Burial Insurance After Heart Surgery: The Definitive Guide (2023 Update)
You can still get level immediate day one coverage after any type of heart surgery but it will depend on how long it has been since your surgery.

What Is Considered Heart Surgery?
Now, if you are not sure if what you have or are going to have is considered heart surgery, we should cover that right away! After all, it is very easy to get lost in all the medical jargon in today’s world.
Luckily, the way insurance companies define heart surgery in the burial insurance world is very simple. Below is a list of all of the things considered heart surgery by burial insurance companies.
- Heart Bypass
- Heart Transplant
- Cardiomyoplasty
- Pacemaker Installation (Battery changes don’t count for most companies)
- Heart Valve Replacement/Repair
- Aneurysm Repair
- Chest Surgeries (Only some companies care about chest surgeries)
- Angioplasty
If you have one of these conditions/surgeries, you will have to answer yes to one of the health questions the insurance company asks you:
‘Within the past year (two years), have you been diagnosed, treated or had any heart or circulatory surgery?”
***Some companies only ask about the past year, some the past two years***
The above conditions will make you answer yes to this question.
Now, if you have one of these scheduled but have not had the surgery yet, you will be denied coverage from these companies until after the surgery, and even then will have to wait a few years for coverage. They will check to see if you have any pending surgeries, as that is a huge risk to the insurance company.
Can I Still Get Burial Insurance If I Just Got Surgery Or Have A Future Scheduled Surgery?
If you just had heart surgery or have a future surgery you can still get coverage, but will not be immediate day one coverage unfortunately, specifically if it has been within the past year.
So here are your options…
You can still affordable coverage at rock bottom rates!
In fact, there are companies that won’t charge you any more for having heart surgery than if you did not have it. However, they will all only offer graded coverage.
If you recently had a surgery or have upcoming surgery, graded coverage is your only option. These graded plans works like this:
In the first year of the policy, if you pass, the insurance company pays out usually only 30%.
In the second year, they will pay out 70%
After two years, your beneficiaries will get the full payout in coverage.
These graded plans are still at rock bottom rates, and are superior to guaranteed issue policies that ask you no health questions in two ways.
- Guaranteed issue, while it doesn’t ask any health questions, will come at a higher premium each month and;
- Guaranteed issue policies will all come with a mandatory two year full waiting period where they only pay back what you’ve paid in.
We suggest sending in an application for a graded policy ASAP if you recently had heart surgery, as this is the best option for you at the time. The only question becomes which company is going to offer you the best rate.
YOU DO NOT NEED A TWO YEAR WAITING PERIOD GUARANTEED ISSUE PLAN IF YOU’VE HAD RECENT SURGERY.
Let us help you find a graded policy by finding the best carrier for you.
Can I Get Burial Insurance If My Heart Surgery Was Many Years Ago?
You can get burial insurance at rock bottom rates as if you never had the surgery if it was many years ago!
If your heart surgery was many years ago will not matter to the insurance company whatsoever, and they will still offer you the same rates!
The kicker is that since practically every company will offer you immediate level day one coverage, you can let us shop for you between all of the top companies to find you the best coverage at the lowest cost. We are experts at this!
We at Seniors Mutual offer all of the top companies in your state, and will shop for you to find the best deal.
Unfortunately, many agents in the life insurance industry are captive agents that only work for one company. This is such a huge disappointment!
Every company has unique guidelines and underwriting. Even if your heart surgery was many years ago, they will still offer you different rates depending on your remaining health conditions.
Since we are an independent agency, we do not have bias when it comes to which company we suggest. We will offer you the best choice for you! We hope the rest of the burial insurance industry will take this approach.
Give us a call or fill out our quote form to get in contact with us today! An expert licensed agent will go through with you your unique health conditions and find the best company for you, all in the matter of a few minutes!
We look forward to helping you qualify for the best rates today.