Best Life Insurance for Kidney Transplant Patients in 2024

Compare sample life insurance rates to determine the best way to secure affordable life insurance for kidney transplant patients. It’s best to wait to apply for life insurance until at least three years after your transplant surgery.

When you’re ready, you can buy life insurance for kidney transplant patients by entering your ZIP code into our free rate tool above.

What are the average life insurance rates for kidney transplant patients?

Expect life insurance quotes for kidney transplant patients to be higher than average. Commonly, recovered transplant patients earn substandard premiums that cost 25% more than the standard or base rates.

Life insurance rates for kidney transplant patients cost around $36.01 per month.

Read More: Life Insurance with Pre-Existing Conditions

The table below compares the average monthly rates for a 20-year term policy with a $100,000 death benefit at both the standard and substandard tiers relevant to kidney transplant patients:

Average Monthly Term Life Insurance Rates for Kidney Transplant Patients: Standard versus Substandard Rates

As you can see, kidney transplant life insurance costs fall within an affordable range. But you must wait for at least three years after surgery, or you risk denial of coverage.

If your kidney is from overseas, most companies will deny your application because there’s no way to regulate overseas medical operations. Similarly, some companies increase your premiums if your kidney came from a cadaver versus a living donor.

If you already had term life insurance before your transplant, your costs will likely increase at the time of your policy renewal.

Unfortunately, if your body rejects the transplant for any reason, you will not be able to purchase traditional life insurance.

Why does a kidney transplant impact life insurance?

Life insurance for high-risk individuals is always more complicated than for people in average health. Unfortunately, organ transplants indicate to life insurance companies that you’ve experienced both poor health and pre-existing high-risk conditions.

For example, kidney failure is often a symptom of diabetes, hepatitis C, and high blood pressure.

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Even after the kidney transplant, health complications may still occur.

According to the American Kidney Fund, fewer than 1 in 20 patients experience acute organ rejection within the first six months post-surgery. But chronic failure occurs more frequently after several years.

Therefore, most companies do not sell life insurance policies to transplant patients until after three years of controlled health. Unfortunately, other insurance providers are unwilling to take on such a risk altogether.

If you are a kidney donor, your insurance rates also might go up. To prevent the increase in costs, have the transplant center write a letter to your provider explaining that your life expectancy is not affected.

Case Studies: Life Insurance for Kidney Transplant Patients

Case Study 1: Emily’s Qualification for Coverage

Emily, a kidney transplant patient, waited for three years after her successful kidney transplant before applying for life insurance. With her health condition under control, Emily qualified for a term life insurance policy with a $100,000 death benefit.

She obtained coverage at an average monthly rate of $36.01, which was 25% higher than the standard rate. Emily’s proactive approach to wait and maintain her health paid off, allowing her to secure affordable life insurance.

Case Study 2: Benjamin’s Post-Transplant Premium Increase

Benjamin had existing term life insurance before his kidney transplant. When the time came for policy renewal, his insurance provider increased his premiums due to the history of kidney transplant and potential health risks.

Concerned about the cost, Benjamin consulted with his insurance provider and transplant center to explain that his life expectancy was not affected by the transplant. By providing necessary medical information and clarification, Benjamin successfully negotiated to keep his insurance costs manageable.

Case Study 3: Olivia’s Guaranteed Issue Coverage

Olivia faced complications with her kidney transplant and her body ultimately rejected the transplant. As a result, she became ineligible for traditional life insurance coverage. However, Olivia explored the option of guaranteed issue whole life insurance, which does not require a medical exam or health evaluation.

By opting for this type of policy, Olivia secured life insurance coverage despite her health challenges.

Life Insurance for Kidney Transplant Patients: The Bottom Line

Ultimately, your current health condition and future health prognosis heavily affect your ability to secure life insurance for kidney transplant patients.

If you maintain good health for three years after transplant surgery, you’ll likely qualify for term or whole life insurance.

Otherwise, a poor future prognosis, bad health, or rejecting the kidney can lead to denial of coverage. Consider investing in a guaranteed issue whole life insurance policy instead.

Find the best life insurance companies for kidney transplant patients near you by entering your ZIP code into our free rate tool below.