Life insurance with pre-existing medical conditions

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Can I get life insurance with a pre-existing medical condition?

You may be able to get life insurance with an existing medical condition, but it could cost more and you may have fewer options to choose from. 

Each insurer will assess your health and circumstances before deciding whether it wants to cover you and on what terms.

  • Some pre-existing conditions might not make that much difference to how much you’ll pay for life insurance 

  • On the other hand, more serious conditions such as heart disease or cancer could make it a lot harder to get a competitive price.

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What is a pre-existing medical condition?

A pre-existing medical condition: 

  • Is an illness, injury or disease that you’ve been diagnosed with in the past or are currently experiencing when you take out life insurance  

  • Can also be a previous condition where you’ve had symptoms, treatment or investigations, even if you haven’t received a diagnosis.

When you apply for life insurance, you’ll need to let your provider know if you have a pre-existing medical condition. That’s so they can weigh up the risk of you claiming. This helps them decide:

  • Whether it affects the cover you’ll be offered 

  • If they want to offer you a policy at all 

  • How much they’ll charge you if they do offer you a policy.

Even if you have a medical condition, you can still get a life insurance policy that supports you and your family’s needs. You’ll be asked questions about you, your medical history and your lifestyle.

Your answers will help the insurer determine whether you need a medical exam to be able to take out a policy.

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Bear in mind...

It’s important that you’re as accurate and truthful as possible when answering questions about your pre-existing conditions.

Giving incomplete or incorrect information, even unintentionally, means a provider could refuse or reduce a payout, or cancel your policy.

You don’t want to leave your loved ones without any financial protection. 

What conditions could I get life insurance with?

If you’re thinking of taking out life insurance with health issues, it’s vital to do your research. Not all insurance providers take the same view of pre-existing medical conditions, so it’s worth shopping around.

For example, Sarah is 45 and has controlled high blood pressure. She takes prescribed medication and attends regular check-ups.

When applying for life insurance, she’s likely to be asked about her:

- Condition

- Treatment

- Overall health.

Having a pre-existing medical condition doesn't automatically mean Sarah will be declined life insurance, but it could affect the cover she's offered and how much she pays.

These are just some of the illnesses that some insurance providers may consider pre-existing – but it’s not an exhaustive list:

Asthma and breathing problems

Heart disease, including heart attacks and angina

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Cancer

Strokes, including mini-strokes and brain haemorrhage

Anxiety

Depression

Diabetes

Obesity

Epilepsy

Cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions

Kidney diseases

How much does life insurance cost?

Our data shows life insurance can cost nearly three times more in your 40s than your early 20s.

Customers using Compare the Market are typically quoted around2:

£23
a month for 16-24 year olds
£63
a month for people aged 45-54

Factors that affect your life insurance premium

Age is one of the biggest factors insurance providers use when calculating your quote. But it’s not the only one.

Your lifestyle

Smoking can also make a noticeable difference to the cost of cover.

The typical premium for non-smokers is £44 per month, compared with £55 per month for smokers. That's £11 more per month, or £132 more per year2.

If you stop smoking, some providers may reassess your risk after a qualifying period.

The type of policy you choose

This can affect both the payout and the premium. Here’s how level term and decreasing term cover compare.

Type of cover

How the payout changes

Typical monthly premium2

Who it may suit

Level term

Stays fixed throughout the policy

£51

People who want the same amount of cover for the full policy term

Decreasing term

Reduces over time

£37

People covering a repayment mortgage or another debt that reduces over time

Decreasing term cover is typically £14 a cheaper because the potential payout falls over time2.

Other factors that affect your premium

Insurance providers will also consider:

  • Your health and medical history, including any pre-existing conditions

  • The amount of cover you choose

  • The length of time you want the policy to last.

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What questions will insurance providers ask?

When you apply for life insurance, you’ll be asked a series of questions about your general health and lifestyle. If you tell the provider you have a pre-existing medical condition, you’ll usually be asked more detailed questions, such as:

  • How long have you had the condition?

  • What treatment have you received?

  • Are you taking any medication?

  • Have you been admitted to hospital recently or had any specialist referrals?

  • Are you awaiting any tests or test results?

  • How regular and severe are the symptoms?

  • How does the condition affect your daily life?

  • Is there a family history of the condition?

The provider may also want to see your medical records, speak to your GP or ask you to undergo a medical assessment and/or a medical examination.

You might feel uneasy about insurance providers accessing your medical records, but they can’t do this without your consent. If you refuse, however, you might not be able to get cover.

Providers can ask whether a condition runs in your family. But under the Code on Genetic Testing, insurance providers:

- Can’t require or pressure you to take a predictive or diagnostic genetic test 

- Shouldn’t ask for or use the results of any predictive genetic test when assessing a life insurance application. 

The exception is if you apply for more than £500,000 of life cover and have had a predictive genetic test for Huntington’s disease. Results obtained only through scientific research don’t need to be disclosed.

What type of life insurance policy could I be offered with an existing condition?

You may still be able to get life insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition. When you apply, the insurer will look at your health, medical history and personal circumstances before deciding whether it can offer you cover. 

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Can I get life insurance without a medical check?

It is possible to get life insurance with no medical. But for most types of life insurance policy, providers decide whether you need to have a medical exam based on the level of cover you want, as well as the answers to the questions you were asked as part of your application.

If a provider does ask you to go for a medical exam, a doctor or nurse may talk to you about your health and medical history and carry out checks such as:

  • Measurements of weight and height to determine your body mass index (BMI)

  • Measurement of your waist

  • A blood pressure measurement and pulse checks

  • A blood test to assess your cholesterol and possibly blood sugar levels

  • A urine sample to look at protein and glucose levels.

Did you know?

