Let me guess. You or a loved one are looking for life insurance, but you get turned down everywhere you turn because of cystic fibrosis, right?

Yes, John. That’s why I am here. Can you help? 

Yes, we can. The good news: yes, people with cystic fibrosis can obtain life insurance.

No matter what age. Including young children and young adults!

However, the process, options, and costs depend heavily on your health status, age, and the type of policy you choose.

People with cystic fibrosis can often get life insurance through high-risk underwriting, simplified-issue policies, guaranteed-issue plans, or employer group benefits.

Before you think this article will be another dead end of answers, let me just say that we have gotten many people with cystic fibrosis more life insurance than they had thought.

Here is what we will discuss:

• Life Insurance Underwriting for People with Cystic Fibrosis
• Your Best Bet to Obtain a High Death Benefit
• 3 Life Insurance Options for People with Cystic Fibrosis
• Estimates Life Insurance Cost for People with Cystic Fibrosis
• Life Insurance Options for Children and Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis
• FAQs about Life Insurance and Cystic Fibrosis
• Final Thoughts

Let’s first discuss life insurance underwriting as that is the basis of approval or decline. After reading this section, you will have a good understanding on how life insurance underwriters analyze applications from people with cystic fibrosis.

How Life Insurance Underwriting Works for People with Cystic Fibrosis

Life insurance underwriting is how insurers decide if they’ll cover you, how much coverage you can get, and at what price. Underwriters are looking at your probability of passing away sooner than the average person (to put it in layman’s terms). In other words, if your situation is better than the average person, the carriers approve you at a lower price than the average person. If your situation is worse than the average person, then you will pay higher premiums, or you’ll be declined altogether.

Unfortunately, it is very hard for people with cystic fibrosis to obtain traditional life insurance policies. What I mean by “traditional policies” is those that require underwriting with high death benefits available, like $500,000 to $1,000,000 and more.

The reason why is that the mortality rate of someone with cystic fibrosis is lower than the average person. It is a high-risk condition. Life insurance companies are well aware of this. They know it is a progressive disease with some people passing away earlier than the average person.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the average life expectancy of someone with cystic fibrosis is 61 for those born in 2019 and higher for those born in later years.

Advances in medicine and treatments have improved the average life expectancy.

However, statistics are just numbers and impersonal. They are not “you”. So, you could live beyond these averages.

Underwriting Factors for People with Cystic Fibrosis

To fully understand the underwriting process, here is what life insurance providers look at with someone with cystic fibrosis:

• Age at diagnosis (childhood vs. adult onset)
• Current lung function (often measured by FEV1)
• Number of hospitalizations or lung infections in the past 2–5 years
• Nutritional status — are you malnourished or do you have a good BMI?
• Treatments used (e.g., CFTR modulators, inhaled medications, oxygen)
• Overall health stability over time

I am aware that other websites claim you can obtain traditional life insurance (such as term life) as long as you have good lung function, good health, a stable medical history, do not take oxygen, and a minimal impact of cystic fibrosis on your daily life. However, getting traditional life insurance is unlikely to happen. See some of the excerpts from underwriting guides here.

If you believe your situation is unique and you would like to explore qualifying for a traditional life insurance plan, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to give it a shot.

Your Best Life Insurance Option for People with Cystic Fibrosis

If you have cystic fibrosis, your best life insurance option is a life insurance policy through your employer (assuming they offer a plan and assuming you are able to work). Most employer life insurance plans are guaranteed issue, which means no health questions or underwriting. Here’s the thing with group/employer plans: they are basic in structure. They have to be in order to keep costs low. Most of the time, the employer pays for some, or all, of the premium. Companies keep their premium costs low by:

• keeping the death benefit to 1 – 2 X your salary, although some group/employer plans may offer more, to a limit, like $500,000.
• not including any riders or living benefits
• decreasing the death benefit at retirement ages (this is common)

Employers can offer both group term life and group whole life insurance. Most employers offer group term life insurance.

One major disadvantage of group life insurance is that the company owns the policy. By owning the policy, they can make decisions that may not reflect the personal needs or care of the employees. In other words, they can change the plan or cancel it altogether.

Nevertheless, if you are able-bodied and working, your group plan through your employer may be your best option for life insurance with a high death benefit. Additionally, you’ll want to check what happens to the policy if you leave your employer. Some employer plans allow you to take the policy with you, converted into a universal life plan.

Life Insurance Options for People with Cystic Fibrosis

Having said all this, you can obtain individual life insurance. Here are the options available.

