No, getting a COVID vaccine won’t threaten your life insurance. Here’s what to know

False claims that COVID-19 vaccination status somehow threatens life insurance benefits in the event a policyholder dies are re-emerging across popular social media platforms.

A recent Instagram post said, “my friend’s aunt recently died from the COVID vaccine. She was denied her life insurance because ... she willingly took an EXPERIMENTAL vaccine.”

Instagram placed a “false information” label on the post, which has amassed several comments with people supporting the claim, since its publication about four days ago — an all-too-familiar scene found on other social media platforms and one that caused life insurance companies and state regulators to issue statements debunking the claim in March.

“The fact is that life insurers do not consider whether or not a policyholder has received a COVID vaccine when deciding whether to pay a claim. Life insurance policy contracts are very clear on how policies work, and what cause, if any, might lead to the denial of a benefit. A vaccine for COVID-19 is not one of them,” Paul Graham, senior vice president of policy development at the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), said in a March 12 statement.

“Policyholders should rest assured that nothing has changed in the claims-paying process as a result of COVID-19 vaccinations,” Graham continued.

It’s important to note the three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. are not experimental. They all went through standard safety testing in thousands of people before being authorized for use in the general population.

W. Bruce Vogel, an associate professor in the Division of Health Outcomes and Implementation Science at the University of Florida, told the Associated Press that getting a COVID-19 vaccine would “help limit any life insurance premium increases” related to the disease.

However, “only if the vaccine itself increased mortality would you expect it to increase life insurance premiums, and there is no evidence of that so far,” Vogel told the outlet in March.

Otherwise, payments as usual are made regardless of the reason someone died, experts say.

“The COVID vaccine does not impact life insurance costs for coverage already in place. For new coverage, and not just related to COVID, companies consider health factors as information is available and in accordance with regulations that govern the industry,” Jan Graeber, ACLI’s senior health actuary, told USA Today. “As experience with COVID grows, there may be near-term impacts to consider, including with the vaccine and new virus strains and consumer behavior to mitigate risk. There may also be long-term impacts to consider as more information is gathered about COVID.”

John Hancock, among many other life insurance companies, released a statement in an effort to quash false claims regarding policies and coronavirus vaccines.

“Our underwriting assessment of an applicant’s insurability is not impacted by the vaccination status of the individual,” the company said in March when the first round of incorrect social media posts gained attention. The company added that its application for life insurance doesn’t ask people if they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Should such information present itself in the underwriting evidence received in connection with an application, the information would not be a factor in the risk classification process,” the company said.

States have also issued their own statements to debunk false claims.

The Texas Department of Insurance said “getting a COVID-19 vaccination doesn’t affect your ability to collect on a life insurance policy. Baseless social media posts claim getting vaccinated threatens life insurance benefits because the vaccines are ‘experimental.’ That’s not true. Experimental drugs haven’t been approved by a government agency.”

Why heart condition seen in few young people after COVID vaccine is no cause for alarm

Is it really safe to ditch masks if fully vaccinated? Experts split on new CDC guidance

How soon — and how long — could you feel side effects of COVID vaccines? What to know