The British Transplant Games 2022 - Organ donation and insurance

The British Transplant Games might be something that many people haven’t heard about, but we think the long standing event is great. The British Transplant Games began around 40 years ago, and is a 4 day event which now has over 850 transplant recipients competing each year. There are over 25 sporting events over the 4 day period ranging from athletics to netball to golf, and a whopping 1700+ supporters watching the games. The games are inclusive, with children as young as 5 able to participate and many athletes going on afterwards to compete at the World Transplant Games. The July 2022 games were held in Leeds, Yorkshire, which happens to be just a couple of hours drive from the Cura office.

The idea behind the games is quite simple, they are organised to raise awareness about the need for organ donation, encourage those who have received a transplant to live an active and healthy lifestyle and to remember and appreciate donors and their families. 

Organ donation isn’t something that people have regular thoughts about, but there is a law in the UK meaning everybody is automatically signed up to be an organ donor unless they opt out or are in an excluded group. Once a person has passed their organs can save up to nine people if they have chosen to have them donated. 

With the number of people receiving or donating an organ, raising awareness can be greatly beneficial. Some organs can even be donated from a living donor, so the more people that are aware of the positive impact this can have to another person, the better! It’s not just the person receiving or donating the organ that can be affected, it can also affect many of the people around them such as family or friends, making sure people know about the support systems out there can also make a big difference.

Access to insurance

At Cura, we have helped a number of people who have either received an organ or who have donated an organ. In either case, the insurer will want to know the details surrounding the organ donation, if there have been any lasting complications and the reason behind it.

If you have donated an organ and there have been no lasting complications, it’s likely that you will find life insurance at standard rates (no price increase). Many of the people that we have helped in this situation have donated their kidney to another person.

If you received an organ, the insurer will need to know what organ and why. The key thing that the insurer wants to know is what was happening before the donation, that meant that you needed the new organ. It’s more than likely that the insurer will request a medical report from your GP surgery (only with your consent) so that they have a clear picture of your overall health. They will then make a decision. Each decision is made on a case by case basis, so speaking with one of our advisers will allow us to do research with insurers to find which insurer will offer you the best terms to suit your needs.

We previously wrote a blog on Organ Donation Week 2021 which gives a more in depth look into terms you might be offered depending on which organ you received.

Case studies

Client 1

A woman in her early 40s approached Cura needing protection in place to protect her family in the event of her death. She had a kidney transplant more than 10 years before coming to us, and she had received a kidney from a living donor who also happened to be an immediate family member. We arranged a life insurance policy covering her for £215,000 for 8 years, with a monthly premium of less than £25.

Client 2

A woman in her mid 50s came to us needing financial protection for her family. A little over a year before coming to Cura she had a kidney transplant due to nephritis being diagnosed more than 10 years prior. The kidney that she received was from a donor who had passed away, and her body accepted this well. She now has a life insurance policy costing just under £141 per month, covering her for £150,000 for 19 years.

When you look at these clients there is quite a big price difference between the two policies, this is because each person is assessed individually. You will see from the second person that their transplant had happened much closer to the policy start date, than the first. Another key difference is that the first person that we have discussed received a transplant from a live donor, and the second had received theirs from a person that had sadly passed away. The time since the transplant, where the organ came from, your current health now that the organ is in place, any medications that you need and the reason for why you needed the transplant, all play big parts in the price of your policy. That is why our advisers are specifically trained to help in this situation.

If you have any questions regarding anything that has been mentioned within this blog, or even any other questions about protection insurance in general, our advisers are more than happy to help. Giving an overview of organ donation as a whole can be difficult as each situation can be completely different. Once speaking with one of our advisers, they are able to do research on your exact circumstances to give you the most accurate and best possible advice.

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