By Bill Hupp, Life Quotes, Inc.

It’s not easy being a stuntman these days. Besides the inherent risk of serious injury or even death in the daily work, it’s a task just to buy insurance to protect you from the aforementioned potential disasters.

Hence, the necessity for insurance impaired-risk specialists, or brokers who find the best life insurance plans for applicants with a serious medical condition or occupational hazard. If life insurance coverage is made available, the higher premiums will reflect the higher probability of loss from a particular medical impairment.

“The [price] difference between people who use a traditional insurance agent versus specialists is typically double the cost,” says Ryan Pinney, an impaired-risk specialist at Pinney Insurance Center in Roseville, Calif. “The specialist will find you the best rate available in the marketplace, which is going to save the client money at the end of the day.”

There is a wide range of illnesses that could qualify you as impaired risk, from the widespread (cancer, diabetes, heart disease) to the more obscure (Parkinson’s, Hepatitis C).

All major insurance companies use a four-class rating system: super-preferred (least risky) to standard (most risky without being impaired risk). According to George Varanakis, an Insurance Impaired Risk Specialist at Salt Lake City-based United Producers, Inc., weighing even two pounds overweight moves you down a class rating, which means you’ll pay 33-50 percent higher premiums. Every company has different standards. Some classify a non-smoker as an individual who has quit a year ago; others won’t issue a policy to you unless you’ve been smoke-free for five years.

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