Oxygen Use Burial Insurance

Oxygen use doesn’t automatically disqualify you from burial insurance, but applying the wrong way can cost your family thousands. These oxygen use-approved policies I help people with pay out quickly to cover burial or cremation costs, or provide a tax-free legacy for your loved ones.

Oxygen Use Key Insights

• Temporary vs. Chronic Use: The context of your oxygen use is everything. If you used supplemental oxygen temporarily for a bout of pneumonia or a recent surgery, you can often qualify for first-day coverage once you’ve been off the tank for a specific period.
• The Two-Year Waiting Period Standard: For chronic conditions like COPD or Emphysema that require daily oxygen, most carriers mandate a 24-month waiting period. During this time, if death occurs from natural causes, the company typically refunds 110% of the premiums paid.
• Oxygen for Sleep Apnea is Different: If your oxygen use is strictly limited to nighttime use for Sleep Apnea, you may still qualify for immediate, first-day coverage with specialized carriers. It is vital to clarify this distinction to avoid unnecessary waiting periods.
• Tobacco Use Impacts Eligibility: Smoking while using oxygen puts you in the highest possible risk tier. However, certain carriers specialize in “smoker-friendly” rates, helping you secure a permanent policy without the massive price hikes found with standard companies.
• Guaranteed Approval Without Medical Exams: For daily oxygen users, the “Simplified Issue” process is a game-changer. You don’t have to provide lung function tests or physician notes; as long as you meet the age requirements, your approval is guaranteed, allowing you to lock in your rate immediately.

More carriers expanded immediate-coverage options for people with controlled Oxygen Use. Most people will have no trouble qualifying for and affording an instant-approval policy.

Oxygen Use Medical Definition & Health Risks

Underwriters determine your risk level by evaluating how often you use supplemental oxygen and how long you have required it to manage your health. Oxygen use involves using a machine or portable tank to boost your oxygen intake when your lungs or heart can no longer circulate enough air naturally. This usually stems from COPD or emphysema, which prevents your body from effectively processing oxygen.

If your oxygen levels stay low, you risk damage to your brain and heart. Honestly, insurance carriers view this as a high mortality risk because it shows your body is struggling to perform a basic life function.

Life Insurance Companies Ask These Oxygen Use Questions

Different life insurance companies ask different questions to decide which applicants with oxygen use they may approve.

• Aetna Decline– Within the past year, have you used or been advised to use oxygen equipment to assist with breathing, excluding CPAP for sleep apnea, or been advised to have kidney dialysis?
• Aetna Standard Level – Have you ever been diagnosed with, received, or been advised to receive treatment or medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or any other chronic respiratory condition?
• Aflac Decline – Within the past year, have you used or been advised to use oxygen equipment to assist with breathing, excluding CPAP for sleep apnea, or been advised to have kidney dialysis?
• Aflac Standard Level – Have you ever been diagnosed with, received, or been advised to receive treatment or medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or any other chronic respiratory condition?
• CICA Life Level – In the past 10 years, have you opted to not seek treatment, have not taken medication, or have not followed the prescribed treatment plan following a medical diagnosis by a member of the medical profession for any one or more of the following: uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, stroke or TIA, paralysis, congestive heart failure, heart disease, cardiomyopathy, lung disease including COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or emphysema, liver cirrhosis or failure, kidney (renal) failure or insufficiency, or chronic kidney disease including dialysis?
• Family Benefit Life Decline – Are you currently, or within the past 6 months have you been, hospitalized, bedridden, using oxygen to assist breathing, confined to a wheelchair, in a nursing home or hospice, receiving home health care, or on dialysis?
• Family Benefit Life Level – Have you ever been diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, chronic kidney disease or failure, systemic lupus, hepatitis B or C, cirrhosis of the liver, liver disease, liver failure, or lung impairments including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or fibrosis?
• Guarantee Trust Life Graded – Do you require daily oxygen use (excluding when used with CPAP, after exercise, and for seasonal allergies), have an implanted defibrillator, received or been advised by a medical professional to receive an organ transplant or received dialysis within the LAST 24 MONTHS?
• Liberty Bankers Life Decline – Within the last year, have you been confined to a hospital for more than 5 days total, been advised by a member of the medical profession to have surgery or hospitalization which you are still awaiting, used oxygen due to a medical condition, been unable to care for yourself or been bedridden at home or in a nursing home, hospice, long-term care, or assisted living facility?
• Liberty Bankers Life Preferred – Have you, the Proposed Insured, by a member of the medical profession, ever been diagnosed with, or received, or been advised to receive treatment or medication for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, peripheral vascular disease or peripheral artery disease?
• Mutual of Omaha Decline – Is the Proposed Insured currently requiring any of the following other than fractures, bone or joint surgery, including replacement: wheelchair, electric scooter, oxygen equipment to assist breathing (excluding use for sleep apnea) or defibrillator?
• Mutual of Omaha Level – Has the Proposed Insured ever been diagnosed by a licensed medical professional with, received treatment by a licensed medical professional for, or been advised to seek treatment by a licensed medical professional for Chronic Lung Disease, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Chronic Bronchitis, emphysema, or Sarcoidosis?
• Trinity Life Decline – Are you currently, or within the past 6 months have you been hospitalized, bedridden, using oxygen to assist breathing, confined to a wheelchair, in a nursing home or hospice, receiving home health care, or on dialysis?
• Trinity Life Level – Have you ever been diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, chronic kidney disease or failure, systemic lupus, hepatitis B or C, cirrhosis of the liver, liver disease, liver failure, or lung impairments including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or fibrosis?

