How Does Family History Affect Life Insurance? 
Different life insurance companies and products weigh family history differently in its affect on life insurance premiums . Some companies only look at the family history of the applicant 's parents , while others look at parents and siblings . Some restrict their questions to heart disease and maybe cancer ; others include many other diseases when asking about family history . When there is a family history of th condition before the age of 60 or 65 , some companies will penalize the policy rating more than others . It also makes a difference whether more than one family member was affected , and if the condition caused death at a young age . 