So, WHY Is That Insurance Applicant Using Cannabis?

A long-term care insurance underwriter writes about cannabis.

(Image: Thinkstock)

Underwriters at Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company recently changed the guidelines they use to assess long-term care insurance (LTCI) applicants’ use of marijuana.

Medicinal use of marijuana is more likely to be legal in U.S. states than recreational use is, but the insurer’s LTCI underwriters view medicinal use of marijuana as more of a concern than occasional recreational use of the drug, according to a copy of a notice obtained by ThinkAdvisor.

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An applicant for one Mutual of Omaha LTCI policy who uses marijuana three or fewer times per week, with no driving-under-the-influence history within three years, no other drug abuse and no memory loss, might be able to qualify for the company’s Select underwriting class.

If, however, an applicant uses marijuana more than three times per week, the company would probably reject that applicant’s application.

The company is also likely to reject an applicant who is using marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to the notice.

— Read Top Investor Touts $60B Market for Cannabis. Just Don’t Call It Marijuana.on ThinkAdvisor.

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