If you’re over 50 years old, you might want to consider over 50s life cover. This usually offers guaranteed acceptance without the need for a medical check. And that’s regardless of your lifestyle or any pre-existing conditions you may have. 

But there are conditions attached:

- There’s usually a qualification or waiting period of typically 12-24 months. If you die within this timeframe, your family may only get back the premiums you’ve paid in, rather than a full payout.

- There’s also a chance that you could pay in more than the policy pays out, if you live long enough.  

Make sure you consider the details of the policy carefully if you decide to go for this type of cover.

Tim Knighton

What our expert says...

“If you fail to declare all medical information when you apply for life insurance, you could find yourself living under a false sense of security, meaning your family will be unprotected – and out of pocket – if you die.

“While it might be tempting to not declare a medical condition in a bid to cut costs, this can prove a false economy, as those who gloss over medical conditions to reduce life insurance premiums risk not being covered.”

Tim Knighton, Life, health and income protection insurance expert

What do I need to get a quote?

To get a quote for life insurance with pre-existing conditions, you’ll need to tell us:

Start a quote

Your personal details

Your name and date of birth

Your smoking status

Whether you’re a smoker or use nicotine substitutes

The type of cover

The type and length of cover you need

The amount of cover

How much life insurance cover you want

Joint policyholder details

Any joint policyholder details, if applicable

Start a quote

You can request a callback from an expert adviser at our partners LifeSearch if you have any questions about the cover you need.

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FAQs

Can I still get cover if I’ve had a heart attack?

If you’ve had a heart attack or you have a heart condition, you could still get life insurance cover. But it might not be as easy to find a policy, and it may be more expensive. That’s because, in the eyes of an insurance provider, you’re a higher risk compared with someone who’s never had a heart attack.

A provider may ask you for more details, such as:

  • How severe the heart attack was

  • When the heart attack happened  

  • Whether you had surgery, and if there are any long-term implications or recurrent problems

  • What type of medication you’re on, if any.

You’ll also be asked questions about your health and lifestyle, such as whether you smoke, your drinking habits and how much you weigh.

Can I get life insurance if I have diabetes?

It’s still possible to get life insurance for a chronic illness like diabetes, although your premiums could be higher. The type you suffer from makes a difference.

Type 1 diabetes can have serious health consequences so an insurance provider may need more information before they agree to cover you. They’ll want to know how you manage your condition, what medication you’re taking and any complications you’ve experienced.

Getting cover with type 2 diabetes can be more straightforward, if your condition is well managed and your lifestyle shows that you are taking steps to control your condition. But if you are experiencing complications or suffer from other conditions, it can be harder to find cover.

Can you get life insurance after a cancer diagnosis?

Yes, you could still get life insurance after being diagnosed with cancer, but it does make it more difficult and can’t be guaranteed.

It’s likely to be more expensive and you may find that certain conditions aren’t included in your policy. Each case is unique, though, so the best way to find out is by searching for a quote.

If you’ve been successfully treated for cancer in the past, insurance providers may want to know:

  • What kind of cancer you had

  • What stage it reached

  • How it was treated.

If you’ve been in remission for a while, an insurance provider should take this into account when pricing your policy. But you may still be charged more if you’re considered a higher risk.

Can I get life insurance if I’ve had a stroke?

Yes, you can still get life insurance if you’ve had a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA or mini-stroke).

However, the type of policy you can get may depend on how severe the stroke was, when it happened and how quickly you received treatment.

If your stroke was very recent, some providers may not consider you eligible for life insurance cover until a certain amount of time has passed with no further complications.

An insurance provider may also insist on adding a stroke exclusion into your policy. This means that if you died because of a stroke (or anything relating to a stroke), they wouldn’t pay out.

Can I get life insurance if I have a mental health condition?

Yes, you may still be able to get life insurance if you have a mental health condition. When you apply, insurers will usually ask about your medical history, including any mental health conditions and any treatment or medication you've received.

Each application for life insurance is assessed individually, so the cover available to you and the price you pay can vary, depending on your circumstances.

Can my life insurance policy be cancelled if I get sick?

Developing a medical condition after your life insurance policy is in place shouldn’t make your cover invalid.

As long as you gave honest and accurate information in your original application, your life insurance cover should stay in place throughout the length of your policy. To keep your policy valid, you just need to keep up with your premium payments.

How can I get cheaper life insurance with a pre-existing condition?

As with all insurance, comparing policies can also help you find a good-priced deal. But there may be extra steps you can take, too.

If you had a heart attack or stroke several years ago and you’ve taken good care of yourself since then – for example by exercising regularly or stopping drinking – you might be able to reduce the cost of your life insurance.

Stopping smoking could also make a real difference. Smokers pay around £11 more per month for life insurance than non-smokers2.

The typical premium for a non-smoker is around £44 per month, compared with £55 for a smoker. That’s £132 more per year2.

If you've reduced or stopped smoking, insurers may take this into account when calculating your premium. Over time, this could help lower the cost of cover.

Can I get critical illness cover if I have an existing medical condition?

Possibly, but you may find it more difficult to get critical illness insurance if you have a pre-existing condition. This is because there could be a higher risk of you becoming critically ill because of your condition.

In some cases, you may be able to get critical illness cover with an added exclusion. In other words, you might only get a payout if you get an illness listed on your policy that has nothing to do with your pre-existing condition.

Again, it can depend on the type of condition you have and your medical history.

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Tim Knighton
Reviewed 09 Oct 2026 byTim KnightonLife, health and income protection insurance expert

Tim Knighton is an expert in building and managing relationships with big brands for the benefit of customers, with more than 20 years of experience. He seeks out the right products that look after you and those you love most during the toughest times.

Methodology

1 Correct as of September 2026.

2 Based on 51% of customers who compared quotes for this type of policy in June 2026.