Doug Mitchell, CLU holds a BA degree in Finance from Auburn University as well as having obtained a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College in Bryn Mahr, PA. Doug has spent close to 30 years in the insurance and financial planning industry and has held licenses to sell securities, long-term care insurance, health. Doug is also a financial blogger addressing the topics of life insurance, annuities and retirement income planning.
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Updated on December 11, 2022
6 minute read
Although mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is associated with some serious health complications, the incidence of these problems is minimal. Most people who have MVP experience no symptoms and require no treatment. With the right insurer, your life insurance premium will be very affordable. Ogletree Financial Services can connect you to that insurer.
Life insurance is one of the most important purchases that you’ll ever make for your loved ones. It’s one of the best ways to ensure that your loved ones have the money that they need, in case something tragic were to ever happen to you.
What Is Mitral Valve Prolapse?
Millions of people have mitral valve prolapse, also known as click-murmur syndrome, Barlow’s syndrome or floppy valve syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic website, “mitral valve prolapse occurs when the valve between your heart’s left upper chamber (left atrium) and the left lower chamber (left ventricle) doesn’t close properly.
During mitral valve prolapse, the leaflets of the mitral valve bulge (prolapse) upward or back into the left atrium as the heart contracts.”
How Is MVP Diagnosed?
The most important test for diagnosing mitral valve prolapse is the electrocardiogram (EKG). According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute an “EKG is a simple test that records your heart’s electrical activity. An EKG can show how fast your heart is beating and whether its rhythm is steady or irregular. This test also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through your heart.”
Although the level of incidence is very low, MVP has been associated with some serious heart complications: mitral regurgitation, bacterial endocarditis (inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves), heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. MVP is a puzzling disease that affects 2-3% of the population and any time you have a problem with your heart and there is talk of sudden cardiac death, I don’t have to tell you how serious that is. This is how many life insurance companies see MVP.
The heart complication linked to mitral valve prolapse that most concerns life insurance companies is mitral regurgitation. Mitral regurgitation is when your mitral valve allows blood to leak backward in your heart. Mild cases may require no treatment. Severe cases can result in heart failure or heart rhythm problems if left untreated.
Still, the fact is, mitral valve prolapse causes no problems for most people and therefore often requires no treatment.
Will My Risk Rating Be High With MVP?
Despite the ominous sounding complications and its mysterious origins, clients with mitral valve prolapse often qualify for the best rate class available.
Let’s look at three recent cases of clients with mitral valve prolapse, using the three most important factors life insurance underwriters look at when considering a client with this condition: the presence of and/or extent of mitral regurgitation, the thickness of the mitral valve, and the size of the left atrium.
Barry’s EKG indicates a normal appearing mitral valve with no evidence of mitral regurgitation and normally sized left atrium. As long as there are no other underlying health issues Barry could qualify for the best rate class available.
George’s EKG shows a mildly thickened mitral valve and mild mitral regurgitation with a normally sized left atrium. In this case the valve thickening was not severe and the left atrium was normal. With no other underlying health issues, George could easily receive a standard plus offer.
Bill’s EKG showed a thickened mitral valve, moderate mitral regurgitation and a enlarged left atrium. Bill may receive a substandard life insurance rating, also called a table rating or being ‘rated’. His actual rating would depend on his age and the extent of the enlargement of his left atrium.
Bill was still able to get the life insurance coverage he needed, and at the lowest rates available. Even if Bill is required to have mitral valve repair surgery, the prognosis for the very few mitral valve patients who require this surgery is very good. As long as no damage to the heart is present, the life expectancy of those who have mitral valve repair surgery is similar to that of the general population.
Some life insurance companies will not insure clients with ailments they are not sure about, like mitral valve prolapse.
Even those with a mild or moderate condition, like Barry or George. Others will insure them, but will not offer anyone with MVP a standard or better risk rating. Any heart surgery, even a minimally invasive procedure like Bill had, will scare off even more. At Ogletree Financial Services, we know which insurers will offer him an affordable life insurance policy.
Shopping the life insurance marketplace for the carriers who underwrite mitral valve prolapse most favorably can be a long and involved process. Ogletree Financial Services has access to all the top life insurance carriers and we know which ones specialize in “impaired” risk. Further, we know how to present your entire and unique risk profile to an insurer to be certain that you will be placed in the best risk category possible.