Oxygen Use Underwriting Basics

Underwriters evaluate your blood oxygen saturation and lung function test scores to determine plan stability.

• Testing & Test Results: Underwriters examine your blood oxygen saturation and lung function test scores. They may want to see if your condition is stable or if you require more liters per minute than you did last year.

Medication stability over time reduces the insurance company’s perceived mortality risk, often allowing you to qualify for better coverage.

• Why it Matters: Your specific oxygen liters and diagnosis control your price. If you used a tank for a quick bout of pneumonia, I can usually get you the lowest rates available. But if you are tethered to a machine 24/7, you are likely looking at a graded plan.

Oxygen Use Prescription Medication Classes

Specific drug categories help the insurance underwriter assess the severity of your respiratory condition.

• Maintenance Inhalers: Advair and Spiriva keep airways open for daily breathing.
• Oxygen Equipment: Concentrators and portable tanks provide the supplemental air your lungs require.
• Rescue Treatments: Albuterol nebulizers treat sudden breathing crises when your chest gets tight.

Oxygen Use with Comorbidities

Insurance carriers assess compound health profiles to determine how the combination of multiple ailments increases the likelihood of a claim. When you require supplemental oxygen while also managing congestive heart failure, underwriting outcomes become much tougher because the dual strain on your respiratory and circulatory systems represents a significantly higher risk level. Lung disease puts a massive strain on your heart because your organs aren’t getting the fuel they need to work.

It’s in your best interests to get this insurance now before a secondary issue like kidney failure or a heart attack makes you completely uninsurable.

Controlled Oxygen Use qualifies most people for immediate level burial insurance coverage, even with secondary health issues.

Other Common Health Issues With Oxygen Use

Oxygen use indicates reduced lung or heart function that limits oxygen delivery to the body, affects endurance and organ performance, and often reflects underlying conditions that can affect underwriting decisions and policy selection when they’re present.

• Severe shortness of breath – Dependence on supplemental oxygen signals limited lung capacity and reduced physical tolerance.
• Restricted mobility – Tubing, tanks, or concentrators limit movement, travel, and independent activity.
• Chronic fatigue – Low baseline oxygen levels reduce energy and stamina even with treatment.
• Exercise intolerance – Physical exertion quickly triggers breathlessness despite oxygen support.
• Heart strain – Long-term hypoxemia increases pulmonary pressure and stresses the right side of the heart.
• Frequent hospitalizations – Oxygen dependence often coincides with flare-ups and acute respiratory events.
• Cognitive effects – Chronic low oxygen can impair concentration, memory, and reaction time.
• Sleep disruption – Nighttime oxygen needs and breathing instability interfere with restorative sleep.
• Infection risk – Advanced lung disease increases susceptibility to respiratory infections.
• Reduced independence – Ongoing oxygen requirements limit work capacity, travel, and daily functioning.

