Life
Insurance Rates for Heart Arrhythmias and
Irregular Heart Beats
Is
a diagnosis of arrhythmia or irregular heart beat causing
you to pay more for your life insurance policy? Learn more
about heart arrhythmias and irregular heart beats along with
information on receiving a life insurance quote from our
specialists.
 Arrhythmias
are abnormal heart rhythms or irregular heart beats and affect
millions of Americans. While most arrthymias are harmless
some can be very serious and can even result in death. Therefore
life insurance companies will be very concerned about any
diagnosis of irregular heart beat and its severity. The information
below will provide you with an overview of arrhythmia and
its impact on life insurance rates.
Understanding
the Heart’s Electrical System and Arrhythmias
The pumping of the heart works on an electrical system that
controls the speed and rhythm of the heartbeat. As the heart
beats, an electrical signal originates from special cells
called the sinus node (SA) in the upper right chamber of
the heart, or the atrium. These SA signals tell the heart
to begin a new beat. In a normal adult at rest, SA nodes
send bout 60-100 electrical signals every minute.
From the SA node, the electrical impulses are sent to the
right and left atria causing the atria to contract and pump
blood into the heart’s two lower
chambers called the ventricles. The electrical signal then
moves down to a group of cells called the atrioventricular
node (AV node), located between the atria and the ventricles.
Here, the electrical impulse slows allowing the ventricles
time to finish filling with blood. The signal then leaves
the AV node and travels along a pathway that divides into
a right bundle branch and a left bundle branch. The signal
goes down these branches to the ventricles, causing them
to contract pumping blood out to the lungs and the rest of
the body. The ventricles then relax and the process starts
all over again with an electrical impulse in the SA node.
A problem with any part of the heart’s electrical system will result in
an arrhythmia or irregular heart beat. With an arrhythmia, the heart can beat
too fast, too slow or irregularly. When the heart beats faster than normal, it
is called tachycardia and when the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia.
When either occurs, the heart may not pump enough blood to the body. This lack
of blood flow can damage the brain, heart, and other organs resulting in heart
disease, strokes and even cardiac arrest.
Types
of Arrhythmias and Irregular Heart Beats
According to the Heart Lung and Blood Institute, There are
four main types of arrhythmia: premature contractions, supraventricular
arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias, and Brady arrhythmias.
A summary of each of these types of arrhythmias follows:
- Premature
Beats or Contractions (PACs / PVCs)Premature contractions
or premature beats are the most common type of arrhythmia.
They are harmless most of the time and often don’t
cause any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they usually
feel like a fluttering in the chest or a sensation of
a skipped beat. In otherwise healthy people, premature
contractions do not require treatment. Premature beats
occurring in the atria are called premature atrial contractions
(PACs) while premature beats occurring in the ventricles
are called premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).
- Supraventricular
Arrhythmias : AF / Atrial Flutter /AVNRT Supraventricular
arrhythmias are tachycardia or rapid heart rates that
start in the atria or the AV nodes. Supraventricular
arrhythmias include atrial
fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter and paroxysmal
supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT).
- Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
AF
is the most common type of serious arrhythmia. It occurs
when the heart’s upper chambers, atrium,
contract in an uncoordinated way resulting in an abnormal
electrical signal. This causes the walls of the atria
to quiver very fast (fibrillate) instead of beating normally.
As a result, the atria aren’t able to pump blood
into the ventricles the way they should.
In atrial fibrillation,
electrical impulses can move through the atria at a rate
of more than 300 per minute. Some of these abnormal electrical
signals can travel to the ventricles, causing them to
beat too fast and with an irregular rhythm. AF is not
usually life threatening, although it can be dangerous
when it causes the ventricles to beat very fast.
For more specific information, see atrial
fibrillation and life insurance.
- Atrial Flutter
Atrial flutter is similar to atrial fibrillation, but
instead of the electrical signals spreading through the
atria in a fast and irregular rhythm, they travel in
a fast and regular rhythm. Atrial flutter is much less
common than atrial fibrillation, but has similar symptoms
and complications.
- Paroxysmal Supraventricular
Tachycardia
Paroxysmal (intermittent) supraventricular
tachycardia (PSVT) is a very fast heart rate that begins
and ends suddenly and occurs due to problems with the
electrical connection between the atria and the ventricles.
In PSVT, electrical signals that begin in the atria and
travel to the ventricles can reenter the atria, causing
extra heartbeats. This type of arrhythmia is not usually
dangerous and tends to occur in young people. It can
happen during vigorous exercise.
A special type of PSVT called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
is a condition in which the heart’s electrical
signals travel along an extra pathway from the atria
to the ventricles. This extra pathway disrupts the timing
of the heart’s electrical impulses and can cause
the ventricles to beat very fast. WPW syndrome can be
life threatening.
- Ventricular Arrhythmias
These arrhythmias start in the ventricles and can be
very dangerous usually requiring immediate medical
attention. Ventricular arrhythmias include ventricular
tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.
