Cancer Life Insurance
Who We Work With
Our team of friendly life insurance experts will help you find the perfect policy for your individual circumstances, to protect your family and save you money. Our insurance partners include all the biggest brands and best insurers.
Life Insurance With Cancer
1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives.
It’s a pretty shocking statistic and one that many people don’t like to think about. Getting diagnosed with cancer is one of the most heart-breaking scenarios that thousands of families up and down the country face on a daily basis. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer in the past then it is good to know that, yes, you will be able to get life insurance after cancer.
Most of the people that we speak to who have had cancer often ask ‘is life insurance still available after cancer?’
Here are some of the main areas where we can help with life insurance for cancer patients:
- Recent diagnosis and what options are available
- Previous diagnosis (over 2 years) and finding a provider that covers you for a fair price
- Those with a family history of cancer
- If you have discovered cancerous cells and non-cancerous cells
- Cover to help against the risk of cancer
Does Life Insurance Cover Cancer?
YES – life insurance does cover cancer so that you and your family are protected in the future if you were diagnosed with it in the future.
Unsurprisingly due to the statistics, cancer is one of the most common reasons for claims on life insurance. If you already have an existing policy in place, it is worth checking that you are covered. You can contact your insurer or we’re happy to help if you don’t know where to go.
When applying for a life insurance policy, you must disclose any pre-existing medical conditions that you may have. Failing to tell your insurer about your personal circumstances can result in any claims being declined.
If you have been declined life insurance elsewhere, you will already know that there are some policies that might not cover pre-existing medical conditions. We specialise in finding you a policy that does cover all of your pre-existing conditions, however sometimes there may be exclusions. We will always give you the information you need about this.
Can I Get Life Insurance After Cancer?
For most people, it should usually be possible to get life insurance after a cancer diagnosis AFTER a period of time.
Some of the main things you might be asked include:
- When were you diagnosed with cancer?
- What type of treatment did you have?
- When did you last receive Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy?
- What was the Grade and Stage of cancer?
If you do not have all of the information, do not worry. Some people don’t always know the grade or stage of the cancer, or remember when they had their last treatment. You doctor can always be asked for this information, especially if you were diagnosed and given the all clear several years ago.
How Life Insurance for Cancer Patients & Survivors Works
- Type of Cancer
- Area / Organs Affected
- Grade and Stage
- Treatment received (i.e. Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy etc.)
- Date you were diagnosed with cancer
- Date of the last treatment for cancer
- Time in remission
- Medical History
Life Insurance for People after Cancer
Can you get life insurance if you have been cured of cancer?
Life insurance premiums can vary dramatically from one insurance provider to another. Premiums depend on how good they are with the type of Cancer you have or have had.
Most insurers view Cancer life insurance underwriting similarly in terms of when primary treatment ended (usually it must be 2 years). Life insurance underwriters will usually require some key information about your Cancer, such as:
- Grade
- Stage
- Type of Cancer
- Location of Cancer
- Treatment (e.g. Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Mastectomy or Lumpectomy)
- Time from end of treatment
- Any current reviews/treatment
There are currently reported to be more than 200 different types of Cancer. This means it is very difficult to provide accurate estimates for life insurance without knowing more details. We can help you find breast cancer life insurance, thyroid cancer life insurance, testicular cancer life insurance and many other forms of life insurance for cancer survivors.
Cancer is the most common medical condition in the UK and the most common cause of death. It’s a major issue for insurance underwriters, especially with more people being cured and longer life expectancies.
Cancer insurance premiums also depend on whether any lymph nodes have been affected and how aggressive the Cancer is. This can potentially cause significant increases to premiums.
Applications for Cancer life insurance will usually have some sort of premium increase for several years after primary treatment has ended. This is the period when the risk is higher, which is why you may pay a higher premium. It’s called ‘per mille’ loading and is directly linked to the level of Cancer life insurance cover being applied for.
Cancer life insurance cover may also be deferred or postponed for a number of years after treatment has ended. This is to ensure that there’s no recurrence which is common with certain types of Cancer.
