Hepatitis B & Life Insurance

We understand that finding out that you have hepatitis B can be quite an emotional experience. It is most commonly passed from a mother to her child, when she gives birth.

There are a number of different ways that you may get hepatitis B and it’s important that medical advice is followed, to try and avoid complications that it can cause.

Our expert advisers will talk to you about your overall health, so that we can build an insurance package for your needs.

Things we need to know so that we can support you:

• When were you diagnosed with hepatitis B?
• Do you have chronic hepatitis B?
• Did you require any treatments?
• Do you have any lasting liver damage?
• Are you now fully recovered?

If you are fully recovered from having had hepatitis B, you should be able to get life insurance at normal terms. This is most likely if the hepatitis B was a one-off and you have not had any liver damage.

People that still have hepatitis B that are responding well to treatment and following medical advice, may find that they can have life insurance too. This will probably be at a higher monthly premium.

Hepatitis B can be caught through sexual contact and drug use. Life insurance companies will not ask you about your sexual activity. Many, not all, life insurance applications will ask if you have taken recreational drugs as part of the routines questions that anyone would be asked. 

If you have used drugs in the past, it is possible that the insurer will offer you life insurance at non-standard terms. This would be some kind of premium increase.

Depending upon how you recently you have taken drugs, how often you have taken them and the type of drug that you have taken, some insurers may decline your life insurance application.

Please do not worry if this is the case. We are well known for our ability to get people insurance, when they have previously been declined elsewhere. It’s all about knowing where to look for it and having a deep understanding of the insurance market. Our expert advisers will guide you every step of the way.

Critical illness cover pays out a cash lump sum of money, if you are diagnosed with a medical condition that is listed in the insurer’s claims set e.g. cancer, heart attack, stroke.

Many critical illness policies cover medical conditions that can be linked to the liver. Having had hepatitis B, it’s possible that some insurers could be concerned that you are at a higher chance of making claim.

Most people that have had and fully recovered from hepatitis B, will most likely be able to get critical illness cover at standard terms.

The insurer will want to know that you have fully recovered from hepatitis B and that you there is no lasting liver damage.

If you have been left with some liver damage, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot get critical illness cover. The insurer will want to know how much damage there is before they can make a decision, which may mean that they ask your permission to speak with your GP about your medical history and medical records.

Hepatitis B that was caught through drug use may mean that critical illness cover is offered at a higher premium. Depending upon your specific circumstances, some insurers may not be able to offer you the cover.

If this is the case, or if you still hepatitis B, Critical Illness Cover can be looked at with  specialist insurers.

Income protection pays you a replacement of your monthly income, if you are unable to work due to ill health.

Income protection for people that have had hepatitis B and fully recovered, should be available at standard terms.

When it comes to income protection, insurers are quite keen to know if you have had any recent time off work due to your health. You will probably be asked about time you have had off in the last few years.

You don’t necessarily need to be fully recovered from hepatitis B to get income protection, but it wile be important that there has been no long-term impact to your liver.

It will be more difficult to get income protection if you do still have hepatitis B, or if you caught the virus due to drug use. If this is the case, there are some specialist income protection policies that our expert advisers can talk you through.

You may find that the options for income protection do not seem right for you. You may instead like to look at a policy called Accident, Sickness and Unemployment cover. 

This policy type can pay you a portion of your income for 12-24 months, if you are unable to work due to disability, long-term injury or involuntary redundancy. These policies do not require your medical information to set up. But, they do exclude claims relating to existing conditions.

Going on holiday is meant to be fun and care free. A big way to make that happen is knowing that you have set up the right insurance for your health. Please visit our travel page here.