The ultimate guide to life insurance for people with diabetes

Taking out life insurance can offer peace of mind that your family will be financially secure – whatever may happen in the future. It’s important to make sure you have the right cover, for example, if you have a pre-existing medical condition such as diabetes you will need to let your insurance provider know. For any questions you have, including what cover you may need, what tends to be included (or not) and more, we’ve put together an ultimate guide to make sure you understand how to choose the right policy for you.

Mubina Pirmohamed

Insurance expert

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Posted 31 OCTOBER 2022

Can I get life insurance if I have diabetes?

Yes, someone with diabetes will be able to take out life insurance cover to help protect your family. That’s true whether you develop the condition early or late in life, regardless of whether you have type 1, type 2, or any other form of diabetes.

While you won’t be able to find specialist diabetes insurance, there are a number of different policy types which someone with this kind of condition may get. Some of the cover options available to you are:

The type of insurance which works best for you will depend on the exact nature of your condition but ultimately, there’ll always be an option available to you.

Can I get life insurance with type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes accounts for just 8% of all UK cases of the condition. People with this type of diabetes are unable to produce insulin in their body, as a result of their immune system attacking and breaking down the cells which produce it.

This kind of diabetes is a naturally occurring medical condition, which means there’s no way of preventing it – only managing the symptoms. Because of the nature of type 1 diabetes, premiums tend to be higher for those looking to get life insurance.

When assessing whether someone with type 1 diabetes is eligible for insurance, underwriters will assess a variety of factors:

Your age at the time of diagnosis
Any complications you experience because of your condition
How you manage and control your diabetes
Your medication levels
Your haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and readings

Speaking with your doctor about your options is a good place to start, as they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.

Can I get life insurance with type 2 diabetes?

It’s possible to get cover for type 2 diabetes, but again your premiums will probably be higher than the average rate. This form of diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not react to it. Causes of type 2 diabetes include being overweight, not engaging in much physical activity, or being passed down hereditarily.

When applying for type 2 diabetes, an insurer will often:

Ask you to undergo a medical exam
Ask for information about your BMI
Ask for blood glucose readings
Ask what measure you’re taking to control your diabetes
Ask for cholesterol levels

If you tell your insurer that you’ve stopped smoking and drinking, are on a special diet tailored to your condition, and have begun exercising regularly, your premiums might be lowered (if you can provide evidence).

Because type 2 diabetes often occurs later in life, if you have a pre-existing policy in place prior to your diagnosis, it should still apply.

How to find more affordable life insurance with diabetes

While premiums for someone with diabetes are likely to be higher than a person applying without a medical condition, there are steps you can take to lower the costs. Here are some of the most impactful:

Stop smoking. Smokers will always pay higher premiums on their insurance – but this can have a particularly big impact if the applicant already has diabetes.
Provide medical evidence and reports. Having a detailed list of medical reports and documents will give an insurer the evidence they need to make a well-rounded, accurate, and fair assessment. That means things like recent blood sugar levels, a current medical evaluation of your condition from your GP, a list of the ways you control your diabetes, and any other previous medical records which are relevant.
Compare options. Don’t just settle for the first policy you find which covers diabetes. Be sure to compare your options in order to find a premium which works for you.
Talk to a professional. You might be able to find specialist experts who focus on providing life insurance advice for people with diabetes. Talk to your doctor for more information.

There’ll also be factors outside of your control which will affect the price of your policy. These include things like your age and other pre-existing medical conditions if you have them.

The different types of life insurance policies for people with diabetes

With so many factors to consider, it might be hard to know which type of life insurance policy is best for you. The exact type which works best for you will depend on the severity of your condition and symptoms.

Here are three of the most common types of insurance plans, with information on how the condition can impact your cover:

Term life insurance. This type of insurance provides cover during a certain period. This type of insurance is quite common, and has the versatile option of paying out a fixed sum (level term) or decreasing amount over time (decreasing term). Those with diabetes should expect premiums to be higher than average, as a result of their condition.

Over 50s life insurance. If you’re aged 50-85, an over 50s plan could be a good option. These plans offer guaranteed cover for those in this age bracket, regardless of medical conditions (which you won’t need to disclose). Just be aware there is usually a waiting period for making a claim on this policy, which might see you needing to be covered for 12-24 months before a claim can be made.
Whole of life insurance. This kind of policy sees someone paying premiums for the entirety of their life for the cover to remain in place. If you do choose this kind of insurance, it’s important to know that premiums could be inflated over time, making it harder to manage and less financially logical.

How do I disclose my diabetes when I apply?

It’s important to be as upfront and honest about your condition as you can be when applying for life insurance with diabetes. This avoids a claim being rejected later down the line because you withheld information (even if it was by mistake).

Here are some of the most important things you’ll need to disclose with an insurer when applying:

When you were diagnosed
The date of your last diabetic review
Whether or not you need insulin injections or a pump
Any hospital admissions caused as a result of your diagnosis
Any diabetic clinic appointments
Any other complications which have surfaced as a result of your diabetes diagnosis

You will also be asked for current Hba1c blood glucose levels. These will be used to work out how well you’re managing your condition. This table gives a rough idea of how an insurer will view different level types:

Levels	mmol/mol	Percentage
Low (well controlled)	Below 53	Below 7%
Moderate (Normal)	54-74	7-8.9%
High	75-85	9-9.9%
Very High	86 and above	Above 10%

Source: Diabetes UK

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