You may have previously had a Cancer life insurance application declined or postponed or already have cover in place. If so, it’s worth reviewing your cover based on your current circumstances. However, it is unlikely that we can get you a better premium or extra cover to what you had prior to your cancer treatment.
In some more severe or serious cases there are alternative options that we can recommend. However, we will always give impartial advice and would never recommend taking out a policy with exclusions if you have terminal cancer. We want you to have the best chance possible of getting an insurance payout for your family. Contact one of our life insurance advisers to find out more.
Most life insurance policies do include terminal illness cover, however you cannot take out a plan whilst you have cancer and then claim under the terminal illness section. This will only pay out if you already have cover in place. In that case, the insurer will pay out the full amount of the cover straight away if you are expected to live for less than 12 months.
Anyone who has suffered from Cancer will know the importance of having the right level of life insurance cover in place. You can speak to the experts at The Insurance Surgery to see what we can do to protect you and your family.
Life Insurance For Cancer In Remission
The technical meaning of the term ‘remission’ is ‘a reduction or complete disappearance of the symptoms of cancer’. Cancer remission has two types which are:
Partial remission: this is where some symptoms of cancer have gone, but not all of it just yet. This includes if a tumour has grown smaller.
Complete remission: this means that tests, examinations, and scans are showing that the cancer may have gone. However, cancer could still be in the body until you get the all clear, even if the signs and symptoms have gone.
In these cases you may still be able to get life cover in remission, however, it will depend on treatment. If you’re still receiving treatment or under investigation then you might still be limited.
Can A Cancer Survivor Get Life Insurance?
Yes, you should be able to get life insurance after cancer, it’s possible to get life insurance after surviving certain cancers. However, you must be honest about the cancer you have had in the past and about any other pre-existing medical conditions you have. Once you have been in complete remission or cancer-free for at least 2 years then you should be able to look for cover, however for early stage cancers of certain types, we can find you cover sooner.
For example, we recently managed to get a client life cover who had a stage 1a melanoma 6 months ago on risk at standard rates. This can also be the case for cancers such as thyroid, testicular and cervical.
You can also get standard rates over 2/3 years for early-stage cancers of pretty much any time. If you have recovered from a more advanced stage of cancer, usually stage 2 or above, you may have to wait 5 years however every case is different so we can look into it for you.
Types Of Cancer
Yes, you should be able to get life insurance after cancer, it’s possible to get life insurance after surviving certain cancers. However, you must be honest about the cancer you have had in the past and about any other pre-existing medical conditions you have. Once you have been in complete remission or cancer-free for at least 2 years then you should be able to look for cover, however for early stage cancers of certain types, we can find you cover sooner.
For example, we recently managed to get a client life cover who had a stage 1a melanoma 6 months ago on risk at standard rates. This can also be the case for cancers such as thyroid, testicular and cervical.
You can also get standard rates over 2/3 years for early-stage cancers of pretty much any time. If you have recovered from a more advanced stage of cancer, usually stage 2 or above, you may have to wait 5 years however every case is different so we can look into it for you.
Types of cancer
There are many different types of cancer that can develop in different places in the body. Here is a full list of different cancer from Cancer Research UK.
