Applying for Life Insurance if you have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genes

Request a Callback

By clicking on submit I / We give consent for you to call me / us on the number provided to discuss my / our financial requirements.

Caring - Understanding - Reliable - Advice

Home » Guides & News » Applying for Life Insurance if you have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genes

When you apply for Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover or Income Protection it can be quite daunting to understand what you do and do not need to tell the insurance provider. As a general rule of thumb you should tell them absolutely everything that is relevant to your medical history.

However, a big exception to this is if you have had genetic testing to see if you carry a mutation of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Insurance providers are not allowed to penalise your application for Life Insurance, Critical Illness or Income Protection if you have been shown to have a mutation in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes. This is because whilst you have the gene it does not automatically mean that you will definitely develop cancer at some point, you are just at a heightened risk of doing so.

For most cases where the genetic test has been performed due to family history you will not need to inform the insurance provider that you have had the tests done, or the results of the test.

You must be truthful throughout all stages of your insurance application or else any policy that you have in place could be void when a claim is made. This is because at the point of claim the insurer will ask for a report from your GP to confirm your medical history, present diagnosis or cause of death before officiating the claim.

If you have undergone genetic testing for the BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation because you have had symptoms that have raised a concern regarding your health e.g. a lump, then this needs to be fully detailed to the insurer. In addition to this if your mother and/or sister(s) have had breast cancer before the age of 65 this will need to declared on any application that you place for Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover or Income Protection.

Provided that you do not personally have any symptoms indicating that cancer is present and there are no other medical conditions to disclose, then you should be eligible for standard terms for Life Insurance, Critical Illness and Income Protection.

References:
https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Topics-and-issues/Genetics/Genetic-testing
https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Topics-and-issues/Genetics

Categories: Life Insurance, Health

Client Reviews

Applying for Life Insurance if you have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genes

"Alan and his team were great! Alan helped get me cover where my own company could not (I work in financial services too!) Would highly recommend and will come back in the future."

"Krystle was fantastic throughout and managed to knock almost 50% off my current life insurance premium."

"Leanne couldn't have been more helpful and thoughtful with her questions and work on my enquiry."

"Kathryn and her colleagues were very helpful because of my recent illness."

"Nick was my advisor, Excellent knowledge of products and what I needed, not just pushing me into a sale/policy, will always refer to him in the future."

"I would like to say a very big thank you especially to Amy you really went above and beyond."

"Annaliese was absolutely fantastic, making us both feel at ease and helping us navigate issues that had caused us problems with previous attempts to obtain insurance."