- Ventricular
Tachycardia
Ventricular tachycardia is defined
as three or more beats of ventricular origin in succession
at a rate in excess of 100 beats per minute. It may last
for only a few seconds or much longer and the heart’s
rhythm is usually regular. A few beats of ventricular
tachycardia will most likely not cause a problem but
ventricular tachycardia that extends for more than a
few seconds can be dangerous. Ventricular tachycardia
can turn into more dangerous arrhythmias including ventricular
fibrillation.
- Ventricular
Fibrillation (v-fib)
Ventricular fibrillation, also
called v-fib, occurs when disorganized electrical signals
make the ventricles quiver instead of pump normally. When
the ventricles do not pump blood efficiently, a person
will quickly lose consciousness and will die within minutes
if not treated. To prevent death, the condition must be
treated immediately with defibrillation, an electric shock
to the heart. V-fib may happen during or after a heart
attack, or in a heart that is already weak because of another
condition.
- Bradycardias
A Brady arrhythmia or bradycardia is a slow heart rhythm,
usually less than 60 beats per minute, due to an abnormal
SA (sinus) node. If the heart rate is too slow, not enough
blood reaches the brain and can result in a loss of consciousness.
Sometimes athletes will have slower than normal heart
rates due to their fitness. In most cases, this is not
dangerous and doesn’t cause symptoms.
Arrhythmia Statistics
According to the American Heart Association:
- Approximately 4,300,000 Americans have arrhythmias.
- There are 638,000 hospital admissions annually due to
arrhythmias.
- The most common arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation currently
affecting more than 2.2 million Americans.
- About 70 percent of people with atrial fibrillation are
between 65 and 85 years old.
- There are more than 250,000 sudden cardiac deaths per
year. Most are thought to be from ventricular fibrillation.
Risk Factors for an Irregular Heartbeat
or Arrhythmia
Most cases of arrhythmia are stable and do not pose a significant
threat to mortality. However, life insurance companies are
very interested the presence of the risk factors below.
- Age,
- High blood pressure,
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) or Cardiomyopathy,
- Diabetes,
- Previous heart attacks,
- Past heart surgeries,
- Heart valve problems,
- Sleep apnea,
- Excessive alcohol use,
- An overactive or under active thyroid gland, and
- Obesity.
The Impact of Arrhythmias
or Irregular Heartbeats on Life Insurance
Rates
With an increased risk of developing a stroke or heart
disease, a diagnosis of arrhythmia will most certainly be
a factor when applying for life insurance The keys to determining
its significance on life insurance rates include the specific
type of arrhythmia, your heart’s response to exercise,
information in your physician’s records including diagnostic
test results and the presence of any of the risk factors
above.
The most common type of arrhythmia is premature contractions
which are mostly benign and generally not a significant concern
to life insurance companies. Individuals that experience
premature contractions but are otherwise in good health with
no underlying heart problems and a normal response to exercise
usually do not require treatment. The cause of premature
contractions can be stress, excessive exercise, or too much
caffeine or nicotine. In most of these cases, you
can expect a standard or average health
class when applying for life insurance. In a select few
cases, preferred health rates may
be available.
With atrial fibrillation (AF), your
level of control of the will be the factor that most influences
your rate for life insurance. In
cases of stable control with no heart disease, standard health
rates will likely apply. If the fibrillation is more chronic,
an extra
charge or rating of
50% to 100% more than the standard health rate is likely.
In cases of permanent AF, life insurance companies will
likely decline coverage due to lack of control. For more
specific information see life
insurance underwriting and atrial fibrillation.
Ventricular arrhythmias are of a significant concern to life
insurance underwriters and the rates will vary based on the
frequency of irregular heartbeats.If there are less
than 20 beats per minute and there is no other heart related
issues, a standard health class may apply. If the number
of irregular beats per minute exceeds 20 or is associated
with an underlying heart issue an extra charge of 50% to
150% above the standard rate is highly likely. Additionally,
declines are not uncommon if you are diagnosed with more
serious ventricular arrhythmia. Your actual rate will depend
upon the frequency and complexity of your ventricular arrhythmia
along with the presence of any heart disease.
If the underlying cause of the arrhythmia is heart
disease, there will likely be very high extra charges and
in most cases an outright decline
for life insurance.
If you have been diagnosed with an arrhythmia, a
normal echocardiogram and a normal stress test will help
significantly in getting a competitive rate for life insurance.
How Can MEG
Financial Help?
At MEG Financial, we have worked with many
individuals diagnosed with arrhythmias and irregular heart
beats and helped many obtain competitive life insurance policies.
Our experience is crucial to you in finding an insurance
company that will treat you fairly.
For more specific information or to obtain
a custom quote, call MEG Financial today at (877) 583-3955.
You may also submit
this short form and an independent insurance agent
will personally contact you to go over any questions or other
concerns.
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