Understanding Oxygen Use Policy Types

Carriers offer different plan categories based on an applicant’s Oxygen Use and medical history.

• Level: Level burial insurance offers 1st-day coverage and pays the full death benefit from day one. CICA Life is the best and only choice for this coverage.
• Graded: Graded burial insurance limits benefits during the 12 to 24 months for health or medical-related causes of death. Guarantee Trust Life is OK if it’s not daily oxygen.
• Guaranteed Issue: Guaranteed issue burial insurance requires no health questions but includes a 2-year waiting period before it pays out for causes of death related to health or medical conditions. Gerber Life is the go-to company if all other insurance companies don’t work out.

Sample Oxygen Use Rate Snapshot for $10,000 Coverage

Insurers use age and gender as the primary metrics to determine how many years of premiums they can expect to collect before a claim is made. Female rates stay lower because women live longer than men on average, providing a larger window for the carrier to accumulate the funds needed for the eventual payout. But remember, every birthday you wait is like adding a “waiting tax” to your monthly bill.

These rates represent preferred pricing, but your final cost depends on which carrier best fits your specific health profile.

Rates may vary based on age, gender, health, and state. Click the form on this page for the lowest rates from the best carriers.

Oxygen Use Underwriting & Medication History

Insurers review your prescription history to verify medical stability, as consistent treatment often indicates a lower risk of sudden health crises. If you have maintained the same oxygen flow for a year, it serves as a positive sign of stability to the underwriter, potentially making you eligible for better coverage options despite the severity of your condition. They run a quick background check on your prescriptions to see if you are filling inhalers or if you are constantly at the hospital for breathing crises. Staying on top of your doctor’s orders proves to me that you are a responsible risk.

Your prescription history is how the insurance carriers verify medical stability. Recent hospitalizations for crises can often trigger postponement rather than permanent decline.

Real Life Oxygen Use Success Stories

Real-world examples illustrate how people with Oxygen Use secure day-one protection with anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 for burial and final expenses.

David’s Story

David used oxygen for 3 months after a nasty bout of pneumonia and feared he was uninsurable. I performed a quick background check on his prescriptions and saw he had been off the tank for over 2 years. I secured him a $15,000 first-day coverage plan with a preferred carrier, saving him 25% on his monthly premiums. Now his family has a guaranteed cash benefit to cover his funeral without any stress. David was relieved to learn that his temporary health setback did not ruin his chances of getting an affordable policy.

Susan’s Story

Susan uses oxygen daily for her emphysema and thought a 2-year waiting period was her only option. I reviewed her medical history and found a graded plan that met her current breathing assistance requirements. This plan locked in her rate at age 66, so her costs will never increase as she gets older. She used the savings to help her daughter with college costs while still protecting her own final wishes. Susan now has peace of mind knowing her cremation costs are fully funded.

Oxygen Use Financial Ratings & Stability

Insurers use financial ratings to prove they have the capital and reserves necessary to fulfill long-term death benefit promises to your beneficiaries. A.M. Best ratings serve as a specialized “report card” that evaluates a company’s balance sheet and operating performance to make sure they have the cash on hand to pay your claim, even decades into the future. I also look at the BBB to see whether they treat families with respect or make them jump through hoops. You want a company that pays out in days, not months.

Frequently Asked Questions: Oxygen Use Burial Insurance

Can you get burial insurance if you use oxygen?

Insurance companies approve permanent burial insurance for oxygen users every day because “Guaranteed Issue” policies can accept all applicants regardless of their respiratory health or equipment needs. I have seen plenty of people give up because they think their oxygen tank makes them uninsurable for 1st-day coverage. That is just plain wrong. Honestly, it just does not make sense to go without coverage when carriers offer policies that can protect your loved ones right away. These plans lock in a rate that protects your family from the high cost of a funeral. You lock in a death benefit today so your kids do not have to settle your final bills out of their own pockets.

