Diabetes Life Insurance
How it works:
The following factors are the main considerations for underwriting Diabetes Life Insurance applications:
- Type of Diabetes
- HbA1c / Mmol readings
- Medication (i.e. Diet, tablets or Insulin)
- Diagnosis (Age)
- Diabetes-related complications
The Insurance Surgery is a leading Diabetes Life Insurance expert and we assess each client's circumstances individually to identify which providers will offer the best premiums/cover for you.
Diabetes Life Insurance
Life insurance for Diabetes is one of the most varied conditions for life insurance underwriters due to the complex nature of the condition and range of severity. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are both eligible for life insurance and can be obtained at very reasonable premiums by approaching the best providers for Diabetes life insurance.
Underwriting for Type 1 Diabetes life insurance will depend on a number of factors to assess the levels of risk and severity of the condition. In most cases a full medical report would be required from your GP to confirm your readings and history of Diabetes. Whereas underwriting for Type 2 Diabetes is slightly different as it is less likely to need a full medical report if your diabetes is under control and can therefore be underwritten online.
Some Diabetes life insurance applications, for both Type 1 and Type 2, can now be underwritten online and accepted immediately where there are no complications and the Diabetes is well controlled.
Main information required includes:
- Latest Hba1c/Mmol reading
- Medication (e.g. Diet, tablets or Insulin)
- Cholesterol readings
- Blood pressure readings
- Date of diagnosis
- Diabetes complications (e.g. Retinopathy, Neuropathy or Nephropathy)
Diabetes life insurance rates/premiums will depend on your levels of control and how well you manage your condition. There are a number of additional factors which may cause underwriters from certain insurance providers to decline your Diabetes life insurance application, such as:
- Smoking
- Heart problems
- High Hba1c readings (e.g. 10+)
- Other medical issues
Other factors that will affect your premium are the amount of cover you want (sum assured £’s), the length of the cover (years) and the type of policy/cover (e.g. Whole of Life, income protection etc.)
Type 1 Diabetes life insurance is readily available through most leading UK life insurance providers. Most people with Type 1 Diabetes looking for life insurance will have been diagnosed early in life which is also useful for underwriters. Typically, the ratings/loadings for Type 1 Diabetes life insurance will vary dramatically so it is vitally important to approach the best insurance provider for your individual circumstances.
Type 2 Diabetes life insurance is also usually available for the vast majority of people living with the condition. There will usually be a small loading applied to the premium for people with Type 2 Diabetes looking for life insurance, however this can increase to a decline if the condition is not well controlled. Due to the fact that Type 2 Diabetes is a lifestyle condition and life insurance underwriting takes into consideration factors such as height, weight, dress or waist size, life insurance premiums will vary depending on your health and lifestyle.
Diabetes Critical Illness Cover
Critical Illness Cover for Diabetes has become more available in recent years however it is still only available for Type 2 Diabetes. Critical Illness Cover for Type 2 Diabetes is also only available to a fairly small proportion of people as underwriting is still fairly strict. Type 1 Diabetes critical illness cover is currently not available due to the additional cardiovascular risks and potential complications.
Type 2 Diabetes critical illness cover is usually only available where there have been no additional complications (e.g. Neuropathy, Retinopathy or Nephropathy). Some insurance providers will consider critical illness cover for Type 2 Diabetes only if the Hba1c readings are less than a certain level (usually around 8.0).
It is likely that critical illness underwriting will change for Type 2 and potentially Type 1 Diabetes in future and The Insurance Surgery is constantly working with insurers to improve criteria. Our team of Diabetes Critical Illness Cover experts are constantly researching and assessing the market to find out which providers offer the lowest premiums and the best cover for you.
Diabetes Income Protection
Income protection for Diabetes in reality is difficult to obtain currently because of the strict underwriting process for Income Protection. Currently, Type 1 Diabetes income protection is more or less not available, unless your diabetes is very well controlled and your Hba1c readings are continually at an acceptable level.