Getting Affordable Life Insurance With MVP
If you’ve been diagnosed with MVP, you may assume that you can’t get affordable life insurance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There are several ways that you can ensure that you’re getting the best plan to meet your needs at an affordable price. If you want to save money, there are some simple changes that you can make.
The first thing that you should do is improve your health. Before the insurance company approves your application, they are going to require that you take a medical exam. The medical exam is going to give them an idea of your overall health, which will impact your premiums and chances of getting coverage.
There are a few ways that you can improve your health, the best ways are to start a healthy diet and get regular exercise. Both of these can help you improve your overall health by helping your lower your blood pressure, lose weight, and lower your blood pressure. All of these are going to help you secure much better rates from the insurance companies.
The next thing that you should do is eliminate any tobacco that you currently use. If you’re listed as a smoker or chewing tobacco user, you’re going to pay much higher premiums than a non-smoker. If you want to get the most affordable rates possible, it’s time that you kick the bad habit once and for all. It could save you thousands of dollars on your life insurance plan.
The best way to ensure that you’re getting the lowest insurance rates, you’ll need to compare the rates from dozens of insurance companies. As we mentioned, every insurance company is different, which means that you could get drastically different rates depending on which company that you get the quotes from.
Finding the right company could be the difference in being declined for life insurance and getting an affordable rate. Each company is going to have different medical underwriting requirements, and there are thousands and thousands of different companies that you can choose from. You could spend weeks calling different agents to find the best plan to meet your needs.
Instead, you can let our agents do all of the work for you. We work with dozens of insurance companies across the nation and we can bring all the best rates directly to you. Don’t waste your time on the phone.
You never know when something tragic is going to happen to you. Nobody wants to think about his or her own death, but it’s vital that you plan for the things that you can’t avoid. Not having life insurance is one of the worst mistakes that you can make for your loved ones.
If you were to pass away without any life insurance coverage, your family would be left with a massive amount of debt and final expenses. All of those bills can easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. All of those final expenses can make an already difficult situation a thousand times worse.
If you have any question about getting life insurance with MVP, please contact one of our agents today. We would be happy to answer those questions and ensure that you’re getting the best plan to meet your needs. We have years of experience working with high-risk applicants. Not only can we help give you the best plan, but we can walk you through the application process and ensure that everything is handled correctly.
You can get started today! Use the term quoter on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to get life insurance if I have mitral-valve prolapse?
Although mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is associated with some serious health complications, the incidence of these problems is minimal. Most people who have MVP experience no symptoms and require no treatment. With the right insurer, your life insurance premium will be very affordable.
Will my insurance risk rating be high with MVP?
Your rating will depend on the three most important factors life insurance underwriters look at when considering a client with mitral valve prolapse (MVP): the presence of and/or extent of mitral regurgitation, the thickness of the mitral valve, and the size of the left atrium. Age, general health, and build are other items that will be considered.
How do I find an insurance company that will insure me with MVP?
Shopping the life insurance marketplace for the carriers who underwrite mitral valve prolapse most favorably can be a long and involved process. An independent life insurance agent can provide quotes from several different carriers.
Doug Mitchell, CLUIndependant Advisor
Doug Mitchell, CLU holds a BA degree in Finance from Auburn University as well as having obtained a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College in Bryn Mahr, PA. Doug has spent almost 30 years in the life insurance industry and has also held licenses to sell securities, long-term care insurance and home and auto insurance. Doug is a Top of the Table Million Dollar Round Table member (MDRT). MDRT is a global, independent association of the world's leading life insurance advisors. For two years, Doug served as President of the Auburn Opelika Association of Financial Advisors and has been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. He obtained Life Millionaire status at Horace Mann Insurance Company and was awarded the Life Agent of the Year Award. Later in his career with New York Life he was an Executive Council Member. Doug currently serves as President of Ogletree Financial, a managing general agency serving life insurance agents and clients in all parts of the United States. Today, Doug’s main focus is servicing 1000s of policyholders and growing the agency through the reach of insurancequotes2day.com.
