“A person with a very high cholesterol level is at greater risk for developing coronary artery disease than someone with cholesterol in the desirable range,” says Dr. Ann Hoven, medical director for The Hartford’s Individual Life Division. “There is a huge amount of clinical data that documents the increased mortality risk and we use that data to assess risk.”
It’s not as simple as looking at a bad LDL score. Insurance providers consider an individual’s full medical file to produce a premium rate that matches their risk.
“[Like clinicians], we look at the whole picture, not just one “magic” number,” Dr. Hoven says. “When total cholesterol gets into the 240 to 260 range, the risk goes up [and] the higher the number, the higher the risk. But … we also look at the HDL (the “good” cholesterol) and what the ratio of these two are. A high level of HDL can offset the apparent risk of high total cholesterol.”
Many insurance companies ignore high cholesterol numbers once a certain age level has been reached. As Dr. Hoven notes, “Cholesterol contributes less to risk as one gets older.” So if two customers had cholesterol levels of 250, but one was 50 years old and the other 75, the younger customer would have the more expensive premiums.
Of course, even if you are paying exorbitant premiums or are denied a policy outright because of high cholesterol, you can take action and eventually reapply. There is no “one size fits all” method to lowering bad cholesterol levels, but according to Erin Palinski, a registered dietician in New Jersey, there are ways to affect your health. She suggests everything from eating more fruits and veggies and less red meat, to doing 30 minutes of daily aerobic exercise, to taking medication (like statins) to get your cholesterol levels under control.
In general, Palinski says, “a combination of a diet low in saturated and trans fat, containing a good source of monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, and high in vegetables and fruits (to increase soluble fiber intake) along with physical activity daily can be the best way to manage cholesterol long-term.”
