What You Need to Know About Life Insurance as a Living Kidney Donor
If you’re considering or have already become a living kidney donor, you may be wondering how your kidney donation will affect your ability to purchase life insurance.
Life insurance provides financial security for your loved ones in the event of your death. Insurance companies assess risk to determine premiums and coverage. When it comes to living kidney donation, insurers may view this as a factor influencing your health risk profile. Here’s what you need to know about kidney donation and life insurance.
How Insurers Assess Risk for Kidney Donors
In general, insurers assess risk based on numbers rather than specific conditions. In other words, whether you donated a kidney is of less interest to insurance companies than your creatinine levels, measured through a blood test, which serve as a primary indicator of kidney function.
When you have donated a kidney, your creatinine levels may be elevated. In most people, a higher creatinine level could indicate that your kidneys are not working properly, which means you pose a greater risk for the insurer, potentially leading to higher premiums.
In kidney donors, however, a higher creatinine level can be sort of a “false positive,” indicating compromised kidney function that does not in fact exist.
A 2006 study found that 47% of kidney donors had slightly higher creatinine after kidney donation surgery, experiencing an average increase in creatinine of 35% two months post-surgery. The study also found that older donors and those with a higher body mass index (BMI) may see larger increases in creatinine.
If a blood test shows that you have higher than normal levels of creatinine (average creatinine levels vary considerably based on gender, muscle mass, and age, but in general are 0.7–1.3 mg/dL for men and 0.6–1.1 mg/dL for women), a life insurance company may be reluctant to provide coverage.
What To Do If You Are Having Trouble Finding Life Insurance After Kidney Donation
If you donated through the National Kidney Registry (NKR) and are having trouble finding affordable life insurance coverage due to your donation, Reliant Direct Insurance Services* is an independent company that offers life insurance for kidney donors through partnerships with several A+ rated life insurance companies. These specialized insurance products take kidney donation into account, offering a bit more flexibility in assessing creatinine levels.
Most insurance companies consider 1.3 mg/dL the upper limit for a “normal” creatinine level. The life insurance offered through Reliant uses a higher acceptable limit of 1.6 mg/dL. For example, if a male donor had an average creatinine level of 1.0 mg/dL before donation, and it increased 35% after donation, it would be 1.35 mg/dL—over the limit for most life insurance policies but well within the limit for the insurance offered through Reliant.
If you are interested in purchasing a life insurance policy after kidney donation, you should wait to apply until at least two months after the donation. This allows your creatinine levels to stabilize.
About the Author
Matthew Dix is a seasoned life insurance executive with over 15 years of industry experience. He is passionate about helping individuals and families secure the financial futures of their loved ones. He specializes in helping living kidney donors obtain optimal life insurance policies to protect their families. This specialized expertise, combined with his broader industry knowledge, has made him a valuable asset to numerous members of the National Kidney Registry. Outside of work, Matt is a dedicated family man, balancing his career with raising three young children alongside his spouse.
For more information about life insurance for kidney donors, contact Matthew at 854-222-8444 or matt@reliantdirect.net.
*This insurance is not offered by the NKR. The NKR has no financial or business relationship with Reliance Direct Insurance Services, nor does the NKR receive any benefit, financial or otherwise, from referring kidney donors.