When patients of sleep apnea start thinking about insurance policies, they typically wonder if their CPAP supplies are covered by insurance, or if their sleep study will be covered by insurance.
Of course, these are vital concerns, but with the proper insurance policy, the plans will cover sleep apnea testing and supplies. And that is good.
- What is Sleep Apnea?
- Types of Sleep Apnea
- Risk Factors
- Treatment and Prevention
- Consequences of Untreated Sleep Apnea
- What Life Insurance Companies Want
- Preparing for Life Insurance Application
- Can You Be Denied Insurance?
- Burial Insurance for Sleep Apnea
- Health Questions
- What You Should Expect
- Using Oxygen and/or CPAP
- How to Get a Good Burial Insurance with Sleep Apnea
- Some Qualities to Look Out For
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea can be defined as periodic pauses in breathing while sleeping. These pauses can either be complete or incomplete apneas.
Most people struggle with this and it can be scary. It can be potentially dangerous by causing serious complications like heart disease or other metabolic diseases.
This condition causes disruptions in breathing while sleeping. Typically, a person suffering from sleep apnea will stop breathing during sleep for some time.
The person will then begin breathing again, at times, with a snorting sound.
These disruptions often transform someone from a state of deep sleep to a state of a lighter sleep, which causes daytime drowsiness.
People suffering from the condition mostly don’t know until someone notifies them of the problem.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Some types of sleep apnea to watch out for include:
- Obstructive sleep apnea
This is the most common kind of sleep apnea. It occurs when the throat muscles relax, causing the air passage to squeeze due to an obstruction, like big tongue, swollen tonsils, or the closing of the soft tissue of the throat when the muscles relax.
Obstructive sleep apnea can be caused by obesity or anatomical proportions in the jaw.
- Central sleep apnea
It happens when the brain doesn’t send the right signals to the muscles that control your breathing. A contributing factor to this condition is heart disease.
- Complex sleep apnea
It is also referred to as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea. It happens if a person has both obstructive and central sleep apnea.
Risk Factors
Sleep apnea may occur in young and old, male and female. Even kids can have this condition. But some factors put you at increased risk such as:
- Obesity
- Large neck circumference
- Narrow airway
- Males, especially those over age 65
- Family history
- Tranquilizers, sedatives, or alcohol
- Smoking
- Hypertension
- Sitting for a long time
- Heart disease
- Brain disorders
- Stroke
Treatment and Prevention
CPAP: Most people with sleep apnea are successfully treated by using a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine.
BIPAP: Unlike a CPAP, a BiPAP machine has two pressure settings: one for inhalation, and a lower pressure for exhalation which provides more comfort for the patient. (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure)
Surgery: Some patients undergo surgery to get rid of excess tissue from the soft palate to try to relieve symptoms.
Changing sleeping position: Sleeping on the side of the body and not on the back can help some patients.
Consequences of Untreated Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can have severe consequences if you fail to treat it. This disorder causes several other conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
It can lead to memory issues, headaches, depression, impotence, and increase in weight. It has even been linked to car accidents caused by patients sleeping while driving.
What Life Insurance Companies Want
These companies are concerned that people with sleep apnea are doing the right things to keep it under control. A life insurance company will be looking at:
- Data to prove the prescribed treatment works for the patient
- Regular use of the CPAP machine
- Response to treatment
- Constant follow-ups with the doctor
- Diagnosis of risk factors, like heart disease, depression, hypertension, stroke, or obesity
- Avoiding sleep-related accidents while driving
The rating class given by insurance companies on applicants with this condition will depend on how chronic the illness is, results of previous studies, symptoms, treatment, response rates, compliance with treatment prescribed, when last symptoms occurred, and your overall health.
If left untreated, this condition is mostly rated poorly or may not be even be rejected for coverage, as are people who have the disorder but are not complying with the treatment recommendations.
The insurance company will look at medical records to ensure that treatment is followed and is successful.
Preparing for Life Insurance Application
- Follow the treatment recommended by your doctor
- Complete a post-treatment sleep study to prove that you’re responding well to the treatment
- Regularly attend follow-up visits to your doctor
Can You Be Denied Insurance?
Having this disorder should not be a reason for your insurance to be denied. But if other known risk factors are present, it could lead reduce your chances of getting insurance.
Also, the level of treatment you are under can influence the decision of an insurance company to consider your application.
The company can rate you unfavorably if you fail to give evidence that you are presently receiving a form of treatment for your condition.
It is true that in most cases, funeral insurance companies can be friendlier and flexible to give insurance to those individuals who have some risk factors compared to others.
Burial Insurance for Sleep Apnea
A lot of funeral insurance providers find a way to make mention of a medical condition such as sleep apnea in their questionnaires. But how they describe it is what matters.
Getting the perfect burial insurance with a pre-existing medical condition such as sleep apnea is very important. Also, finding the right agent is just as necessary.
Health Questions
In most instances, an insurance company will mention sleep apnea in the following ways.
- In the last 2 years, have you had this condition? Did a doctor diagnose you with the condition? Or have you received medical treatment for sleep apnea?
- Over the past two years, have made use of oxygen equipment to help you with sleeping (excluding use for sleep apnea)?
It is very rare for an insurance company to ask directly about sleep apnea. Most funeral insurance companies are fine with an applicant who has sleep apnea.
What You Should Expect
If you encounter a lesser company, you may be required to pay a higher amount for your burial insurance as a result of this medical disorder.
But a good agency should make sure you qualify for coverage immediately, at an affordable amount.
When it comes to getting burial insurance, having this disorder is just like not having. This is because a lot of insurance carriers don’t care if you have sleep apnea or not.
Using Oxygen and/or CPAP
Every burial insurance company will ask if you use oxygen equipment for breathing. If you do, you will immediately become ineligible for coverage.
The exception is for sleep apnea. Mostly, the insurance company will mention that sleep apnea is the one condition where they are accepting of oxygen use.
How to Get a Good Burial Insurance with Sleep Apnea
By now, you should know that sleep apnea will not cause any problems. Finding the best and most affordable burial insurance can be an easy process. Keep in mind that the best burial insurance is just the one that protects you immediately and is the cheapest.
You might have trouble finding the best burial insurance coverage plan for sleep apnea when you mistakenly work with an insurance company that has no experience. An experienced insurance agency should provide you with a simplified coverage plan for this disorder.
Some qualities to look out for include:
- The insurance agency should be perfectly fine with sleep apnea and oxygen use due to the condition
- The company having the least monthly coverage for sleep apnea
- The policy should have the highest benefit payment that can protect you immediately
To get started, give us a call at 888-810-9725 or fill out the quote form with your contact number and we will call you.
