High Blood Sugar & Life Insurance

We understand that having high blood sugar, is something that can be quite common for people with diabetes.

When it comes to things like life insurance it is really important to find an insurer, that is able to support you and your health.

We are here to make sure that you find that insurer.

Things we need to know:

• When you were diagnosed with high blood sugar?
• What was your latest reading?
• How often do you have your blood sugar levels checked?
• What medications do you take?
• Do you have any other medical conditions?

Depending upon your blood sugar readings, you may be able to get life insurance at normal terms.

You may find that the insurer asks for your permission to speak with your GP about your high blood sugar. This could be so that they can see how well controlled your blood sugar is over time and if there is impaired glucose tolerance.

If your blood sugar levels are very high, unstable or if you have other medical conditions, life insurance may be offered at non=standard terms. This means that the life insurance may be offered at a higher premium. This doesn’t have to mean silly money so please don’t be put off from asking.

It is quite important to know that if your GP has told you that your blood sugar levels mean that you are in pre-diabetic stages, this can affect your application. Some insurers may class you as a full diabetic, if you have been told that you are pre-diabetic.

In some cases it may be that your life insurance needs to be placed with a specialist insurer. Our dedicated advisers are here to talk you through the options that are available to you.

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 on the standard insurance market, can sometimes be available at standard terms. This is most likely if your blood sugar levels are well controlled and you have no other medical conditions.

Insurers may want to see a report from your GP, so that they can fully understand your health. This is quite a common practice when medical conditions are disclosed on critical illness applications and should cause no concern. This will only happen with your expressed permission.

These reports are used to confirm to the insurer how long your blood sugar has been raised for, how stable or unstable your readings are, and if you have impaired glucose intolerance.

It is possible that if your blood sugar readings are quite high or you have other medical conditions, that the premiums for critical illness cover may be increased. Or it may be that we need to apply to a specialist insurer for your insurance.

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

Income protection for people living with high blood sugar can be available with a number of insurers.

Income protection applications are assessed more strictly than life insurance. This is because statistics show that people are far more likely to claim on an income protection policy, than they are life insurance.

You may find that the insurer asks to see a medical report from your GP to confirm your blood sugar levels. It may be that they are able to arrange a mini medical screen to get your latest readings instead. This usually involves a nurse coming to visit you, to do some routine tests.

When you apply for income protection you really want to get a policy that’s classed as ‘own occupation’. This means that claims are based upon your inability to work due to bad health, for your specific job. Other types of income protection are less specific and may not be as easy to claim on.

You may be offered income protection at normal terms (standard price), at an increased premium, or in some cases with an exclusion.

If you do have diabetes your income protection application will need to be placed with specific insurers, that are able to consider you for the cover.

It may be that you find that income protection is not available to you, or you do not like the terms that you are offered. If this is the case you may want to consider a policy called Accident, Sickness and Unemployment cover.

This policy can pay you part of your monthly income for 12-24 months, if you unable to work due to ill health or involuntary redundancy. The policy is not medically underwritten which means that you are not asked any health questions when setting it up. Your high blood sugar would not affect your ability to get the policy or the price.

But most of the policies will not cover claims relating to existing medical conditions, so it is really important to get advice on what you are and are not covered for.

When you go on holiday you should have the confidence that your travel insurance is right for you. We are linked with a specialist travel insurance broker that can help you. To find out more, please visit our travel page here.