There are a number of providers who will consider Type 2 Diabetes income protection based on similar criteria to critical illness cover. Due to the fact that Type 2 Diabetes can cause a number of issues which will increase the likelihood of a claim being made on an income protection policy, the criteria are fairly strict.
Diabetes income protection is another product where we hope and expect to see development over the coming years and our team are also constantly talking to insurance providers about how it might work.
Case Study 1
- Client: Female
- Age: 51
- Smoker status: non-smoker
- Type of diabetes: Type 1
- Cover date: Jan 2019
- Product type: Life Insurance
- Cover amount: £20,000
- Cover term: 25yrs
- Premium: £12.98
We we’re approached by this lady on the 22nd January 2019 after she completed an enquiry through Diabetes.co.uk for diabetic life insurance. Upon receiving this, our advisor Suzie then called her to talk about her medical issues and life insurance needs; this is where she explained that she already had cover with a different company but was looking for cheaper cover. She then explained that she needed £20,000 over a 25-year period; and was a type 1 diabetic non-smoker with a HBA1C reading of 8.6. Due to the fact that she was a non-smoker, with a reasonable HBA1C reading, and the fact that she only needed a relatively small amount of cover, we are able to secure her diabetic life insurance for £12.98 per month with one of our mainstream insurers on the 24th January 2019. We later offered her the option of using our free trust service to put her policy in trust, meaning that upon her death the policy will pay out quicker, to the intended beneficiaries and will help to avoid inheritance tax, which she chose to use. Overall, we were really pleased about being able to secure diabetic life insurance for this lady as it has really helped to take a weight off her shoulders as it is cheaper as her previous policy. Furthermore, we were also pleased to help another customer as we are passionate about protecting families and we want to ensure that we can help as many people as we can have peace of mind and get the required protection that they deserve.
Case Study 2
- Client: Male
- Age: 35
- Smoker status: non-smoker
- Type of diabetes: Type 2
- Cover date: Jan 2019
- Product type: Life insurance - level
- Cover amount: £100,000
- Cover term: 25 years
- Premium: £10.75
We were approached by this gentleman on the 4th January 2019 when he completed an enquiry through diabetes.co.uk for diabetic life insurance. Once we received this enquiry our advisor Sam then called him to discuss his pre-existing medical conditions and what life insurance he was looking for. The client explained he wanted £100,000 of cover for 25 years for to protect his dependents; and he also went on to explain that he was a type 2 diabetic with a HBA1C reading of 51mmol. Sam then completed a fact find with the client and managed to find him life insurance with one of our mainstream providers for only £10.75 per month, which was put into place on the 8th January 2019. This fantastic monthly premium is mainly due to the fact that he is a non-smoker with a reasonable HBA1C reading, no other medical conditions and no Diabetic complications. We were also able to offer him the option of our free trust service, where we would be able to place his policy into trust. This means that upon his death the policy should pay out quicker, to the intended beneficiaries and will help to avoid inheritance tax; however, he chose not to use this service.
We were really pleased that we were able to secure cover for this gentleman and help provide him with the peace of mind that he has been able to make provision for his family upon his death, at a very affordable price. He has also referred his wife to us, and we are delighted that he liked our service enough to recommend us. This is because we are passionate about protecting families and want to ensure that we help as many people as possible have peace of mind and get the cover that they deserve.
Case Study 3
- Client: Female
- Age: 42
- Smoker status: non-smoker
- Type of diabetes: Type 2
- Other conditions: Glaucoma, Asthma, Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Cover date: 10/01/2019
- Product type: Level Term Assurance
- Cover amount: £63,000
- Cover term: 40 years
- Premium: £28.46
We were approached by this lady on the 30th July 2018 when she completed an enquiry on Diabetes.co.uk for diabetic life insurance. Upon receiving this enquiry, our advisor Suzie then contacted the client to talk about what cover she wanted and what her medical issues were. This is when she explained that she was type 2 diabetic, with glaucoma, asthma and Guillain-Barré syndrome (a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system). Initially, she was only looking for funeral cover, £20,000 over 40 years however after her application was put into underwriting the premiums came back at a better value for her to choose a higher amount and therefore have a better level of cover. Suzie managed to secure her £63,000 of diabetic life insurance with one of our mainstream providers for £28.46 a month on the 10th January 2019. This might seem like a long wait from the initial enquiry, but this was partially due to the lady having a very busy schedule and therefore struggling to make the time to discuss the application, and in addition the client’s GP took a while to provide the information needed by the Insurer to complete the underwriting.
