Agent Owner, Gilmore Insurance Services, Marysville, Washington State
Not specifically. That said your life insurance exam results can be altered by the consumption of alcohol prior to the blood and urine draws. Blood sugars and other body chemistry can be altered by the consumption of alcohol in the hours prior. Enough so that a person could lose 2 or 3 levels of classifications which in turn would mean a much much higher cost.
If this situation occurs, most companies will give an applicant another chance at their expense to clear up the test results.
It is always wise not to "over do" anything the night prior to testing.
Elevated liver function test results from the life insurance exam will cause underwriters to look for the cause of the abnormal lab results. In doing so, they may do additional testing, order medical records, and/or request that the applicant fill out an alcohol questionnaire.
Mild to moderate alcohol use is not generally a problem, unless you have a health condition that requires that you not drink. But excessive alcohol use, as indicated through liver function, can indeed cause higher ratings or declines.
Life & Health Insurance Agent, The Tooker Agency, Riverhead NY
Long term alcohol usage can cause cirrhosis of the liver, which will also cause liver function test elevations. This would most likely have a significant impact on your premium at best and would cause you to be declined for life insurance at worst.
The casual use of alcohol can also have a direct impact on your life insurance in several ways. Alcohol consumption in the hours prior to a blood test will often cause some liver enzyme elevations. These small elevations could make the difference between rating categories causing you to pay a higher premium than you would have otherwise.
In some cases it is also possible that a small elevation could cause you to be declined for life insurance. Consider a person who had a DUI conviction twenty years ago. On it's own, this might not have any impact on a current life insurance application. Likewise slight liver function test elevations may not be a major concern to the underwriter. However, in combination this may lead to the impression that there is a long term alcohol problem.
This is one of the reasons that we always recommend that applicants abstain from alcohol consumption for at least 24 hours prior to their exam.
If this situation occurs, most companies will give an applicant another chance at their expense to clear up the test results.
It is always wise not to "over do" anything the night prior to testing.
Mild to moderate alcohol use is not generally a problem, unless you have a health condition that requires that you not drink. But excessive alcohol use, as indicated through liver function, can indeed cause higher ratings or declines.
The casual use of alcohol can also have a direct impact on your life insurance in several ways. Alcohol consumption in the hours prior to a blood test will often cause some liver enzyme elevations. These small elevations could make the difference between rating categories causing you to pay a higher premium than you would have otherwise.
In some cases it is also possible that a small elevation could cause you to be declined for life insurance. Consider a person who had a DUI conviction twenty years ago. On it's own, this might not have any impact on a current life insurance application. Likewise slight liver function test elevations may not be a major concern to the underwriter. However, in combination this may lead to the impression that there is a long term alcohol problem.
This is one of the reasons that we always recommend that applicants abstain from alcohol consumption for at least 24 hours prior to their exam.