Every carrier underwrites differently. We know who's friendly to which conditions and route your application to the right place the first time - saving you months and protecting your insurability.
Who this is for
- Cancer survivors (5+ years remission)
- Type 1 or Type 2 diabetics with controlled A1C
- Heart attack or stroke survivors past stability window
- Transplant recipients
- Recovery and HIV-positive applicants
What you get
Carrier-by-carrier expertise
We know which underwriters say yes to which conditions.
Pre-screening
Informal inquiries before formal applications.
Substandard rating advocacy
Push back on unfair ratings with medical evidence.
Guaranteed-issue alternatives
Backup options when underwriting won't work.
What Does High Risk Mean to an Underwriter?
High risk is not a judgment about you. It is a pricing label. An underwriter sorts every applicant into a class, then prices the policy from that class. Your job, and ours, is to land in the best class your records support.
The classes carriers use
Preferred
Strong health, clean labs, and no risky habits. The lowest price a carrier offers.
Standard
Average health for your age. Most approvals land here or close to it.
Table rated
A health-adjusted class above standard. Each table step adds a set percentage to the base price.
Flat extra
A temporary charge tied to one specific risk. It often drops off after a few years.
Postpone or decline
The file is too recent or too unsettled today. Timing, not character, drives most of these.
Ratings are not permanent
A table rating reflects your file on the day it was reviewed.
Files change. Many policies can be reviewed again once your record shows a longer stretch of stability.
Two carriers can read the same chart and land two classes apart. That is not a mistake. Each company builds its own guide from its own claims history. Knowing those differences is most of this job.
How Do Carriers Decide Your Rating?
Underwriters do not take your word for it, and they do not need to. They pull records. Knowing what they see helps you prepare instead of guess.
- Your application answers, which they treat as the starting point.
- A prescription history going back several years.
- The MIB, an industry file that flags past application activity.
- Your driving record, since crashes and DUIs are priced risks.
- Lab work from a paramedical exam, or recent labs from your own chart.
- An attending physician statement, meaning notes straight from your doctor.
Bring your own records
Ask your doctor for the last two years of notes and labs before you apply.
A complete, current file is the cheapest advantage you can hand an underwriter. Missing records lead to guesses, and guesses cost you.
Control matters more than diagnosis. A diabetic with steady labs and regular visits often prices better than someone with a milder issue and no follow-up. Underwriters reward evidence of management. Show them the pattern.
Why Does Pre-Screening Change the Outcome?
This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that matters most. Before anything formal is filed, we describe your case to underwriters without your name attached. They tell us how they would likely treat it.
How an informal inquiry works
- 01
We build a summary
Diagnosis, dates, treatment, current medications, and your two most recent sets of labs.
- 02
We send it out unnamed
Several carriers review the same summary. No application is on file yet.
- 03
They answer with a likely class
Replies come back as standard, a table rating, a postpone, or a pass.
- 04
We choose where to apply
You apply once, at the carrier whose answer was strongest.
- 05
A cover letter goes with it
The letter frames your history so the underwriter reads context, not surprises.
Why scattered applications backfire
Applying to five carriers at once feels efficient. It is not.
Application activity is shared through industry files, so the next underwriter sees the pattern. A string of declines makes every later review more cautious.
Which Conditions Still Get Approved?
Almost every condition is insurable at some price, in some year, at some carrier. What changes is timing and cost. Here is what underwriters usually look at, condition by condition.
What underwriters look for
Cancer history
Type, stage, when treatment ended, and years since. Early stage cases past the waiting window can reach standard.
Diabetes
Age at diagnosis, recent A1C, which is a three month blood sugar average, and any complications.
Heart attack or stents
Date of the event, ejection fraction, meaning how well the heart pumps, and current test results.
Stroke or TIA
Time since the event, whether a cause was found, and whether blood pressure is controlled.
Transplant
Organ, years since surgery, rejection episodes, and current organ function.
Sleep apnea
Severity and proof you use the machine as prescribed. Compliance reports help a lot.
Recovery from substance use
Years of sobriety, program involvement, and a clean driving record.
HIV
Viral load, CD4 count, and steady care. Several carriers now underwrite this rather than decline it.
Risky work or hobbies
Pilots, roofers, and divers may see a flat extra rather than a decline. See travel and adventure.
Who this is for
This route fits you if
- You were declined or rated by one carrier and stopped there.
- Your condition is documented and stable over time.
- A mortgage, a young family, or a business partner depends on you.
- You were quoted online, then repriced after the exam.
- You need more coverage than a small final expense policy provides.
- A-rated carriers we compare
- 20+A-rated carriers we compare
- California license number
- 0718082California license number
- ways to meet: office, video, or phone
- 3ways to meet: office, video, or phone
What If Every Carrier Still Says No?
A no today is rarely a no forever. It usually means the file is too fresh. In the meantime, there are real ways to get protection in place.
- Group life at work, which is often issued with no health questions up to a set amount.
- Guaranteed issue or graded benefit policies, covered on our specialized coverage page.
- Accidental death coverage, which pays only for accidents but issues quickly.
- A smaller policy now, with a plan to add more once your record strengthens.
- Converting an existing term policy, if your contract still allows it without new questions.
- Covering the healthier spouse first, so the family has some protection today.
Protect what you already hold
Never cancel an in-force policy before a new one is issued and paid.
That old policy may be the best rating you will ever hold. Term contracts often carry conversion rights that no exam can take away.
If your health has improved since your last try, a standard application may now fit. Start with our life insurance overview to see how the policy types differ. Then we can test the market quietly, before you commit to anything.
How Do You Get a Rating Lowered Later?
Ratings can be revisited. Carriers call it reconsideration, and it is a normal request rather than a favor.
Requesting a reconsideration
- 01
Wait for a real change
Better labs, a longer remission window, weight loss, or years without an event.
- 02
Gather the proof
Recent notes, current labs, and a short letter from your doctor.
- 03
Ask the current carrier first
Many will re-rate a policy already in force without a new application.
- 04
Shop it in parallel
If the answer is weak, another carrier may simply price you better today.
- 05
Keep the old policy active
Coverage should overlap the switch. It should never gap.
We meet at our Orange office, by video, or by phone, whichever is easier for you. See how we work on our process page. Then call (714) 922-0043 or ask for a pre-screen.
Worth remembering
Your first decline is data, not a verdict.
The right carrier, the right timing, and a complete file change the answer more often than people expect. We do that legwork at no cost to you.
What it costs
Price on high-risk life insurance is driven mostly by your rating class, which reflects your condition, how well it is controlled, and how long you have been stable. Age, coverage amount, and policy type also move the number, and a permanent policy costs more than term for the same face value. Expect a health-adjusted premium above standard rates, with the gap narrowing as your medical picture improves and reconsideration becomes possible. Because carrier guidelines and pricing change often, confirm current figures with a licensed agent before you decide.