Will Life Insurance Pay for Drug Overdose?

Many people have a question like will life insurance pay for drug overdose cases? The answer is depending on the scenario and also the exclusions of policy the insurance you have bought. Some insurance companies will cover it including the scenario of the death because of overdose.

However, this case might need the buyers to purchase additional policies. They should be honest when they enroll to purchase the premium. The insurers will find out which policy is the best for them. If you wonder how this thing works, here is further information about the insurance.

Will life Insurance Pay for Drug Overdose?

1. Death Coverage in Life Insurance

Life insurance has death coverage and they cover all types of death causes without any exception. When you purchase the premium, ask the insurers will life insurance pay for drug overdose. In the US, most life insurance companies will cover it without any exclusions.

Conditions of death coverage might follow where it is paid out if the death happens after two years the policy is issued. Different companies might have other conditions, but it is likely to cover the death because of overdose if this case happens to you.

2. Accidental Coverage Policy

Some insurance companies only offer accidental coverage policies. It means if the death is not caused by an accident, the company will not pay for it. Other cases including overdose will not be covered. You should be careful while purchasing this kind of policy.

Thus, the accident that is caused by an overdose might not be covered. The life insurance will categorize it as an intentional behavior or suicide. Unless the drugs are given for medication, it is a different case. They can deny some scenarios even though the buyer’s cause of death is an overdose.

When is Drug Overdose Counted as an Accidental Case?

There are several scenarios that the insurers will pay out in case an accident happens because of an overdose. They follow the guidelines from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Here are some scenarios that may happen.

1. The drug was taken accidentally

Some patients might take the wrong drug because they have many medicines to take. When it happens, and they end up overdosing, it is counted as an accident case. You have to tell this case so the insurer will reimburse the medication because of this accident.

2. Too much intake

A person may take a drug in a certain amount accidentally because of the prescription they have from the doctor. It is an accident and this kind of overdose will get covered. You should provide proof of taking the drug based on the prescription you get from the doctor.

3. Taking a wrong drug

This scenario might happen when someone is under medication. The pharmacy may give the patients the wrong drug because they misread the prescription. The patient may misread the dose of the drugs as well. The insurance company will cover this scenario under accidental cases.

4. Under a procedure

An accidental overdose case could happen when someone is under surgical or medical procedures. The mistake is coming from the medical staff, not the patients. This occurrence can get covered by the insurers fully without any exclusions.

Legality Status of Drugs use

It is crucial to know the legal status of the drug itself. This is a big factor to determine whether or not you can claim the insurance. Since people in the US can use drugs legally for certain types, insurance companies will examine them to decide if the claim is applied or otherwise.

Insurance companies could deny the claim submitted by the insured party if the drug type used is illegal. They can argue that the insured party has known the risks of certain types of drugs. So, the answer to will life insurance pay for drug overdose depends on the legality of the drugs.

On an important note, using some drugs such as heroin, meth, and cocaine is high risk. The insurance company can deny the claim easily because they are illegal unless you use it under a prescription. The receipt of the prescription is required as proof.

Toxicology Report Might Be Required

The insurance company might ask you to go to a hospital for a medical check-up and ask for a toxicology report. This is a report where the result can tell how much certain substances are in your body. If they find out that the substance is illegal in the report, the claim will be denied.

They will involve a medical expert to analyze the toxicology report. When the substance amount is in the therapeutic range, the status will change from illegal to under-prescription. You can request proof from the doctor where you get the prescription.

Factor to Consider in Overdose of Prescription Case

Though the toxicology report has the status where the drugs overused are legal, some factors will be determiners. These considerations are important because the status of an overdose might change again into illegal. The factors are:

1. The age of the insured

The insured after 18 years old should be responsible for the drugs they use when the initial condition is healthy. This part can be ignored when they are under 18 years old. For the elderly, it may have exclusions.

2. Tolerance level

The insured may have a higher level of tolerance. This will influence the overdose case because it means they took too much of a drug. The prescription status can change to illegal once the medical expert who analyzes the report finds this case.

3. Other illnesses

People with other illnesses could be more vulnerable when they are overdosed. The policy under their life insurance might or might not apply for certain cases. The reason is the illness can fasten the reaction of a drug or their metabolism.

What to Do When The Claim Was Denied?

Since the process of a claim can be very confusing and involve a medical expert, there is a possibility that your claim is denied. Will life insurance pay for drug overdose once it’s denied? You still have a chance by hiring an attorney who has experiences in handling this case.

