life Insurance: anybody gotten highs... - Restless Legs Syn...

Restless Legs Syndrome

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life Insurance

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anybody gotten highs life insurance premiums because of their RLS? I just got my new insurance policy, and my premium almost tripled! RLS specifically coted as the for the higher premium.

so much for not being overweight, exerciding regularly, non smoker, no drinker, low cholesterol!

17 Replies
SueJohnson profile image
SueJohnson

That's ridiculous. Get quotes from other life insurance companies.

in reply toSueJohnson

Got three, this was the best one. All 3 made the same notation. They all got my medical records. They hooked onto the RLS, and the sleep studies confirming the PLMD and the sleep fragmentation. I had no idea that would ever come into play.

SueJohnson profile image
SueJohnson in reply to

As I said - ridiculous. RLS doesn't shorten your life. I don't have life insurance so not familiar with it. Is there any way you could appeal it with your doctor saying it doesn't shorten your life or studies showing the same? Or are you stuck?

ChrisColumbus profile image
ChrisColumbus in reply toSueJohnson

See my reply below: sleep disruption linked to health and mortality.

I have an appointment next week and it is on the list. I am going around in circle with the insurance company asking them to justify this as there are no studies that show RLS shortens the life span. So far they are citing some vague studies on long term effects of sleep deprivation( more accidents while driving etc.) Totally insane.

ChrisColumbus profile image
ChrisColumbus in reply to

I'm afraid that thinking about the possible reasons for this seemingly nonsensical jump, I'd begun to guess that this might be connected with the increasing number of studies linking sleep disruption, health and mortality.

Besides superficially seemingly laughable studies on the effect of sleep deprivation on mortality in fruit flies and rats, there have been studies trolling through research on human health.

The example literature study I link below, which reviews reports of the impact of sleep disruption on health, only mentions RLS specifically in passing, but concludes:

"sleep disruption has vast potential for adverse short- and long-term health consequences in otherwise healthy individuals as well as those with underlying medical conditions."

It's certainly annoying if insurance loss adjusters have started to jump on these reports and take them seriously, while the medical profession in general still mostly doesn't. This potentially could have huge implications for our life, medical and travel insurance.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Munroist profile image
Munroist in reply toChrisColumbus

Absolutely. Sleep deprivation does have serious consequences for many aspects of health, unfortunately. And just adds to the frustrations when the medical profession won’t take this condition seriously and invest in training and better research and therapies, but at the same time the commercial world can see the obvious issues and and decides we should pay extra for it.

Rosyrestless1 profile image
Rosyrestless1

Yes, I was refused longterm care insurance of any level because of rls in my mid thirties with no other health issues at all.

in reply toRosyrestless1

That is such nonsense. I don’t know of any study that RLS will lead to a need for long term care. So frustrating!

Rosyrestless1 profile image
Rosyrestless1 in reply to

They claimed that it was considered related to Parkinsons disease, which I argued to no avail. It makes me wonder what their statistics are showing 🤔

in reply toRosyrestless1

Repeated studies have not shown a correlation between RLS and Parkinson’s. The incidence of Parkinson’s was no greater in people with RLS and those who don’t

Rosyrestless1 profile image
Rosyrestless1 in reply to

I said that multiple times but they didn't care.

in reply toRosyrestless1

Go online and print out any reliable studies that refute that. . For every study they are citing there is another to refute it. Try another company

Rosyrestless1 profile image
Rosyrestless1 in reply to

I tried to discuss it but they were not interested in anything I had to say. That was 15 or 20 years ago. I am sure that it has not gotten easier to argue.

ChrisColumbus profile image
ChrisColumbus in reply toRosyrestless1

I don't think that the issue nowadays is usually because of a supposed link to Parkinsonism, but because of studies linking sleep disruption to mortality. Your own Bio on this forum details exhaustion, as do many other RLS sufferers, and that makes us higher risk in the eyes of insurers.

in reply toChrisColumbus

The person who was denied long term care said Parkinson’s was specifically cited. They have pretty outdated studies

ChrisColumbus profile image
ChrisColumbus in reply to

Rosy was denied long term care *insurance* - not care - apparently because of a false link between Parkinsons and RLS when she applied "15 or 20 years ago".

Whether or not that would still happen, it is clear - as in your own case - that insurers are more recently focusing on sleep disruption as a risk. The long example study on health problems associated with sleep disruption that I originally linked above has six references to restless legs as being associated with sleep disruption.

There are various other such studies - some of which also specifically mention RLS, some do not - but the general thrust is that sleep disorders are a risk.

Insurers are primarily in business to make money, not to benefit policyholders, and do this by maximising money taken in and minimising payments out. If they can find reasons to do both they will.

I'm not supporting the industry in this - it's just the way it works I'm afraid.

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