Life Insurance With HIV: How to Qualify for Coverage in 2024
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There are 1.2 million people in the U.S. living with HIV, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You may be worried that your diagnosis could disqualify you for life insurance — but advances in treatment and life expectancy have made life insurance more accessible than ever for people with HIV.
While your options may be more limited for policies that involve taking a life insurance medical exam, there are big-name companies offering coverage to eligible applicants.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
When you apply for a policy, you’ll go through life insurance underwriting. During this process, your insurer will assess factors like your age, health and lifestyle to determine your eligibility for coverage and set rates. There are different types of underwriting depending on the policy you choose. A “fully underwritten” or “traditionally underwritten” life insurance policy involves completing a questionnaire and medical exam. Some insurers also offer “accelerated underwriting,” which skips the medical exam and uses algorithms and big data to collect information about you.
Can I get life insurance with HIV?
A handful of companies offer life insurance to those who are living with HIV and treating the condition with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Because ART can reduce the viral load in the body to undetectable levels, some companies view HIV in a similar way to other pre-existing medical conditions.
If your condition is well managed and you’re in overall good health, you might be able to get a fully underwritten policy with select insurers.
You can also apply for a policy that doesn’t require supplying as much medical information. But if you’re managing your HIV, you’ll likely get better rates by choosing a fully underwritten policy.
If you have access to a group life insurance plan through work, this may be the most affordable — or even free — option for coverage.
What type of life insurance can I get with HIV?
If you’ve been diagnosed with HIV, you may qualify for a fully underwritten policy or wish to explore other options that don’t require a medical exam. Common types of life insurance to consider include:
Term life insurance provides coverage for a specific amount of time, like 20 or 30 years, and tends to be the cheapest option for most people. Traditional term life policies require full underwriting, including a medical exam, though some insurers offer no-exam term life options.
Whole life insurance generally lasts your entire life and includes a cash value component that grows at a set interest rate. Whole life insurance is typically more expensive than term and may include a medical exam.
Guaranteed issue life insurance doesn’t require a health questionnaire or medical exam. However, coverage is typically capped at low amounts and limited to people age 45 and older.
Simplified issue life insurance involves a questionnaire but no medical exam. Since the underwriting process is shorter, these policies are often issued instantly — though premiums may be high.
Group life insurance is offered by some employers as a workplace benefit, without the need for a medical exam. These free or subsidized plans typically offer coverage equal to one or two years of your salary.
» MORE: Average life insurance rates
Life insurance riders for people with HIV
Riders are policy add-ons that can help you or your loved ones manage unexpected costs. These riders may bridge any coverage gaps:
Accelerated death benefit rider. Allows you to tap into a portion of your death benefit if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Critical illness rider. Lets you access funds from your policy if you experience a major medical event, like a heart attack or stroke.
Waiver of premium rider. Pauses your policy premiums if you’re unable to pay due to a disability or unemployment.
Before treatment options like ART helped people with HIV live nearly as long as those without the virus, many applicants were denied life insurance coverage. But legislation is catching up to help those living with HIV access life insurance. In 2023, California’s Equal Insurance HIV Act banned insurance companies from denying coverage based on an HIV-positive test result alone.
How to qualify for life insurance with HIV
Your eligibility for life insurance and the amount of information you’ll need to provide your insurer depends on the type of policy you choose.
If you apply for a fully underwritten policy, you’ll need to submit details about your history with HIV and treatment. You’ll also likely have to take a medical exam and get an attending physician statement from your doctor. This document summarizes your medical records, and life insurance companies use it to determine risk.
Most insurers who write policies for people with HIV require an undetectable viral load, a specific CD4 count, and no history of AIDS or related conditions.
How long it's been since your diagnosis can also matter. Some insurers will need you to wait until at least a year after your diagnosis and require at least six months of stable ART, while others won’t write a policy until several years after a diagnosis.
While requirements vary by insurer, these are the general qualifications for life insurance with HIV:
Antiretroviral therapy. At least six months of consistent therapy and an undetectable viral load.
CD4 count. Because HIV attacks the immune system’s infection-fighting CD4 cells, insurers often require a CD4 count within a given range, like greater than or equal to 350. Medication can help reduce the amount of HIV in the body and regulate CD4 levels so the body can respond to infections.
Drug use. Many insurers will deny applicants with a recent history of substance abuse or misuse.
Other medical history. Most insurers will require that you not be diagnosed with hepatitis, AIDS or any AIDS-defining conditions, like infections, cancers and other illnesses that can result in a diagnosis of AIDS in people living with HIV.
Lifestyle. Being in overall good health and leading a safe lifestyle can boost your chances of being approved and lower your premiums. For the best rates, avoid smoking and risky hobbies like skydiving or mountain climbing.
Insurers can’t cancel your policy if you’re diagnosed with HIV after your policy is in force. But it’s important to be honest about your medical history when applying for life insurance. Lying about or leaving out key information about your health is a form of life insurance fraud, which is illegal.
Cost of life insurance for people living with HIV
The cost of life insurance for those with HIV varies based on factors like age, treatment plan and overall health. Like with any policy, companies assign applicants to life insurance category ratings — the better your rating, the less you’ll pay for life insurance.
Let’s look at fully underwritten policies: If you’re generally healthy and your HIV is well controlled, you may be considered for a “standard” rate, which is similar to what people with other pre-existing conditions may pay.
If you don’t want to take a medical exam, you’ll likely pay more for coverage, even if your HIV is well managed. In that case, it’s worth working with a life insurance agent or broker to help you find the coverage you need at the lowest possible price.
Best life insurance companies for people with HIV
Not all companies issue policies to people living with HIV, and those that do have their own set of criteria. NerdWallet rounded up the best life insurance companies for HIV-positive applicants.
Company and NerdWallet rating | Policies offered | Requirements to apply |
|---|---|---|
| ART treatment:
Documents:
Other requirements:
| |
| ART treatment:
CD4 count:
Documents:
Other requirements:
| |
| Documents:
| |
| ART treatment:
Other requirements:
|
How to get life insurance with HIV
The process for getting life insurance is largely the same whether you have HIV or not. Follow these steps:
Decide on a type of policy. Term life insurance is sufficient for most people, while permanent life insurance is suitable for those with lifelong insurance needs or those who want to use their policy as a form of savings.
Figure out how much coverage to get. Ideally, you want to buy enough insurance to cover your existing and future financial obligations. Use our life insurance calculator to determine how much life insurance you need.
Shop around or work with a broker or agent. Rates can vary, so compare quotes from different life insurance companies. If your case is complex, consider working with an agent or broker.
Complete the application. It's helpful to have information relating to your diagnosis and treatment handy.
Take the medical exam, if required. A life insurance medical exam is organized and paid for by the insurer. Prepare to answer questions about your medical history and have your height, weight and other vitals measured. You’ll also need to supply blood, urine and saliva samples.
Review your policy. Once the underwriting process is complete, you’ll get a copy of your final policy and cost. If everything looks good, sign the policy documents and choose your life insurance beneficiaries.
Life insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s life insurance ratings are based on consumer experience, complaint index scores from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for individual life insurance, and weighted averages of financial strength ratings, which indicate a company’s ability to pay future claims. Within the consumer experience category, we consider ease of communication and website transparency, which looks at the depth of policy details available online. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare with one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
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