Underwriting Questions in Life Insurance for A Drugger

Insurance companies usually accept druggers since some drugs in the US are common to use. However, they make different policies for you to purchase. So, will life insurance pay for a drug overdose? The answer is yes when you have fulfilled the criteria to get the coverage.

1. The period of doing drugs

One important question that you will get from the insurance company is how long you do drugs and the frequency of taking them. The type of drugs and the reasons can be different, depending on your condition. The patients of medical treatment are easier to get the right policy.

2. Addiction

The question of will life insurance pay for drug overdose depends on the addiction of each person. People with severe addiction to certain types of drugs may have different policies because the chance of accidents and overdoses is higher than others who do drugs for medication.

3. Types of drugs

Drugs can be legal and illegal, depending on the type of drugs. When you use certain drugs illegally, insurance companies will explain the best life insurance, yet it has some exclusions. Illegal drug use will not be covered.

Prescription Medication

Will life insurance pay for drug overdose when the condition is under a certain prescription medication? You will be included and the life insurance that you have purchased will not get affected. The exclusions are in the list below:

1. Marijuana prescription

Some countries ban marijuana and categorize it as a dangerous drug. Some other countries consider it a legal drug, so many people use it. However, if you are under a marijuana prescription, you have to convince the insurers about the condition you have.

Generally, marijuana prescriptions can raise the amount of premium you will purchase. Again, it depends on the country or state that you live in. This condition will be different, but some areas might consider it as positive as well. Check this condition with your insurers.

2. Painkillers

Before applying for life insurance, you can wait until you are off from painkillers intake. Painkillers can be a great addiction and some people tend to misuse them. Since the prescription of a painkiller is temporary, you can wait until the doctor tells you to stop using it.

Why is this case excluded? A painkiller is a dangerous drug when it is combined with alcohol. Many accident cases happened because of this case. The insurers will not cover any accident because of this unless they have another policy with a higher premium to purchase.

3. Addiction treatment

The case of addiction treatment is also excluded from the prescription case. Some addiction treatments use a red-flag medicine that may be harmful even though it is just temporary. You need to make sure that you have stopped taking the medicine before enrolling in the insurance.

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Assessing Drug Use to Review Overdose Possibility

1. Checking health condition

The possibility of overdose may happen when you are taking certain medicine. The insurers might ask you several questions regarding health conditions and drug addiction. This is a great issue that they need to determine the cost of the premium that will be suitable for you.

2. Checking addiction

You should be honest with your addiction if any, so you will not waste your money by paying the premium that you will not use in the future. The insurers might ask you the drug type that made you into addiction and how far you are doing drugs with it.

3. Checking medication

Medication has many exclusions and it is a huge benefit for you. However, you should be honest with the medication you are taking. Some medications might be disallowed because of their type, such as painkillers and muscular relaxation drugs.

What to Choose for Life Insurance for Drug Users?

1. Permanent life insurance

It might be the best option to choose. A permanent life insurance will assure you as long as you always pay the premium. Before purchasing, you have to consider the policy about drug use and overdose risk, especially the part that mentions accidental death because of overdose.

As a side note, permanent life insurance is way more expensive than other type of insurance. However, the death benefit guarantees that all causes will be covered except this part only covers accidental death. By purchasing this, you will not ask will life insurance pay for drug overdose more.

2. Term life insurance

The term life insurance is framing a specific period. For drug users, it may be a benefit because they don’t need to pay for their whole life. The price of the premium is not as expensive as permanent insurance. The range is starting from 10 to 30 years.

3. Pre-need insurance

Pre-need insurance is the type where the coverage is linked to a funeral home. It is permanent insurance, and the policy is applied. It can cover all causes of death including overdose. Later, the benefit value is a funeral arrangement which has been paid upon death.

4. Burial insurance

Some insurance companies offer a single policy, and the name is burial insurance. An overdose case can be covered if it is the cause of the death. This is permanent life insurance, but the benefit is low because the premium is cheap as well. The benefit is starting from $5,000-$25,000.

5. Guaranteed life insurance

Guaranteed life insurance is insurance that will accept people from all backgrounds, even people who do drugs. Will life insurance pay for drug overdose with guaranteed life insurance? Yes. The death benefit is usually up to $20,000 even for the overdose case.

6. Group life insurance

If you are working as an employee, the employee will purchase group life insurance. The coverage includes death benefits because of overdose. It can cover the exams that the company asks from the employee.

Therefore whether or not will life insurance pay for drug overdose depends on the case and the scenarios according to the insurance companies. You have to check the policy you buy, especially the death coverage in life insurance because of an overdose.