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High-Risk Life Insurance

Affordable life insurance for higher-risk

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4.6 out of 5 372 reviews
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Compare life insurance quotes from 12 leading providers1

Find tailored life cover at the right price by comparing deals from leading UK insurers, all in one place.

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1Accurate as of September 2023

Gift Card value varies based on the first monthly premium of policy and will be confirmed on the results page.

What is high risk life insurance?

When insurers determine your life insurance premium, they take into account what level of risk you present. Your personal level of risk can be affected by factors such as your age, current health status, or even your job. Insurance companies will identify this by asking you a series of in-depth lifestyle questions.

High-risk life insurance is a type of insurance policy that will cover a number of potential risk factors that may shorten your life, such as smoking, existing health problems, and dangerous occupations or hobbies. These policies are more expensive than standard ones, but they offer valuable protection and peace of mind for you and your loved ones.



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Can I get life insurance if I'm higher risk?

MoneySuperMarket helps you find good value life insurance policies by comparing quotes from providers across the UK market. Even if you are high-risk, there is a good chance that we can still help you find a good price for a policy. However, in some cases you may need to turn to specialist cover.

If you're over 50 or you have a history of serious health conditions, it may be worthwhile to consider life insurance without a medical check. These types of policies are more expensive than standard, but they don't require you to provide any medical information and almost guarantee cover. They are the preferred option for people that may not qualify for a standard policy.

What conditions are considered high risk?

Being high-risk to insurer doesn't always mean that you have health problems. Sometimes added risk comes from your lifestyle and hobbies. Below is a list of some things that may make you high-risk when applying for life insurance:

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    High BMI/ Obesity

    Being overweight can increase your risk of developing a number of health problems and reduce life expectancy

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    Smoking

    Smoking can have serious effects on your health. Life insurance will always cost more if you are a regular smoker

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    Heavy drinking

    Government guidance says that you shouldn't drink more than 14 units a week. Regularly consuming more than this could have serious health consequences

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    Age

    Health problems become more common as we get older and accidents become more dangerous, so seniors are considered high-risk to insurers

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    Pre-existing conditions

    You will be considered high-risk if you have any pre-existing conditions or if you've been diagnosed in the past for any severe conditions, such as cancer

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    Chronic conditions

    Some life-long or chronic conditions may be considered high-risk if failure to manage them can have dangerous consequences, such as diabetes

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    Dangerous occupations

    Life insurance will be more expensive if you have a dangerous occupation that puts you at risk of injury or illness

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    Extreme sports

    You may need to disclose to your provider if you have any dangerous pastimes, like motorsports, skydiving, or mountaineering

How much is high risk life insurance?

Life insurance policies that cover people who are considered high-risk are more expensive than standard policies, but cost can vary. Here is a lost of some of the details that are considered by insurers when pricing policies:

  • Your age

    You typically pay more for life insurance as you get older, so buying your policy sooner rather than later is one way to save some money

  • Level of cover

    The amount of cover will affect the cost of your policy. If your policy is tied to your mortgage, your mortgage debt will affect your premiums as well

  • Your medical history

    If you or your family have a history of medical problems or have existing health problems, your life insurance will be more expensive

Need to speak to someone about life insurance?

If you’re not sure what life insurance cover you need or have questions that we haven’t answered in our life insurance guides, there is help for you. We have partnered up with LifeSearch to provide our customers with life insurance guidance and advice to help them find the right cover. 

It’s free of charge. You can get in touch by calling 0800 197 3178.

Their opening hours are:  

  • Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm 

  • Saturday: 9am-2pm 

  • Sunday: 10am – 3.30pm

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What else do I need to consider?

If you are considered high risk, shopping for life insurance can be a bit more difficult than standard. With less choice and higher premiums, you need to pay special attention to the details of your policy to get the most out of it. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Not all of your conditions are covered

    If you have a pre-existing condition but don't choose a specialist life insurance provider, your condition may be excluded from your cover. This means that if your death is related to your condition, you loved ones may not be able to claim. Some conditions may not be covered by life insurance at all

  • Limited providers

    High risk life insurance policies are usually offered by specialist providers, so it's unlikely that the choices you get when shopping for your policy are considerably less than they are for standard policies. Because not many providers offer this type of cover, you also will typically have to pay more

  • There are different types of cover

    You need to think carefully about what you want from a life insurance policy before you begin choosing your options. Decreasing term life insurance, for example, is an affordable way to protect a repayment mortgage but won't provide your loved ones with much support. Details like this shouldn't be overlooked

  • Be honest with your insurer

    You must always be honest with your insurance provider if they ask you about your medical history. Hiding your health conditions from your insurer when taking out life insurance puts you at risk of your policy being invalidated and any claims on your policy being rejected

Kara Gammell

Our expert says

"

You will probably still be able to get life insurance, but it may exclude the specific medical condition from your policy. Under those terms, you would then not be covered should that condition be related to your cause of death. Be completely honest in your answers to all the questions on the application, for example your medical history, otherwise the policy could be worthless. You might feel that you are over sharing, but if you hold something back it could really affect whether the insurer pays out in the event of a claim.

"
- Kara Gammell, Life and Health insurance expert

Why compare life insurance with MoneySuperMarket?

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While specialist policies may be more willing to cover certain health conditions and lifestyle choices than a standard life insurance policy, they still have exclusions.

Like most other life insurance policies, high risk life insurance policies will not cover you if your death is related to:

  • Substance abuse;

  • Criminal activity;

  • Or acts of war

Another exclusion that you may find on your life insurance policy is for suicide within the first year of your policy, but this is not always the case. It is important that you read the terms of your cover in your policy documents to find out your provider's specific exclusions.

You can get life insurance policies that cover more than one person at a time – usually couples – but these policies don't usually offer the sae special terms that you get from a high risk life insurance policy. Joint life insurance policies usually offer standard cover, so your conditions or dangerous lifestyle may be excluded or have a significant effects on the cost.

In the event that one partner is a greater risk to insure than the other, it can sometimes be more effective to purchase separate life insurance policies.

Yes, you can get life insurance if you are in the armed forces. Because of your dangerous occupation you would be considered high-risk, so your life insurance will be more expensive. Your provider may also add some exclusions around your occupation. For example, if you add critical illness cover to your policy, your provider may exclude conditions that happened while in active deployments. However, this isn't always the case. That's why it's worth it to shop around and read the fine print of your policy before you buy.

If you're finding that the cost of a life insurance policy is difficult to afford, you may need to think carefully about whether you need it. If you don't have dependents that rely on you to take care of them or a mortgage debt that will be passed onto your loved ones, you might not need to pay out the nose for life insurance.

If you would like to speak to someone about your options, LifeSearch are a free advice service to help you find the right cover for you.

You can get in touch by calling 0800 197 3178.

Their opening hours are:  

  • Monday to Friday: 8am – 8pm 

  • Saturday: 9am-2pm 

  • Sunday: 10am – 3.30pm



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