Life insurance for people with HIV

Why you can trust Insure.com

Quality Verified

At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry.

The life expectancy for people with HIV has increased dramatically, but finding life insurance when you have HIV can still be a struggle.

Just as they would with any other potential customer, life insurance companies will typically ask about health status and medical conditions when you apply for a traditional term or whole life policy. Having the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as other serious medical conditions, can preclude you from obtaining traditional life insurance.

With traditional whole or term life insurance, you’re likely to need to undergo a physical exam or perhaps be asked to turn over your medical records. If you lie to cover up your HIV diagnosis, your application will be denied.

Fortunately, other options for life insurance exist if you’re living with HIV.

Key Takeaways

HIV is now considered similar to other chronic illnesses by medical professionals and insurance companies.
Traditional life insurance policies are still a bit harder to get for HIV-positive individuals.
There are other types of life insurance for HIV-positive people such as guaranteed issued and simplified life, group life and final expense insurance.

What are the life insurance options if you’re HIV-positive?

People who are HIV-positive may qualify for a traditional policy, but it depends on your current health and how your HIV is being treated.

If you are having trouble qualifying for a traditional policy, there are some other options that you can consider to get the coverage you need.

Group life through work

If you’re looking to have your family’s financial obligations covered even after your passing, one option is a group life insurance policy through your employer. These policies will be available to anyone in the company as part of the benefits package, and you won’t be required to undergo a physical exam. That makes it easy to qualify with HIV or any other medical issue. Some large associations also offer similar group coverage.

One drawback is that the coverage normally only remains in effect until you leave your employer. However, your policy may come with a conversion option. That means if you leave the company, you have the option to convert your group life policy to an individual policy, and a medical exam won’t be required.

These conversion policies tend to have expensive premiums, but it can provide you with an option for coverage that wouldn’t otherwise be available.

Impaired risk life insurance

Some insurance companies have agents who specialize in finding life insurance for high-risk individuals.

These agents work with people who have been diagnosed with a variety of medical conditions, including HIV, and can help you find coverage to meet your needs.

One key is to make sure your condition is well-controlled, which gives you a better chance of obtaining coverage.

Guardian is one company that offers term and whole life policies specifically for HIV-positive individuals. Coverage and rates are based on lab work and a demonstrated history of following up on medical care and antiviral meds, etc. Rates are still higher– coming in at standard and substandard risk classes– but it’s a path toward more traditional life insurance.

QuickTake

Life insurance for people with dementia

Can you hide smoking from life insurance companies?

How to buy life insurance after being diagnosed with cancer

Life insurance for people with depression or anxiety

Life insurance for people with bipolar disorder

Life insurance for down syndrome

Life insurance for people with autism

How to buy life insurance when you have high blood pressure

Life insurance for parents of children with special needs

Life insurance for diabetics

Life insurance for overweight people

How alcohol use affects your life insurance premiums

Life insurance for people with diabetes

When is it too late to buy life insurance?

Your life expectancy

Cigar smokers see the best life insurance rates drift away

Life insurers shrug at assisted suicide

How a history of mental illness affects your life insurance rates

How blood pressure and cholesterol affect life insurance rates

Guaranteed-issue life

The upside of guaranteed issue life insurance is that you can get coverage regardless of your HIV status and other medical issues. You won’t have to answer health questions or have a medical examination.

Also, if you die within two years of the policy being issued, other than from being involved in an accident, all that your beneficiaries typically will receive are the premiums you paid, plus interest. But that might not be an issue, as Americans with HIV are now often living long lives.

These policies are usually only issued for small amounts, however, such as $10,000 or $20,000.

Accidental death insurance

Accidental death insurance is another type of policy that will provide coverage without taking your medical condition into account.

Of course, it only kicks in if you are killed in an accident. It would typically cover you if:

You’re killed in a plane, train, bus or other type of crash involving a common carrier
You’re killed in a car wreck or when you’re a pedestrian
You die from another type of accident

These policy amounts often tend to be low, but that money can help loved ones pay off debts or cover burial costs.

Funeral insurance

Funeral insurance, also known as final expense insurance, can also provide support to your loved ones in the event of your death, and it too comes with no physical exam. With some policies, you may have to answer a few questions about your health, but other policies are guaranteed-issue.

Again, the pay-offs here are generally small — they are meant only to cover your funeral expenses — but every bit can help if you pass away unexpectedly.

Zip Code

Please enter valid zip

Age

Coverage Amount

Coverage Type

Gender

Tobacco Use

Yes No

Compare Quotes

Penny Gusner

Contributor

Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s.