I recently had a 48 year old woman call me asking about how her atypical nevus would affect getting life insurance at an affordable rate. Approximately 3 years ago, my client had an atypical nevus removed from her arm. It was biopsied and found to be benign, and was approximately 2-3 mm in diameter. No treatment or reoccurrence since. This was the only nevus she’s ever had and has no other suspicious moles on her body, nor has she ever had any disorder of the skin, other than acne. A nevus is not considered cancerous, but life insurance underwriters take them seriously because people who get them are at higher risk for getting skin cancers like melanoma and squamous or basal cell carcinoma.
So I went to work and called over a dozen underwriters with the details of my case. Female 48, 2-3 mm, 3 years ago, and what I found were varying responses. Some underwriters viewed my case similarly to a melanoma case, and wouldn’t offer better than standard. Some said they’d go as high as preferred, and a couple quoted me preferred plus. From the two carriers that quoted preferred plus, she did not quite fit into one’s weight maximum, so we went with the other.
A few important factors the underwriters were interested in were:
Number of Nevuses: Was it just one? Some said they would allow one, and some said two and still give a preferred offer. Does the proposed insured have any other moles?
Location of Nevus: As with melanoma and other skin cancer, some body parts, such as your arms and legs and trunk are lower risk than getting cancer or a nevus on your hand, foot, head, or neck.
Time since Removal: This may be obvious, but the longer it’s been since the nevus was excised without reoccurence, the more favorable the offer.
This case demonstrates the value of using an independent life insurance agent. Had my client gone to her State Farm or Farmers agent, she most likely would have gotten standard or worse. As with any medical condition, you’re best chance for preferred or better rates are to shop the case out amongst all the carriers to see who will treat your condition the most leniently. For quotes on life insurance with an atypical nevus, call me at 619-564-4873 or use the quoting form on the right.
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