Level-term
Pays out if you pass away during the term of cover. With level term, the sum assured and monthly payments won’t change, so your dependents know exactly what money they’ll receive
Compare life insurance with pre-existing medical conditions
Specialist life insurance for pre-existing medical conditions
Compare quotes from leading insurers
Protection for your loved ones
We’re dedicated to helping you get the right policy, to give you and your family the peace of mind you deserve. That’s why we work with 11 leading life insurance companies, including:
A pre-existing medical condition is an injury, illness or disease that exists when you take out your life insurance policy. You may also have already received medical treatment (like surgery, appointments or tests) for the condition.
When you buy life insurance, it's important to let your insurer know if you have a pre-existing condition. If you don't disclose it, your loved ones may not be able to claim on your policy - adding further stress to an already difficult time.
There are different types of life insurance available for people with pre-existing medical conditions depending on your needs, including:
Pays out if you pass away during the term of cover. With level term, the sum assured and monthly payments won’t change, so your dependents know exactly what money they’ll receive
Decreases its cover amount over time, usually in line with your mortgage repayments. While decreasing term is usually the cheaper option, you’ll need to decide if the pay-out will be enough for your dependents
Every life insurance provider has a list of pre-existing conditions that may affect your life insurance. Some of the most common conditions include:
Cancer
Heart disease (including previous heart attacks) and high blood pressure
Osteoarthritis
Epilepsy
Obesity
Asthma
Depending on your pre-existing medical condition, insurers may want to know if you've had a health issue in the past - whether that's the last few months, years, or at any point in your life.
Insurers take a number of factors into account when calculating your life insurance premiums, including:
It's not surprising that age is a main factor that affects your life insurance premium. As you get older, you become more at risk of developing a health condition
How much you want to leave behind as a lump sum pay out will impact the price you pay. The bigger the lump sum, the higher your premiums will be
Some providers will be more expensive than others, as their policies may come with extra features and benefits
Whether you are a smoker, or have used tobacco related products in the past 12 months, will affect your premium as you'll be seen as higher risk
If you live with a pre-existing medical condition, it's still possible for you to get quality life insurance. The type of life insurance policy you'll be offered if you live with a medical condition will depend on your personal circumstances.
This is because the range of life insurance options available when you have a medical condition will depend on how serious your condition is. Some pre-existing conditions will hardly have any affect when it comes to getting cover, but if you have a serious condition, like heart disease, cancer, or a history of strokes, this is likely to raise your premium.
The cost of your life insurance, and the range of options available, will depend on how serious your condition is. In some cases, you may want to get life insurance with an exclusion, which means your policy will only pay out if you pass away because of something other than this condition.
While it's likely your cover will be more expensive with a medical condition, it's important that you disclose this so you aren't left uncovered when you need it most.
With MoneySuperMarket, you can compare life insurance with pre-existing medical conditions in a few easy steps. You'll need to give us some information, so it's a good idea to have the following to hand before you get started:
If you live with a pre-existing medical condition, it's important you tell us about it. We'll also need details about your medical history
Whether you smoke or drink, habits from your lifestyle will play a part in the cost of your life insurance
The younger you are when you take out your life insurance, the cheaper it usually is. The type of work you do can also affect your premium
Looking for joint life insurance cover? You'll need to have information to hand about your partner's health, lifestyle and work
"Life insurance for pre-existing medical conditions can help give your loved ones financial peace of mind against the unexpected. Letting your insurer know about your pre-existing medical condition is really important - if you don't, your policy could be made invalid and you won't be covered when your loved ones need support the most.
"
- Neal Cross, Senior commercial manager for life insurance
We’ve partnered with LifeSearch to give people even more guidance when buying life insurance. If you’d like some help deciding what kind of cover you need, talk to LifeSearch free of charge. Give them a call on 0800 197 3178.
Opening hours are:
Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm
Saturday 9am to 2pm
Sunday 10am to 3:30pm
You can reduce your life insurance with pre-existing conditions premium by addressing the factors that may make you high-risk, including:
Giving up smoking can bring down the cost of your life insurance, as smoking can result in health risks
If you change your lifestyle to improve your health, you may bring down the cost of your life insurance
You can compare quotes for many common medical conditions online, to find the best price and insurer for you
It's still possible to get life insurance after a cancer diagnosis, but you may find your premium are more expensive, and you have fewer cover options to choose from.
If you've been successfully treated for cancer in the past, insurers may want to know what kind of cancer you had, what stage it reached, whether it was metastasised and how it was treated. You may also be asked if any of you have a family history of cancer.
If you're in remission, life insurance providers are likely to ask how long it's been since you last had symptoms. You're often likely to get a better deal on life insurance the longer your cancer has been in remission.
If you've had a heart attack, you should still be able to get life insurance cover - but again you may find fewer options available to you and insurers are likely to charge higher premiums. This is because insurers see those who have had a heart attack as higher risk.
When the heart attack occurred
How severe it was
If you required any surgery
If you’ve had a stent fitted
If you’ve been prescribed any medications
If you’ve had any symptoms since your heart attack
If you've had a heart attack in the past, you can improve your chances of getting a good deal on life insurance by showing evidence of a healthy lifestyle. So, if you smoke, you may be able to expand your options by giving up. Similarly, you can reassure insurers by cutting down on alcohol or losing weight.
If you've had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) (also known as a 'mini-stroke') you should still be able to get life insurance. The deals you can get will depend on the severity of your stroke and how long ago it happened.
If your stroke was very recent, it's possible that your insurer will offer restricted terms for your cover. Your policy might not pay out if you pass away in the first few years after you take out insurance. Insurers might also add a stroke exclusion, which means that your insurance only pays out if you pass away for reasons other than your stroke.
In most cases, you should be able to get a life insurance policy with diabetes. But like all pre-existing medical conditions, it's possible that your diabetes may affect your life insurance premium.
Life insurance for diabetes is more expensive because insurers see diabetes as an added health risk, which increases the chances of a claim being made on your policy. But don't worry - the cost of your life insurance will depend on the exact details of your condition and how it affects you.
If you're able to show that your condition is under control, and you don't have any other pre existing health conditions, it's likely that you'll be able to get a better deal on your life insurance cover.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition, it's important that you mention this when getting your quote. You may be asked questions about the condition, when it was diagnosed, what type of treatment you are on and if you're fully recovered (or if it is an ongoing condition.)
For some conditions, the insurer will need further medical evidence. This will usually be in writing for your doctor to confirm specific medical information, or you may be asked to have a medical screening.
Family medical history can affect life insurance, but you should still be able to get a level of cover. Your life insurer will either charge you more for your premium, or may exclude that particular condition entirely from your policy.
You might find it more difficult to find critical illness insurance if you have a pre-existing condition, but it this will depend on your condition and your medical history.
Critical illness insurance is a form of cover that pays out a lump sum if you become critically ill. Unlike standard life insurance, critical illness insurance pays out to you rather than your loved ones or beneficiaries. These policies help you manage your costs while you're critically ill.
Because people with some pre-existing conditions are more likely to suffer a critical illness, insurers may be wary of offering you cover. It's possible that they'll insist on adding an exclusion to your insurance - this means that your policy will only pay out if you go through a critical illness that isn't related to your pre-existing condition.
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