Does using oxygen automatically mean a 2-year waiting period for burial insurance?

Most insurance carriers require a two-year waiting period for oxygen users because underwriters view supplemental oxygen as a sign of advanced respiratory risk. Here is the part they do not tell you in those flashy TV commercials: if you use oxygen, the company sees a major risk to their bottom line. Because oxygen use often points to advanced lung issues, almost every carrier makes your family wait 24 months for a natural death payout. If you pass away from health issues during that time, the company refunds your premiums plus 10% interest. But remember, accidental death still pays the full amount from the very first day.

Are there any “Day One” burial insurance coverage options for oxygen users?

Immediate “Day One” coverage remains extremely rare for oxygen users because most top-rated carriers classify any supplemental oxygen dependency as a high-risk medical condition. Finding the right first-day coverage plan while using oxygen is one of my specialties. Most big-name companies will laugh you out of the room if you ask for immediate benefits. However, if you only use oxygen for sleep apnea, a specialized agent like me can sometimes locate a better deal.

How does oxygen use affect the cost of a burial policy?

Oxygen requirements move applicants into a higher risk tier, which increases the monthly premiums for a permanent whole life policy. Since oxygen users usually fall into the highest risk category, you will pay more than a marathon runner. But do not let that stop you from protecting your spouse. Once you lock in a policy, your price never budges. Even if your health gets worse, the insurance company cannot cancel your plan or raise your rate by a single penny.

What is the maximum burial insurance benefit for people on oxygen?

Guaranteed approval plans often cap the total death benefit at $25,000 to limit the insurer’s financial risk. You probably never find a $50,000 policy if you use oxygen. Most carriers limit these high-risk plans to a lower amount because they are taking a gamble on your health. But $25,000 usually covers a nice service and still leaves a cushion for your kids. You should get enough to cover the bill, so your family can grieve without a calculator in their hands.

What happens if I stop using oxygen after my burial insurance policy starts?

Improving your respiratory health allows you to apply for new, lower-priced policies once you have remained oxygen-free for at least 2 years. If your lungs get stronger and you ditch the tank, do not just keep paying that high premium forever. After you have been oxygen-free for 24 months, a new search of the market can save you a ton of money. Your old policy stays active until you secure a better deal, so you never lose your protection while you shop for a better rate. This ensures you always have the best price available for your current health status.

Is oxygen used for sleep apnea treated the same as COPD in burial insurance?

Underwriters distinguish between oxygen used for sleep apnea and oxygen used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to determine your eligibility for first-day coverage. Do not let an agent lump your CPAP machine in with chronic lung disease. If you only use oxygen at night for sleep apnea, some companies will offer first-day coverage. It is like the difference between a minor tune-up and a total engine failure. You must clarify your exact situation during the application to prevent the insurance company from sticking you with an unnecessary two-year waiting period.

Can you get burial insurance if you are on a portable oxygen concentrator?

Insurance companies focus on the supplemental oxygen use itself rather than the specific type of portable or stationary device you use to breathe. Whether you carry a small portable unit or keep a large tank at home, the underwriter sees the same risk level. They do not care about the brand of your machine. You should focus on finding a “Guaranteed Issue” plan that bypasses the medical exam entirely if you don’t qualify for 1st-day coverage. This allows your family to get the cash they need without you having to jump through corporate hoops or see a doctor for a physical.

Does tobacco use combined with oxygen use increase burial insurance rates?

Combining tobacco use with supplemental oxygen triggers the highest premium rates because carriers view this combination as the two most significant health risks. If you smoke and use oxygen, you are going to pay the highest rate on the chart. It will be the most expensive way to buy insurance, but it is still a better deal than leaving your spouse with zero money. Every dollar you spend now is a gift to your family, so they do not have to pass a hat around at your funeral.