Final expense insurance with COPD
Yes. Most people with COPD can still get final expense coverage, and some qualify for a full benefit from day one. On the applications we reviewed, COPD alone puts you in Mutual of Omaha's graded plan but still allows a level benefit at Foresters. Current oxygen use is the main dividing line: it rules out both carriers' underwritten plans, leaving guaranteed issue with a 2-year waiting period.
Updated · Editorial standards
- COPD, no oxygen
- Level or graded, by carrier
- Oxygen use (not for sleep apnea)
- Usually guaranteed issue only
- Guaranteed issue wait
- 2 years for the full benefit
- Contestability period
- Usually 2 years from issue
Level-benefit monthly estimates (best case). COPD may move you to graded pricing.
| Age | $5K | $10K | $15K | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Men | Women | Men | Women | |
| 60 | $21.96 | $18.36 | $39.91 | $32.73 | $57.87 | $47.09 |
| 65 | $25.95 | $21.56 | $47.90 | $39.12 | $69.86 | $56.68 |
| 70 | $31.13 | $25.71 | $58.27 | $47.41 | $85.40 | $69.12 |
| 75 | $37.85 | $31.08 | $71.71 | $58.17 | $105.56 | $85.25 |
| 80 | $46.57 | $38.06 | $89.14 | $72.11 | $131.71 | $106.17 |
How final expense underwriting looks at COPD
Final expense insurers judge COPD through yes/no health questions, not lung tests or a medical exam. The questions focus on whether you have COPD at all, whether you use oxygen, and whether you need hospital or nursing care.
Mutual of Omaha, for example, runs a prescription drug check before it approves its graded plan. Inhalers and other COPD medicines will show up. Your answers should match your prescription history.
COPD is common. The CDC says nearly 16 million US adults have it, and tobacco smoke is the main cause in the United States. That is why insurers look at tobacco use alongside lung disease.
Level, graded or guaranteed issue: which applies to you
Level (day-one) coverage is possible when COPD is your only health issue and you don't use oxygen. Foresters PlanRight lists COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema in its Standard tier, which pays a level death benefit.
Graded coverage pays a reduced benefit if death from illness happens in the first two years. Mutual of Omaha's Living Promise puts any history of COPD, chronic bronchitis or emphysema in its graded plan. Our waiting periods guide explains how graded payouts work.
Guaranteed issue asks no health questions at all. It is usually the fallback when you currently use oxygen, need help with daily activities, or live in a nursing facility.
Your other answers matter too. COPD alongside recent heart, stroke or cancer history can push you into a stricter tier than COPD alone.
Oxygen is the key question
Oxygen use is the most important COPD question on these applications. Mutual of Omaha's Living Promise is not available if a doctor has advised you to use oxygen to help you breathe. Foresters asks the same question about the past 12 months.
Royal Neighbors of America asks whether you are currently prescribed oxygen. Its application notes that a yes answer does not disqualify you from every offer, so ask which plan it would issue.
A CPAP machine for sleep apnea is treated differently. Both Mutual of Omaha and Foresters exclude sleep apnea from their oxygen questions.
Tobacco, hospital stays and other answers that matter
Tobacco changes your price class even when it doesn't change your plan. Foresters and Royal Neighbors both ask about tobacco or nicotine use in the past 12 months. Americo prices its Eagle Premier plan by smoker status.
Recent hospital stays can matter as much as the diagnosis. Royal Neighbors asks about any hospital stay longer than 2 weeks in the past year. Mutual of Omaha does not accept anyone currently confined to a hospital.
Mutual of Omaha also asks about chronic cough treated in the past 12 months, which points to its graded plan. If your COPD flares often, expect follow-up questions.
What to have ready before you apply
A few facts decide most COPD applications, so gather them first. Know the year you were diagnosed, each inhaler or other medicine you take, and whether a doctor ever advised oxygen.
Note any hospital stays in the past year, with dates and length. Royal Neighbors asks about stays longer than 2 weeks, and Mutual of Omaha asks about chronic cough treated in the past 12 months.
