Diabetes Week, running from 13^th-19^th June, celebrates each and every person who is juggling the ups and downs of living with diabetes. Having diabetes, whether type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, can be incredibly difficult. From monitoring your blood sugar levels, to figuring out food labels and menus, you deserve to sit down and take a moment to congratulate yourself for managing as well as you do, along with the millions of other people going through the same things. Diabetes affects more than 4.9 million people in the UK, so it is important that people know exactly what it is. Diabetes Awareness Week is an annual campaign in June, celebrating all of the people who have been impacted by diabetes, and all of their supporters. That number is set to increase with there being 13.6 million people at risk of type 2 diabetes and an estimated 850,000 living with type 2 diabetes undiagnosed. The NHS spends around 10% of their budget on diabetes alone, so it’s definitely something worthy of a conversation. The two main types are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes:

Type 1 Diabetes

8% of people with diabetes have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This causes your glucose levels to be too high, as you do not produce enough insulin. This is then controlled by regular blood testing and insulin injections.

Type 2 Diabetes

Similar to type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is caused because there’s too much sugar (glucose) in the blood. Some of the causes of type 2 diabetes are lifestyle based, such as having a high BMI or lack of exercise, or it could be due to a family history of diabetes. There are some common symptoms of these two types of diabetes:

• Feeling extremely thirsty
• Being very tired
• Losing weight without trying too
• Blurred vision
• Needing to wee more often than normal

These are just some of the symptoms, and that doesn’t mean you should panic if you have had any of those. If you are concerned, get in touch with your GP to talk things through.

Diabetes and Life Insurance

The Insurance Surgery is a leading Diabetes Life Insurance expert. We understand that every circumstance for every one of our customers is different, and specialise in all types of life insurance for pre-existing health conditions. We pride ourselves on finding life insurance policies for people who may have struggled in the past to get a policy. We know the best provider to approach if you have a medical condition or a dangerous profession, including finding life insurance for diabetics. 70% of customers who apply for life insurance elsewhere and get declined manage to get accepted through us.

Can diabetics get life insurance?

Yes, most insurers offer life insurance for people with diabetes. At The Insurance Surgery, we know exactly which providers would work best for you and offer you impartial advice and excellent service from initial application right through to taking out your policy.

How does diabetes life insurance work?

Getting life insurance with diabetes is not a difficult task at all. In fact, you can get all the information and even apply for one while sitting at home. While applying for diabetes life insurance coverage, there are many things you need to provide the insurer. When underwriting your Diabetes Life Insurance application, these are the following factors your insurer will consider: The type of diabetes you have:

Life insurance for type 1 diabetics

Type 1 diabetes is more prevalent among children and is a pre-existing medical condition. Getting life insurance with type 1 diabetes can be slightly expensive since there are many health risks associated with it, including cardiovascular risks such as heart attack or a stroke. You will most likely be asked to provide information about your health status, such as your BMI or recent HbA1C readings, among others things.

Life insurance for type 2 diabetics

Because type 2 diabetes is linked with lifestyle, your insurer may also ask you to go for a medical examination, however you will most likely be able to get life insurance without an exam or GP report. There are a few things that will be asked during the application stages:

• If you are taking any medication (i.e., Diet, tablets or Insulin)

The insurer will ask if you are on any medication to properly assess your medical condition.

• Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Your BMI indicates how healthy you are on paper. A ‘normal’ BMI range will convince the insurer that you are healthy and doesn’t pose a risk of claiming against the policy due to a weight-related condition.

• Your HbA1c / Mmol (blood sugar) level

In order to get life insurance for a diabetic person, the HbA1C readings play a major role. Insurers will know the severity of your condition through this test. A reading of 7.5 and below indicates that your condition is under control, and there are high chances of your application getting accepted.

• Your age when you were diagnosed with diabetes

The age of your diagnosis of diabetes can make an impact on diabetes and life insurance. If you are diagnosed at a younger age, then there are more chances of diabetes affecting your health. You have a higher chance of getting life insurance if you get diabetes in the later stages of your life. Getting life insurance for over 50 with diabetes is a simpler process, for example.

• Other diabetes-associated complications

It is important to be honest with us and you insurer and inform if you have any diabetes-related complications.

Small Changes to Help with Your Application

If you have type 2 diabetes, small lifestyle changes can help you to control your condition as well as reduce your monthly life insurance payments. These can include:

• Lose weight/Lower BMI
• Reduce alcohol intake
• Lower your cholesterol and blood pressure levels
• Quit smoking

Applying for a Life Insurance policy

Life insurance is probably something that has been on your to-do list for a while, but things keep getting in the way. People apply for a life insurance policy at all different stages in life – they could be getting older and want to put money aside for funeral costs, or they could have just bought a house or had a baby, and now have someone relying on their salary to pay the bills and put food on the table. It’s important to apply for life insurance as soon as you can, because as a general rule, the younger you are, they better your premiums will be. If you do have diabetes and you’re looking for a life insurance policy, you can start the process by filling in our online quote form, here. We’ll speak to you soon!