I was turned down for life insurance. Very depressing.

[bif]

Their excuse? I have hypertension(which I'm being treated for). and am 6' 229 pounds. Christ! Who the hell can qualify? When the nurse from the insurance took my bp it was 120/80! Isn't that fairly normal?

[ElectroPrincess]

1. I can empathize with you ...

It's next to impossible to get "quality" insurance when you're a Type I Diabetic. Although medical science is making monumental strides across the last decade, they act like you have one foot in the grave.

The insurance companies HAVE all the power.

Either grab your ankles or protest - we live in a (phonetic) Core-Prit-Toc-Ra-Cy. LOL

[RebelOne]

2. 120/80 is definitely normal.

I wish mine was that low. At its lowest, my reading is 140/92. And I'm on medication for hypertension.

[SheilaT]

3. Go to another company.

At the very least they should have been willing to charge you more for the policy.

There are lots of life insurers out there. How old are you? You should be able to get a term policy written rather easily.

You do realize you're somewhat overweight, but with a bp of 120/80 you're controlling the hypertension quite nicely.

Hang in there, and let us know how things turn out.

[bif]

4. I'm definitely overweight

I should be under 200. And my wife thought the same thing about paying more for the policy. Instead, they just turned me down. BTW I just turned 50.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

6. My husband is 5'7' and 220 lbs,

but incredibly muscular. I wonder if these companies would assume he's overweight/obese. Nurses never use a large enough cuff to take his blood pressure too, which results in higher blood pressure readings.

[Dorian Gray]

10. Ah....

I should have read the thread more before answering. Lots of insurance companies turn down 50 year olds for any little reason. Were you looking at a term policy or a whole-life policy? If whole-life, think about getting a twenty year term policy, or some sort of variable annuity that's not quite a life-insurance policy, but works like one. (Sun Life has some, as do Alliance Capital and many other companies.) I have one from Sun Life, and my husband is my beneficiary upon my death. And, the good thing with these products is that you DO NOT have to contribute every year, like an insurance policy. (Though they often have a large minimum investment for the initial installment.)

There are many products out there that you can turn to in lieu of Life Insurance, though I understand your frustration. (My height and weight are similar to yours, though I am also 20 years younger than you, so that might make the difference in being accepted by the policy.)

[NewJeffCT]

5. what sort of life insurance?

Were you looking for 30 year term or something?

They have plenty of places online that let you compare life insurance quotes. Stick with a reputable company

http://clarkhoward.com/library/tips/life_insurance.html

Consumer guru Clark Howard has some good life insurance tips.

Also, try:

directquote.com
quotesmith.com
insurance.com

for quotes on insurance.

[bif]

11. Term

But I'm not sure what length. My wife's handling it.

[amazona]

7. no one qualifies as far as I can tell

One of my friends weighs 160 pounds, blood pressure 90/70, great shape, around 30 at time, and he was turned down.

Are you single? I think they have all unmarried people on a list and assume we are going to get AIDS or something.

It makes you mad because they won't say why you're declined.

On Edit -- my partner used quotesmith.com in his early 30s. He was declined, no reason given, indeed the nurse who tested him thought he was a shoo-in.

[Dorian Gray]

8. Wow....

My blood pressure was higher than that, and I was accepted for a policy. (I have three policies right now, but one is just a short five year term one that I got on the cheap to make my car insurance cheaper.) Did you ask for the full evaluation from them?

But, then again, it might be an age thing. But, BP 120/80 is normally considered pretty good.

[GOPBasher]

9. I'm sorry. :-( nt

[Ernesto]

12. Hey I'm 59 with controlled hypertension

I got 200k worth of term life from Allstate just last summer.
PS......... I only wish that I was 120/80!

[bif]

13. Hey, I was 150/110 before the meds

So did my doctor rat on me or something? Or is it becvause I'm over 50?

[Ernesto]

14. Try Allstate

They sent "the guy" out to my house to check me out. On the 1st BP test, "the guy" thought that I could lower my BP if I set still for a couple of mins. I did & it worked. He even gave me an EKG on my living room floor. Allstate did require that I allowed them access to my med records. BTW, I also have a mortgage (term) insurance policy with my lender which put me through pretty much the same drill.
Honestly, I think you should get back in the game, & don't give up. Somebody will take your $$$$$$$, trust me!