Simplified Issue Life Insurance

Simplified issue life insurance is available for people with cystic fibrosis. With these options, life insurance companies keep the underwriting simple. They do this by:

• offering no medical exam, just a short health questionnaire to answer
• limited life insurance coverage: $25,000–$50,000, depending on your age

Most simplified issue life insurance plans are whole life insurance. Whole life insurance is designed to last your entire lifetime. Life insurance companies offer whole life as simplified issue because it is easier to underwrite.

The life insurance company underwrites your situation by reviewing databases, specifically the MIB and Milliman Intelliscript. These contain your prescription drug and health insurance claim history. Once upon time, many carriers required a phone interview. However, with the rise and accuracy of technology and data, nearly all carriers have removed the interview from the underwriting process.

With simplified issue underwriting, companies removed the medical exam, medical records, and other elements from the traditional underwriting process. So, obtaining simplified issue life insurance is quicker and “simpler”.

You may hear about final expense life insurance or burial insurance. These are essentially the same: a life insurance policy with simplified/easy underwriting, but offering relatively low death benefits, typically ranging from $25,000 to $50,000. The insurance industry likes to call it these names because that is the intention: to help pay for funeral expenses. However, your beneficiary can use the death benefit however he or she sees fit.

Graded Benefit Whole Life Insurance

Graded benefit whole life insurance is another type of simplified issue life insurance. The main difference between the option above and graded benefit is how the life insurance company structures the death benefit in the first couple of years of the policy.

In the underwriting section, we talked about risk. If your situation is riskier than that of the average person, the company will charge higher life insurance rates or decline your application altogether.

One other way companies mitigate their risk (again, the risk of the applicant dying too soon) is by “grading” the death benefit in the first couple of years of the policy. The company pays out a percentage of the death benefit rather than the full amount. For example, a graded benefit whole life insurance might look something like this. Jane is 50 years old and purchases a $20,000 graded benefit whole life insurance policy. If she passes away by illness or natural causes:

• in the first year, the life insurance carrier pays 20% of her death benefit to her beneficiary ($4,000 in this example)
• the second year, 60% of the death benefit paid out ($12,000 in this example)
• the 3rd year and beyond, 100% of the death benefit paid out (so the full $20,000)
• at any point, if Jane passes away from an accident, the carrier pays 100% of the death benefit

Many life insurance companies offer graded benefit life insurance for people with cystic fibrosis. However, carriers do exist that pay an immediate benefit if you pass away from an illness or natural cause in the first couple of years (e.g., cystic fibrosis). When available, we use these companies first and then pivot to graded benefit plans depending on availability.

Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance

These plans contain no medical questions or underwriting. You just apply, and you have life insurance. These types of policies are ideal for people with serious medical conditions or medical conditions which has entered late stages, like renal failure or serious heart disease.

However, these plans will offer a return of premiums paid if you pass away within the first couple of years due to an illness or natural cause.

So, John, similar to a graded benefit plan?

Yes, instead of a percentage of the death benefit, your beneficiary receives the premiums you paid. Moreover, expect higher premiums because the carrier doesn’t underwrite.

For example, as shown in our previous example, Jane has a $20,000 guaranteed issue policy. If she passes away within the first year and has spent $500 on premiums so far, the carrier returns the $500 to her beneficiary.

We are one of the few brokers that offer guaranteed issue life insurance for individuals under the age of 40, as well as for children.

Additionally, we are one of the few brokers that can offer even higher death benefits at guaranteed issue provided you work full-time. Now, you need to be working full-time and have a life expectancy of more than 24 months. If your situation is stable and you work full-time, feel free to contact us, and we can determine if these plans are a good fit for your situation.

Nevertheless, we have many guaranteed issue life insurance options for you.

Accidental Death Insurance

A final option is a product called accidental death insurance. This technically isn’t life insurance as it pays only if you pass away from an accident. A handful of companies offer accidental death insurance.

I am not a big proponent of accidental death insurance, as the probability of passing away from an accident is low (although it does happen). This type of policy makes more sense if you work in a high-risk occupation like law enforcement, tree cutting, etc.

If you do want some type of accidental death insurance, I recommend plain, old accident insurance. It is just as cheap and will help pay for health care costs related to an accident (which happens more than an accidental death). Additionally, these plans typically include accidental death. Contact us if you would like to learn more.

Now that you know the options available, let discuss life insurance costs for people with cystic fibrosis.

