COLUMBUS, Ohio — Have you tested positive for COVID-19?
That's a question you may have to answer when applying for life insurance. It's something one of our viewers recently discovered and they say they were denied coverage after answering, “yes.”
Can this happen? 10TV's Lindsey Mills takes this question to insurance experts to verify.
THE QUESTION:
Richard Skinner wrote:
“My wife and I are trying to find life insurance. One of the companies we check with asked the question, 'have you tested positive for Covid?' We answered it truthfully yes and were told we could not get life insurance with this company.”
He asks -- can this happen?
THE SOURCES:
- Edward Lukco, the head of the Risk Management and Insurance Program at Ohio Dominican University.
- Trey Taylor, the CEO of Taylor Insurance Services, a small boutique, employee benefits consulting firm in Georgia.
- And Scott Holeman, media relations director at the Insurance Information Institute.
THE ANSWER:
Yes, insurance companies can deny an applicant for a new life insurance policy coverage based on COVID-related answers.
Here’s what we found:
"Yes, it can,” said Lukco. “Certainly, companies are going to have various underwriting requirements.”
"There may be a few insurance companies that may not provide coverage for new policyholders who have been previously infected with a virus,” said Holeman. “But there are many companies that will, most companies will put that directly on their website if you're shopping online for coverage.”
So we can verify -- yes, it can happen. But according to Taylor -- it's something he has yet to see.
“At this stage, all of the companies that we represent, none of them have adopted any standards on denying coverage based on having COVID In the past,” Taylor said.
If you're in the market for life insurance, be prepared to answer COVID-related questions.
"And you'll see as well that there will be addendums to applications. If you answer yes. And the company is still willing to consider it, they will give you an addendum to the original application asking you about your experience with COVID,” Lukco explained.
Have something you'd like us to verify? Send us an email to verify@10TV.com.
