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Diabetes Life Insurance

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Life Insurance for Diabetics

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.

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How Diabetes Life Insurance 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

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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

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.

Critical Illness Cover for Diabetics

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.

Whole of Life Insurance Cover for Diabetics

Whole of life insurance cover is also available to those with pre-existing medical conditions, including diabetes. The benefits of whole of life insurance for a diabetic condition is that in the case of death, the policy is guaranteed to pay out to your loved ones. Due to the guarantee, this type of insurance tends to have higher premiums attached. There are many benefits to whole of life cover if you suffer from diabetes and we would recommend that you speak to one of our expert advisors to discuss this further if you are considering a whole of life policy. We can help you compare costs and find the best policy for your needs.

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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)

Diabetes Symptoms

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

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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