Life Insurance Costs for People with Cystic Fibrosis

As we have discussed so far, your life insurance premiums are higher than average due to increased health risk. Premiums vary by:

• Policy type (guaranteed issue is usually the most expensive per $1,000 of coverage)
• Severity of cystic fibrosis
• Age at application
• Gender
• Coverage amount

If you would like to get an idea of how much life insurance will cost, feel free to use the quoter below.

Important note: we offer way more life insurance options than the quoter offers. For example, we offer guaranteed issue life insurance for children. We also offer life insurance and burial insurance options for New York residents.

Life Insurance Options for Children and Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

If you have a child or young adult with cystic fibrosis, we still have life insurance options.

No, John. Another broker told me that you had to be 50 or younger to get guaranteed issue life insurance. 

No true. We have guaranteed issue life insurance available starting at age 0 (i.e., newborn), subject to state availability.

We also have some guaranteed issue life insurance options if a parent applies for a policy (and is approved) or if a parent adds a child to a child term rider.

If you have a child or young adult with cystic fibrosis, contact us so we can discuss your options.

Frequently Asked Questions About Life Insurance and Cystic Fibrosis

We answer the following questions about life insurance and cystic fibrosis.

Can people with cystic fibrosis get life insurance?

Yes. People with cystic fibrosis can get life insurance, but eligibility depends on the severity of the condition, age, lung function, and medical history. Options include simplified issue, guaranteed issue, accidental death, and group life policies.

You mean, I can’t get term life insurance?

Unlikely. Term life insurance underwriting is generally more rigid and stringent than simplified issue underwriting. Just about every carrier automatically denies people with cystic fibrosis for term life insurance. However, if you feel your situation is mild, then contact us. We have helped many people in high-risk situations obtain life insurance.

What is the best life insurance and the best company for people with cystic fibrosis?

There is no best life insurance. The best life insurance is the one that meets your needs at the lowest possible cost. There is no best company, either. Different insurance companies have different underwriting requirements. So, the best company for your neighbor may not be the best one for you. Unfortunately, most people fall into that trap. They see what their friends, family, and neighbors have and think that is the right option for them. However, 9 times out of 10, it isn’t.

Thankfully, here at My Family Life Insurance, we are contracted with over 70 life insurance companies, and we can likely find a solution to meet your life insurance needs.

How much does life insurance cost for people with cystic fibrosis?

Your life insurance cost depends on the following information:

• your age
• gender
• severity of your cystic fibrosis
• state where you reside
• if you have any other health conditions

As we stated throughout this article, we work with numerous life insurance companies, enabling us to provide you with the most affordable life insurance tailored to your needs.

Is group life insurance available for people with Cystic Fibrosis?

Yes, if you work and your employer offers group life insurance, then it is available to you.

Group life insurance isn’t perfect, as we wrote in our article comparing group life to individual life insurance policies. However, it is likely your best chance of obtaining life insurance with a high death benefit.

Additionally, we are one of the few brokers that offer guaranteed issue life insurance (starting at $50,000) to individuals who work full-time and have a mild form of cystic fibrosis. However, your situation must be relatively mild to qualify.

Will I be denied life insurance because of cystic fibrosis?

Life insurance companies typically deny people with cystic fibrosis for traditional life insurance (like term life insurance with a $1,000,000 death benefit). However, as discussed throughout this article, we have life insurance options for you.

Can children with cystic fibrosis get life insurance?

Yes, children and young adults with cystic fibrosis can get life insurance. We have guaranteed issue life insurance options starting at year 0 (i.e., newborn baby).

Additionally, we have child riders or stand-alone life insurance options provided a parent applies, and is approved, for his or her own life insurance policy. These options are subject to state availability. Please contact us for more details.

What if I already got denied for life insurance because of cystic fibrosis?

​No problem. You have come to the right broker. We have helped many individuals with cystic fibrosis obtain life insurance, even those who have been previously declined. Please contact us. We can help.

Final Thoughts About Life Insurance and Cystic Fibrosis

If you or a loved one has cystic fibrosis, you now know you can obtain life insurance. While you likely won’t be eligible for a traditional life insurance policy, other life insurance options exist. We discussed many of them throughout the article.

Do you have any questions, or ready to discuss what you qualify for? Contact us or use the form below.

​There is no risk to contacting us. We aren’t those annoying brokers that will call you 1,000 times per day. If you’re interested in working with us, that’s great. We are happy to help, as we have assisted many individuals and families in obtaining life insurance. We only work in your best interests, so if we can’t assist you, we will direct you to the right resources. If your situation or needs change, you can always reach out to us again.