Pre-Existing Health Conditions

People with pre-existing health conditions such as Raised Blood Pressure, Diabetes or Raised Cholesterol can often find it difficult and expensive to get life insurance, critical illness and income protection.

Also, people are of the mis-conception that if they have a had a ‘serious’ health condition in the past, such as Cancer, Heart Attack or Stroke then they will not be able get life insurance, but this is not always the case.

​

We have come across several people over the years who have been incorrectly advised by an insurance adviser and have been told that “due to your health condition you are unable to get a life insurance policy”, but they are never told a specific reason or given exact details as to why.  And more importantly the adviser will not try with every insurer, they usually try with one insurer and then give that decision to the customer.  All insurers have different medical underwriting rules and guidelines and even though one insurer might decline you or apply a price increase another insurer could easily give a more favourable decision.

If you have a pre-existing health condition, finding affordable cover can feel like an uphill battle, but it's far from impossible. The key is knowing where to look and what to ask for.

​

First, it's worth understanding how insurers treat pre-existing conditions. Most standard health insurance and income protection policies will either exclude a pre-existing condition from your cover, charge a higher premium to include it, or in some cases decline to offer cover altogether. But that doesn't mean you're out of options.

​

At The Insurance Helpline, we specialise in helping people in exactly this situation find cover that works for them.

Several UK insurance providers offer policies that can cover or accommodate pre-existing health conditions, though the terms and availability will depend on the condition itself, how long ago you were diagnosed, and whether it's currently being treated.

​

The important thing to understand is that every insurer underwrites differently. One provider might decline you while another offers full cover for the same condition. This is exactly why going direct to a single insurer can work against you.

​

We compare policies from across the whole market, so we can quickly identify which providers are most likely to offer you cover on fair terms. Rather than spending hours filling in applications and hoping for the best, you speak to one of our advisers, tell us your situation once, and we do the searching for you.