We are very pleased that we were able to secure cover for this lady, especially as she had a couple of slightly more challenging medical conditions, and we are delighted to know that this lady now has peace of mind after securing the diabetic life insurance that she deserved. We are passionate about protecting families and want to ensure that we can provide protection to as many people as possible.
Facts About Diabetes:
Diabetes is currently a chronic (life-long) condition that basically causes the blood sugar levels to increase or decrease to levels that go beyond the recommended limits. There are several different forms of Diabetes, some of which are relatively uncommon but generally there are 2 main types which are commonly known as Type 1 and Type 2 (see below).
Diabetes Stats (UK)
- Currently, over 4 million people are diagnosed with Diabetes
- 90% are Type 2 and only 10% are Type 1
- 1 in 8 people (between 20 and 79 years) die because of Diabetes
- Life expectancy is reduced (Type 1 = 20 years / Type 2 = 10 years)
- NHS spends £9billion per year on Diabetes treatment (£173 million per week)
Symptoms of Diabetes:
There are a number of symptoms caused by having Diabetes and the main ones are as follows:
- Thirsty: More often than normal
- Urination: More frequently and especially at night
- Fatigue: Constant tiredness
- Healing: Cuts or scars take longer to heal
- Vision: Blurred or double vision
- Itching: Especially around genital areas
Diabetes is a condition that affects many areas of the body and therefore the symptoms can be extremely varied and do not have to be localised, so it is important to visit your GP. It can also cause far more serious problems if untreated such as:
- Neuropathy
- Retinopathy
- Nephropathy
Types of Diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes
This is also known as 'Insulin-Dependent Diabetes' due to the fact that it is caused by the immune system attacking the cells in the body which produce insulin; as no insulin is being produced, the blood glucose levels dramatically increase which can cause severe damage to a number of organs (i.e. Kidneys, eyes, and heart).
Type 1 Diabetes is also known as 'Juvenile Diabetes' or 'Early-onset Diabetes' due to the fact that it generally develops in people under 40 or often in children during teenage years.
This type of Diabetes is treated by taking daily insulin injections which will have to be taken for the rest of that person's life as well as changes in lifestyle, which can be significant. If you have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes then you will have to regularly visit your GP or Diabetes specialist (usually every 3, 6 or 12 months) to check your HbA1c levels.
For more information visit: Type 1 Diabetes Life Insurance
Type 2 Diabetes
This is by far the most common type of Diabetes (around 90% of people with Diabetes have Type 2) and it generally develops later in life due to certain lifestyles, behaviours or can even be ethnicity. Type 2 Diabetes is usually and most commonly linked with obesity in adults and is also known as 'Maturity-onset Diabetes' because of the link to older adults.
For more information visit: Type 2 Diabetes Life Insurance
Type 2 Diabetes is similar to Type 1 in that it is linked to the body not producing insulin or it can be that the cells in the body do not react to insulin, which is known as 'insulin resistance'.
This type of Diabetes can be treated in a number of ways which include:
- Diet controlled: Alter your diet to ensure that you manage your condition
- Tablets: One of the various tablets commonly used to treat that condition
- Insulin: Some people with Type 2 Diabetes can also be told to use Insulin injections as treatment
Useful Links
- Diabetes.co.uk (Diabetes Forum):http://diabetes.co.uk
- Diabetes UK: https://www.diabetes.org.uk
- NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/pages/diabetes.aspx
The Insurance Surgery is a leading life insurance expert for Diabetes and we have helped thousands of families, individuals, and businesses to protect themselves financially. We also offer a leading specialist Diabetes Travel Insurance service (see below).
For more information about Travel Insurance visit: Diabetes Travel Insurance
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