferred customers and as high as 6.0 for women and 6.5 for men for our standard plus customers.
High blood pressure
To qualify for the best rates, health insurance carriers often require a blood pressure below 130/80. However, for a health conscious person who is living a healthy lifestyle every day, this may not be the most important consideration for heart disease risk.
That's why Health IQ has pushed our carriers to keep rates the same for our preferred customers with a blood pressure of 150/90, and as high as 155/95 for our standard plus customers.
Making Insurance Affordable
Health IQ’s research and the New England Journal of Medicine have independently found that type 2 diabetics that manage their A1C through physical activity and a healthy lifestyle have a 40% to 72% lower risk of mortality. So it just makes sense that you should pay less for life insurance.
Health IQ Research
Health IQ Data
Medical Research
We Save You Money
Only at Health IQ can your healthy lifestyle and high health literacy save you up to 38%. That's a total potential savings of up to $2,941.*
How It Works
The Health IQ Difference
1.
Better price
Health IQ takes into account your whole health to better predict your long-term health, helping you qualify for lower rates.
2.
Better rate class
Many carriers start diabetics at a Standard rate. Health IQ works with carriers to start well-managed diabetics at a lower rate than Standard.
3.
Better shopping
1.
We first shop our special rate partners to get you the best rate
2.
We double check the rate by shopping 30 additional carriers
Special rate check
We first shop our special rate partners to get you the best rate
Retail rate check
We double-check the rate by shopping 30 additional carriers
1.
Better price
Health IQ takes into account your whole health to better predict your long-term health, helping you qualify for lower rates.
2.
Better rate class
Many carriers start diabetics at a Standard rate. Health IQ works with carriers to start well-managed diabetics at a lower rate than Standard.
3.
Better shopping
Special rate check
We first shop our special rate partners to get you the best rate
Retail rate check
We double-check the rate by shopping 30 additional carriers
Why Work With Us
Top In Protection
$29 billion
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FAQ
Life insurance is an insurance that will pay out a sum of money to a beneficiary of the insured—usually a family member—upon the death of the insured. The price for life insurance is normally based on the age, health, and expected longevity of the person applying for life insurance. In exchange for a fixed monthly or annual payment, that policy is a promise from the insurance carrier that they will pay your beneficiaries a set amount if you pass away before the end of the term. The goal of insuring one’s life is to ensure that loved ones do not financially struggle as a result of an early passing of an important family member. Life Insurance is not designed to help yourself, but instead, to help reduce the hardships that a family experiences if someone they depend upon financially passes prematurely.
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The short answer is "it depends." Every person has a different need, depending on their unique financial and family situation. But in general, you can find a good estimate by calculating your long term debts and financial obligations and then subtracting any savings, investments, or assets you have. Your ideal coverage amount should be enough to fill that gap. Most financial advisors recommend that you should have coverage for at least 7-10x of your annual income.
Total debt + total additional financial support (over x years) - savings/assets = estimated coverage needed
When thinking about your debts and assets, here are a few important factors to keep in mind.
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Well managed diabetics deserve financial recognition for their hard work. Traditional life insurance companies generally do not credit how a healthy lifestyle improves a diabetic’s long term mortality, and they rate many diabetics as “Standard,” which is typically the lowest rate class for people of normal risk. A lower rate class means higher premiums for the client.
Health IQ offers the opportunity for well managed diabetics to receive a savings over the standard rate class, resulting in a savings of up to 38%. People who are putting the hard work in to manage their diabetes and improve their longevity are a better actuarial risk than those who have poor control of their diabetes. But when it comes to the nuts and bolts of coverage, there is absolutely no difference in how life insurance coverage works for well managed diabetics. The main difference is the premiums paid for coverage —some people will pay more than others because premiums reflect actuarial risk.
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In addition to meeting standard underwriting criteria, there are three steps to apply for the Health IQ Well Managed diabetic savings:
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Health IQ’s healthy lifestyle savings for well controlled diabetics was built using Health IQ’s proprietary data, the latest scientific research and innovative underwriting by carriers we work with. Traditional life insurance companies do not credit how a much a healthy lifestyle improves mortality for people with Type 2 diabetes. We found that millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes could be saving on their life insurance. This insight was first discovered when Health IQ analyzed its proprietary quiz data of over 1MM people longitudinally tracked over the last 5 years. The data set showed that diabetics who scored Elite on the Health IQ test had 18% lower mortality vs diabetics who didn’t score Elite. It further showed that diabetics who scored Elite AND conducted regular exercise or maintained a specific diet had 40% lower mortality.
These findings were corroborated by a recent 2018 paper by Rawshani, et al in the New England Journal of Medicine studying the impact of recommended targets for mortality and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetics. The paper showed that the risk of mortality for an unmanaged diabetic increases by 299%, while the risk for a managed diabetic’s only increases by 15%. Physical activity and living a healthy lifestyle is second only to smoking as a major predictor of mortality risk that comes second only to smoking.
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No. Healthy lifestyle savings for well controlled diabetics is only available through Health IQ, thanks to the proprietary data and science that we’ve spent years collecting. Armed with the proof that health conscious people really do live longer—including people with type 2 diabetes who work hard to manage their condition through a healthy lifestyle—we spent the last few years negotiating with the major life insurance companies. We found a carrier who supported our mission to give you the lower rates you deserve.
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Health IQ’s unique healthy lifestyle savings means you could save money on your life insurance premiums vs the standard retail rates. Your individual rates will be based off of a couple of main factors -- A1C, age of diagnosis, and how many years you have kept your diabetes well controlled. However, depending on the factors described above, you may be able to obtain life insurance rates for as little as $27 a month!*
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Most likely. In addition to our healthy lifestyle savings for well managed diabetics, we also shop the nation’s top 30 carriers to help ensure we can give every client the chance to get the lowest rate for their unique situation.
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Yes, but that’s a good thing! Our 100% free medical exam helps ensure that you get the lowest price possible. If you did not take an exam, your rates could be 20% higher or more*depending on the carrier. The exams are basic, but just to make sure you know what to expect, our team will help prepare you. Life Insurance carriers will know that you are a diabetic from your medical records, but doing a free medical exam to qualify for life insurance will only help you because it gives the underwriters an up to date reading on your A1C. When it comes to A1C readings, the more information carriers have the better. Most companies will average your last readings from your doctor’s visit with the insurance labs, or take the better of the two readings. Is this product right for me if I have pre-diabetes? This specific product is tailored for type 2 diabetes. However, Health IQ specializes in getting people actively engaged in improving or maintaining their health the lowest rates on their life insurance. So if diet and exercise are important parts of your health lifestyle, we’re the right company for you.
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Not necessarily. If you have type 2 diabetes, it is likely that the life insurance carrier will request medical records from your doctor, which can add some time to the process. But you can expect your average approval time to be 4-6 weeks after your medical exam. Our case management department is dedicated to helping you obtain those records and provide them to the carrier to get you approved as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
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Your life insurance policy can be cancelled — if you stop paying the payments. Once the policy is put into place, the insurance carrier is required to cover you at the same rate for the duration of the term. You are able to cancel your policy at your own will at any time. The terms of your unique policy govern your exact relationship.
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