A
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
Adrenal gland tumours
Anal cancer
B
Bile duct cancer
Bladder cancer
Blood cancers
Bone cancer
Bowel cancer
Brain tumours
Breast cancer
C
Cancer of unknown primary (CUP)
Cancer spread to bone
Cancer spread to brain
Cancer spread to liver
Cancer spread to lung
Carcinoid
Cervical cancer
Children’s cancers
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)
Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)
Colorectal cancer
E
Ear cancer
Endometrial cancer
Eye cancer
F
Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma
G
Gallbladder cancer
Gastric cancer
Gastro oesophageal junction cancers
Germ cell tumours
Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD)
H
Hairy cell leukaemia
Head and neck cancer
Hodgkin lymphoma
K
Kaposi’s sarcoma
Kidney cancer
L
Large bowel and rectal neuroendocrine tumours
Laryngeal cancer
Leukaemia
Linitis plastica of the stomach
Liver cancer
Lung cancer
Lung neuroendocrine tumours (NETs)
Lymphoma
M
Malignant schwannoma
Mediastinal germ cell tumours
Melanoma skin cancer
Men’s cancer
Merkel cell skin cancer
Mesothelioma
Molar pregnancy
Mouth and oropharyngeal cancer
Myeloma
N
Nasal and paranasal sinus cancer
Nasopharyngeal cancer
Neuroblastoma
Neuroendocrine tumours
Neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children
O
Oesophageal cancer
Other conditions
Ovarian cancer
P
Pancreatic cancer
Penile cancer
Persistent trophoblastic disease and choriocarcinoma
Phaeochromocytoma
Prostate cancer
Pseudomyxoma peritonei
R
Rare cancers
Rectal cancer
Retinoblastoma
S
Salivary gland cancer
Secondary cancer
Signet cell cancer
Skin cancer
Small bowel cancer
Small bowel neuroendocrine tumours (NETs)
Soft tissue sarcoma
Stomach cancer
Stomach neuroendocrine tumours (NETs)
T
Testicular cancer
Thymus gland tumours
Thyroid cancer
Tongue cancer
Tonsil cancer
Tumours of the adrenal gland
U
Unknown primary cancer
Uterine cancer
V
Vaginal cancer
Vulval cancer
W
Wilms tumour
Womb cancer
Women’s cancers (gynaecological cancer)
Cancer can affect people of all age, gender or race.
Cancer Critical Illness Cover
Does critical illness cover cancer?
Cancer is the single biggest reason for claims on critical illness cover in the UK.
There are cases where Critical Illness cover can be accepted with a history of Cancer. It depends on how long it’s been since you had any treatment and how aggressive or severe the Cancer was.
If Cancer Critical Illness cover is accepted it will generally be offered with a Cancer exclusion and premium loading. This is dependent on the risk involved. Our expert advisers have many years of insurance underwriting experience.
We will identify which providers would offer Cancer Critical Illness cover and on what basis (e.g. exclusions, premium loadings, postpone periods etc.).
For some Cancer Critical Illness cover applications there may be a period where cover is postponed or even potentially declined. This usually occurs when the Cancer has been more aggressive or treatment has been fairly recent.
Have you previously applied for Cancer Critical Illness cover and been accepted on special terms or been declined / postponed? If so it’s worth reviewing this based on your current circumstances if there has since been a period of stability.
Can I Get Income Protection If I Had Cancer?
Income protection can be secured in certain circumstances depending on type and severity of the Cancer. Almost all applications for Cancer income protection will require some additional underwriting and evidence from your GP to support your application.
There will usually be Cancer exclusions if income protection cover is accepted. There may also be a longer period required from when treatment ended.
It’s worth reviewing your cover if a previous application for Cancer income protection was declined or accepted with special terms. This is especially true if there have been no further issues or complications for a period of time.
Case Studies
Frequently Asked Questions
We answer your most frequently asked questions.
Usually, there is a period of 1 year after primary treatment (i.e. Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy etc.) that is required before most insurance providers will consider offering cover. This depends on the severity and grade.
There are some exceptions that allow us to look at cover sooner for certain types of cancers and for certain treatment. It is worth submitting an enquiry to The Insurance Surgery even if you are not sure. We will be able to assess your condition and application and advise you of your options.
It depends on the severity of your cancer and your medical circumstances. Every case is different so it’s better to speak to an advisor, who will be able to give you expert advice.
Occasionally, we are asked if someone can get life insurance with low-risk cancer. We can insure current cancers of a very specific type.
Insurance companies take certain factors into account if you’ve had cancer, including the type and the stage.
When a policy is issued, the first premiums will usually be high because that’s when the insurance company has the greatest risk. For most cancers, as time goes by the risk of the cancer coming back gets lower.
The most important factors are the severity of cancer (i.e. Grade and Stage) and the time since the end of primary treatment to determine the level of risk for underwriters.
People often ask us why are life insurance premiums high for cancer patients? Cancer Life Insurance premiums have dropped in recent years due to medical advances and increases in survival rates.
It’s important to know which insurance underwriters will offer the best terms and premiums for you and your condition. This is where The Insurance Surgery’s expertise and experience counts.
