We'll get your life insurance quotes from the UK's leading insurers
Can I get cover with a health condition?
Gone are the days when a long-time health condition ruled you out of life insurance. So, if you have health challenges, we want to hear from you. We want to help you protect the life you love.
LifeSearch works with a range of insurers to help find the right cover to meet your needs.
Why LifeSearch?
Since 1998 we’ve helped over 1.8m individuals protect themselves and their loved ones. We’re rated 4.9/5 from over 21,000 Trustpilot reviews, written by customers just like you.
As an independent intermediary, our loyalty is to you – not the insurer, not a product. It’s our job to build the right protection around you and the things that matter.
Ask LifeSearch
Getting quotes directly when you have a health condition can be confusing.
That’s where LifeSearch help. We work with insurers of all kinds: mainstream and specialist, big and small.
So, tell us what’s going on with you, and we’ll do our best to get the right cover for your needs.
What life insurance products are open to me?
The easiest answer is that no doors are closed.
Your chances of securing a specific life insurance policy depend on the nature and severity of your condition, how it impacts you, and how your general health is as well as your occupation and hobbies. It’s always worth making a phone call to discuss your options.
Helpful-to-know life insurance terminology
Standard terms and special terms
Standard terms means a policy is offered with no price increase. Special terms means there is a price increase to reflect additional risk(s). or an exclusion.
Risk
Any life insurance applicant is assessed for the risk (of sickness, injury or death) they pose to the insurer, and so they can be covered in the most accurate way possible. Someone with a chronic health condition may pose a greater risk than someone without.
Rating
A premium rating (AKA loading/ loaded premium) is when a life insurance premium increases in cost, sometimes quite significantly, to reflect the level of cover the applicant needs to sufficiently protect their health situation and/ or circumstances.
Exclusion
Exclusions are when a policy specifically lists an illness or condition, or even a cause of death, that it does not cover, so is therefore excluded from the policy.
Do insurers want to cover people like me?
In a word, yes. Every year life insurers are challenged by the industry’s governing bodies to increase coverage across the board, especially for individuals and families who have previously been excluded or rejected, or who have otherwise complex needs.
Questions you’ll be asked
To determine whether life insurance is possible, as well as your options and quote, we’ll need to know the nature and severity of your health condition.
When applying you’ll be asked for more information about your health condition, which may include:
- What is your condition?
- How long have you had it?
- How frequently it occurs
- How well managed is it?
- What treatment / medicine do you receive?
- How does it impact your day-to-day?
- How is your general health?
Will my price be higher than average?
This depends on your condition and its severity. If you have asthma but it’s well-managed, and you’re in good shape generally, then it’s possible you’ll be offered cover on normal terms.
With diabetes, there are specialist insurers whose business is insuring those with the condition. It may carry extra cost – it depends how well-managed it is – but cover today is easier, fairer and more comprehensive than ever before.
If you’ve a serious condition, HIV for example, it’s unlikely you’ll land life insurance cover at standard terms but there could be insurers who’ll still offer cover.
Your condition
Once you have completed the application process, the insurer may need to speak to you about your health, could request medical information from your GP or other health practitioners to access all the required medical information.
We may have follow up questions so we can draw an accurate picture of your health, and identify the most relevant providers, policies and options for you.
Diabetes
We’ll ask what kind of diabetes you have (type 1 or type 2), how long you’ve had it and what medication you take. We’ll probably ask for your latest Hba1c (blood sugar) readings as well as your family history too.
Stroke
We will need to know, how many strokes you’ve had, what age was your first, what was the cause, family history and your general health now.
Asthma
How long you’ve had asthma, your last attack, the medication you’re on and your general fitness levels. These questions are vital in understanding the severity of your asthma and if/ how it limits you.
Mental health
A LifeSearch adviser may ask for specifics about your condition, your history, if you’ve had treatment and if you’re on any medication. It’s always worth a call, as some insurers accept life insurance applicants with mental health conditions.
For more information speak with a LifeSearch adviser
There are many ifs, buts and maybes here so the quickest way to understand your life insurance prospects is to call LifeSearch and get into specifics.
From there, an adviser can tell you exactly what’s possible, where, and how much, from the insurers we work with.
Easy guides to help you get started
Life insurance and cancer
Have you or a family member faced cancer? Want to know how to get life insurance? We’ve got you covered!
By Katie Crook-Davies, Protection Writer
5 min read
Life insurance & pre-existing medical conditions
Getting life insurance if you have a health condition isn’t always easy. Here we show how you can...
By Katie Crook-Davies, Protection Writer
4 min read
Life insurance and mental health
Did you know that many people who struggle with their mental health can still get life insurance?
By Katie Crook-Davies, Protection Writer
5 min readReady to take the first steps to get protected?
LifeSearch are recommended by