Be clear about tobacco. Know the date you last used any tobacco or nicotine product. Royal Neighbors lists e-cigarettes and vaping in its question.
Separate COPD from other breathing problems. Foresters excludes asthma and sleep apnea from its chronic lung question, so those alone don't count as COPD there.
How to apply with COPD
Answer every health question exactly as written. Policies are usually contestable for their first two years. In New York, for example, the law lets an insurer contest a claim in that window if it proves a material misrepresentation.
Compare several carriers before you accept a graded or guaranteed issue plan. One carrier's graded case can be another's level case, and avoiding a two-year wait matters to your family. You can compare quotes or review typical costs by age.
Prices rise with age, so applying sooner usually helps. See our guides for people over 60 and over 70. Availability varies by state and carrier.
How carriers treat COPD
Based on each carrier's application questions or product page, linked below. Forms change and vary by state, and the current application always controls. Final approval rests with the insurer.
| Carrier | Plan | Likely outcome | Key question / lookback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foresters | PlanRight | Standard tier (level benefit) if COPD is your only yes answer | COPD, chronic bronchitis or emphysema ever; oxygen in the past 12 months makes you ineligible |
| Mutual of Omaha | Living Promise | Graded benefit plan, if the prescription check is clear | COPD, chronic bronchitis or emphysema ever; currently advised to use oxygen makes you ineligible |
| Royal Neighbors of America | Whole life (level, graded or guaranteed issue) | Form says a yes answer does not rule out all offers; plan depends on all answers | COPD or other lung disease in the last 10 years; currently prescribed oxygen |
| Corebridge Financial | Guaranteed Issue Whole Life | Accepted at ages 50 to 80; 110% of premiums paid if death occurs in the first 2 years | No health questions |
| Gerber Life | Guaranteed Life | Accepted at ages 50 to 80 (50 to 75 in NY); 110% of earned premiums for non-accidental death in the first 2 years | No health questions |
Questions people ask
Can I get final expense insurance if I have COPD?
Usually, yes. Depending on the carrier and your other answers, COPD can lead to a level, graded or guaranteed issue policy.
Will I be declined for final expense insurance if I use oxygen?
Mutual of Omaha's and Foresters' underwritten plans exclude applicants who use oxygen, other than for sleep apnea. Guaranteed issue plans ask no health questions and remain open within their age limits.
Does a CPAP machine count as oxygen use?
Not on the Mutual of Omaha and Foresters applications we reviewed, which both exclude sleep apnea. Check each carrier’s exact wording before you answer.
Is emphysema treated the same as COPD?
On the applications we reviewed, yes. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis appear in the same question as COPD.
Do I pay more if I still smoke?
Usually. Carriers ask about tobacco or nicotine use in the past 12 months and price tobacco users in a separate class.
What happens if I leave COPD off my application?
The insurer can check prescription records, and a material misstatement can let it contest a claim in the first two years. Always answer truthfully.
Does asthma count as COPD on a final expense application?
Not at Foresters, which excludes asthma from its chronic lung disease question. Other carriers word their questions differently, so read each one.
Can I get final expense coverage in a nursing home with COPD?
Mutual of Omaha and Foresters exclude nursing home residents from their underwritten plans. Guaranteed issue plans ask no health questions and remain an option within their age limits.
Sources
- CDC: About COPD
- Foresters PlanRight sample application, form ICC19 770697 US 07/19 (via Choice Mutual)
- Mutual of Omaha Living Promise health question guide (OCI, October 2024)
- Royal Neighbors of America sample application, form ICC231115 Rev. 4-2023 (via Choice Mutual)
- Americo: Final Expense Products at a Glance (08/22)
- Corebridge Direct: Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance
- Gerber Life: Guaranteed Life Insurance questions
- New York DFS Circular Letter No. 1 (2017): life insurance contestability period
This page is for education and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Products, features and availability vary by carrier and state.
See your rate in about two minutes.
No phone number needed to see your estimate. Compare 50+ carriers, then talk to a licensed advisor only if you want to.