A large number of our clients have previously been declined by other insurance companies. This is generally due to their lack of experience with pre-existing medical conditions or brokers not having access to the right providers for specific needs.
The Insurance Surgery works harder than anyone else to find you the cover you deserve. We offer a completely free service to you, saving you time and meaning you don’t have to compare quotes yourself. We are the leading expert for pre-existing conditions, so you’re in great hands.
If you want further information about finding life insurance after you have been declined elsewhere, you can find it here.
We will always be 100% honest and open with you as a broker to make sure everything you need is in place. As a broker offering financial services, all our advice will be completely impartial. If you already have a life insurance policy in place, we will assess whether you have the best possible cover for your circumstances, and if not we will secure you the right life insurance policy.
We will only move you to a different provider if we can find you a better offering for a better price. Whether it’s worth us looking at this depends on what the cover is for and when it was taken out.
If your existing cover is better than any cover we can find we will tell you. We do not charge for any advice – this service is free. You can find more information about switching life insurance providers and reviewing your policy here.
Our customers love us.
Would recommend using this service
Tom has been incredibly helpful throughout the whole process of getting my life insurance set up. Very knowledgeable and absolutely ‘on it’ to get me the best product out there.
Mat Wise
First Class Experience
Service was first class, Simon kept me informed at every step in the process.I would have no hesitation in dealing with him again.
Duncan Fordyce
Great, Quick Service
Dealt with Karl who could not have been more helpful. Made the whole process of getting life insurance far easier than other providers I had approached.
Shelley Jenkins
Fantastic!
Approved immediately. Process was so fast and a lot cheaper than I thought. Highly recommended.
Nicola Storr
Facts about Cancer
Cancer is an extremely complicated condition. There are around 200 variations (or types) that affect different areas of the body and can require different types of treatment.
Cancer Statistics (UK):
- Breast, Prostate, Lung and Bowel Cancers together account for more than half (535) of all new Cancers in the UK
- Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with the condition
- Survival rate in the UK is roughly 50%
- 38% of cases are preventable
- 367,000 new cases per year
- 164,000 deaths from Cancer per year
Cancer groups
Cancers are divided into groups. There are 5 main groups which are determined by the type of cell where they originate. These are:
- Carcinoma
- Lymphoma
- Brain Tumour
- Leukaemia
- Sarcoma
Grade and Stage
These are some of the main factors that underwriters consider when assessing an application for Cancer life insurance. They determine the size of the tumour and how quickly it grows.
- Grade: How abnormal the Cancer cells are
- Stage: How big the area affected is and whether the Cancer has spread
Causes Of Cancer
There are hundreds of ways in which cancer can develop, but often it is down to lifestyle choices. Some causes include:
- Smoking and tobacco
If you smoke, stopping is the best thing you can do for your health and to reduce your cancer risk.
- Obesity and weight
Keeping a healthy weight reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer.
- Sun and UV
Staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds reduces the risk of melanoma skin cancer.
- Diet and healthy eating
Eating a healthy balanced diet can play an important role in reducing your risk of cancer.
- Alcohol
The less alcohol you drink, the lower the risk of cancer.
- Physical activity
Being more active can help to keep a healthy weight and reduce the risk of cancer.
- HPV and infections
You can’t catch cancer, but some infections such as HPV can increase your risk of developing it.
- Hormones
Changes in our hormone levels can affect the risk of cancer, including taking the contraceptive pill.
- Air pollution and radon gas
Air pollution and radon gas are causes of lung cancer, but in the UK the risk is fairly low.
- Inherited cancer genes
Some inherited faulty genes can increase your risk of cancer.
- Workplace cancer risks
Some jobs can affect people’s risk of cancer, such as working with chemicals.
- Age and cancer
As you get older, you could be more at risk of developing cancer.
Useful Links
The Insurance Surgery has been helping families and individuals with pre-existing conditions including all types of Cancer to obtain life insurance since 1999.
Click the links below to find out more:
A Leading Insurance Specialist In Obtaining Cover For People Who Have Had Cancer
The Insurance Surgery has over two decades of experience helping people with a history of Cancer obtain life insurance. We can also secure critical illness cover, income protection and any other financial products they may require under the financial conduct authority.