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Health & Lifestyle

How will my state of health affect my life insurance policy?

Some life insurance policy providers will ask you to fill in a health questionnaire, or may require you to take a medical. This is more likely when a critical illness benefit forms part of a policy.

Certain life styles and health conditions all likely to dramatically increase your premiums, or make getting cover difficult.

These may include:

  • Activities such as smoking, heavy-drinking (above 28 units per week for men, or 21 for women), and certain higher-risk jobs and hobbies.
  • Health conditions such as hypertension, clinical obesity, heart defects, diabetes, and certain disabilities.

Your life insurance application form says that I must be in good health in order to apply. How do you define good health? "Good health" usually means that you are not regularly taking any prescription medicine, beyond minor treatments such as hayfever remedies, and that you have not taken more than 2 weeks off work due to sickness in the last 12 months. You should also be in a reasonable state of physical fitness, and have no mobility problems.

It does not, however, mean that you have to be "super-fit", "teatotal", or "as thin as a rake". Life insurance companies are used to dealing with a wide range of clients in varying states of health, and very few people have never experienced any kind of health problems.

I have been refused life-insurance cover elsewhere. Can you help me?

We may be all to help, depending on your circumstances. Please call our helpline for further details.