Acoustic Neuroma & Life Insurance

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.

Critical illness cover for those who have had an acoustic neuroma may be available at normal terms, a few years after surgery has taken place, provided that there are no lasting complications. It is possible that there may be an exclusion for benign brain tumours placed on the policy. It is also possible that if you have long lasting hearing complications, deafness may also be excluded from the policy. 

As with life insurance, the insurer will want to see a report from your GP to confirm all the details regarding the tumour: date of diagnosis, date of removal, size of the tumour. This is a standard process and should cause you no concern.

If you are due surgery in the future, or if the acoustic neuroma is still present, you will probably need to speak with a specialist insurer to arrange critical illness cover.

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

If you have had an acoustic neuroma, income protection may be available a few years after surgery has taken place. The insurer will want to know if you have any lasting complications following the surgery. In general any policy terms that you are offered will probably be at non-standard rates, in the form of a premium increase, or an exclusion on the policy claims set. 

The insurer will want to speak with your GP and will be interested in any time off work you have had due to the tumour. 

When you arrange your income protection policy, you should aim to get insured under an ‘own occupation’ definition. This means that if you fall ill and be unable to work due to your specific job tasks, the insurer will consider a claim. Other definitions of cover are much broader and are not as straightforward to claim on.  

In general any policy terms that you are offered will probably be at non-standard rates, in the form of a premium increase or exclusion.

For people who still have an acoustic neuroma, are due surgery, or have long-term symptoms following the tumours removal, it may be that accident, sickness and unemployment Cover is a policy to consider. This type of policy offers income replacement for between 12 and 24 months, if you cannot work due to ill health or involuntary redundancy. 

Accident, sickness and unemployment policies are not medically underwritten, so your history of having an acoustic neuroma will have no bearing on your eligibility for the cover. But, the policy will exclude any claim relating to existing medical conditions.