Can one get life insurance if I've had gender reassignment

It's an increasingly common question nowadays. The short answer is yes, obviously. The long answer? Well, continue reading.

Life insurance applications accustomed to, incorrectly, assume that you could utilize a tersely worded “Sex:” accompanied by checkboxes for male or female to ask about an applicant’s gender. Now, the aims to create its applications align with our better understanding of sex and gender.

One reason the industry has been slow to regulate: Math. The actuarial process requires decades of private and health background to determine mortality rates. For many of this time, those mortality rates were according to sex. (At almost every age, men are more prone to die than women are, and for that reason men usually pay a higher rate on their own life insurance coverage. Well, except in Montana, where all applications and coverage is unisex).

To be candid, the life span insurance industry isn't caught up either. We know there is still work to be done. Haven Life is developing a credit card applicatoin that is inclusive of non-binary people.

If you are among the 1.Six million Americans who identify as a trans man or a trans woman, here's what you need to know about trying to get life insurance coverage.

Know your rights under the law

In many states, life insurance coverage information mill forbidden from discriminating against transgender applicants. So, depending on your state, you may be protected and can engage your prospective insurer from the more empowered position – essentially, you have the law on your side.

Determining which states offer protection could be complicated. Some states forbid all businesses from discriminating; others provide a patchwork of protections that include life insurance. Resources like the Transgender Law Center and also the Movement Advancement Project can help. The Human Rights Campaign also provides an extensive map of state-by-state legal protections with an variety of subjects.

Know the insurance company

If you're in among the states where you don't have legal protections, or merely wish to go the extra step of making sure your lifetime insurance provider shares exactly the same values that you simply do, you can research a person insurer's method of LGBTQ+ issues. (Most importantly, despite its slow pace of change, the as a whole has historically been one of the leaders about this front.) This may help you feel more comfortable in any conversations that arise from your application process.

Consider the way a company treats its own employees. For instance, MassMutual earned a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, meaning the company is dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ employees at work, and supporting LGBTQ+ rights by, for instance, filing amicus briefs in notable court cases. This is the top rating in the community's leading authority on its rights.

You can also reach out to the insurer's customer service before requesting an estimate or completing a credit card applicatoin to make sure you're on the same page. A company's representatives should be fully trained to reply to the questions you have honestly and respectfully. If not, you might be obtaining a preview of your relationship with this company.

Get an estimate and apply

The Haven Term policy, issued by MassMutual, charges an interest rate that matches someone's personal gender identity, regardless of what gender that individual was assigned at birth. This may, of course, affect your rate – as stated before, men typically pay a higher premium than women. (Again, with the exception of Montana.)

Your full health background will be reviewed as part of the underwriting process. That means you ought to be candid and disclose upfront any and all medications or surgeries (both related and unrelated to a gender transition). And you ought to disclose related or unrelated medical issues like depression, anxiety or high cholesterol levels. Don't worry, the medical information you tell Haven Life is not shared away from underwriting process and will be kept secure.

So get a personalized quote and find out if term life coverage fits your needs.