Leukaemia & Life Insurance
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Leukaemia & Life Insurance
We appreciate that for some people who are diagnosed with leukaemia, insurance is the furthest thing from their mind. All focus is on fighting the cancer and getting better. We are here for you during and after your battle with cancer, to find insurance that meets your needs, when you are ready.
Things we need to know:
- When were you diagnosed with leukaemia?
- What type of leukaemia did you have, (ie ALL, AML, CLL or CML)?
- What was/is the staging of your leukaemia?
- What treatment have you have?
- When was your last treatment?
Following the recovery of some types of leukaemia, you may be able to find normal terms on your Life Insurance. Insurers will want to know how much time has passed since you were diagnosed with leukaemia, if it has caused any lasting symptoms and the length of time since you finished treatment. It is possible that after specific time periods have passed, usually a number of years since the treatment for leukaemia has ended, that normal terms may be offered.
If treatment for leukaemia has been in recent years then it is likely that any offer of Life Insurance that you receive will be offered at a higher premium. For those who still have leukaemia or find that the terms for Life Insurance on the standard market are not suitable, it may be possible to arrange cover with an exclusion for leukaemia related claims.
The insurer will need to know the staging of your leukaemia, in order to fully assess your application for Life Insurance. The staging usually falls under the following headings:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) – blast cell count
- Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) – blast cell count
- Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) – chronic phase, accelerated phase, blast phase
- Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) – Binet staging, stage A, stage B, stage C
Leukaemia & Critical Illness Cover
Critical Illness Cover may be available to people who have had leukaemia, a number of years post treatment. If sufficient time has passed and you have fully recovered from the leukaemia you could have access to normal terms for Life Insurance with some providers.
Depending upon the staging of the leukaemia that you had, and the time since you were diagnosed with the condition, it is possible that you may need to look at specialist insurers for your cover. In this case it may be that Critical Illness Cover is available at a higher monthly premium or with an exclusion for cancer related claims.
Leukaemia & Income Protection
When you have had leukaemia, Income Protection may be available after a certain amount of time since diagnosis and treatment has ended. Each insurer has different acceptance criteria of when they can potentially look at offering Income Protection to someone that has had leukaemia. The insurer will want to know the staging of the leukaemia, if you have been left with any permanent symptoms from the cancer, and if it has affected your ability to work within the last few years.
After a number of years since treatment has ended, you may be able to secure Income Protection at normal terms. It is important that you look for an Income Protection policy that offers you cover on an ‘own occupation’ basis, giving you the strongest claim definitions for this type of insurance.
For those who have had leukaemia more recently, where income protection is available, it is likely to come at a higher premium and/or an exclusion to the policy claims set.
If you find that the terms of Income Protection on offer do not suit you, it is possible to take out an Accident, Sickness and Unemployment (ASU) policy instead. This policy is for those who are unable to work because of a severe illness, disability or being made voluntarily redundant. It provides short term income replacement between 12 and 24 months and is not medically underwritten. This means that the policy premiums and terms of acceptance will not be affected by you having had leukaemia. If you make any claim, however, it will exclude inability to work due to the leukaemia.
Leukaemia & Travel Insurance
Are you planning on going on holiday? It is important that you make your travel insurance company fully away of your medical history before you travel. We work alongside a specialist travel insurance broker who can arrange cover for most medical conditions. If you have had leukaemia and need travel insurance, get your no obligation quotations here.
What is Leukaemia?
From the Greek leukos (‘white’) and haima (‘blood’), leukaemia is a cancer of the blood, regarding the production and release of white blood cells into the bloodstream. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) is a rare type of cancer, although it is the most common childhood leukaemia. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) affects older adults and, rarely, those under 40. Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) are more common in adults over the age of 65.
Also: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), blood cancer
Linked with: Myelodysplasia, myelofibrosis, polycythaemia vera (PCV), Fanconi’s anaemia, Down’s syndrome, HIV/AIDS
Possible Effects on Lifestyle
Some potential problems experienced by individuals who have had leukaemia include:
- Bleeding easily
- Fever
- Frequent urination
- High temperature
- Night sweats
- Pale skin
- Tiredness
- Weight loss
Medications and Treatments
- All Trans-Retinoic Acid (ATRA)
- Antibiotics
- Antifungals
- Azacitidine
- Bendamustine
- Blood Transfusion
- Bosutinib
- Chemotherapy
- Chlorambucil
- Corticosteroid
- Cyclophosphamide
- Dasatinib
- Fludarabine
- Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)
- Ibrutinib
- Idelalisib
- Imatinib
- Immunoglobulin replacement therapy
- Nilotinib
- Non-intensive chemotherapy
- Obinutuzumab
- Ofatumumab
- Ponatinib
- Prednisolone
- Radiotherapy
- Rituximab
- Stem cell and bone marrow transplant
Further Reading and Research
- www.nhs.uk – Acute Leukaemia
- www.nhs.uk – Chronic Leukaemia
- www.cancerresearchuk.org – ALL
- www.cancerresearchuk.org – CLL
By clicking on the link(s) above you will be departing from the regulatory site of Cura Financial Services. Cura Financial Services is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within the linked site(s).
Common Questions
Yes we can. There are a number of factors that could affect you being accepted for Life Insurance. The type of leukaemia that you had, how long it has been since you were given the all clear, and also whether you put your Life Insurance application with a “good” insurer for cancer survivors. With some insurers you will be declined or refused life insurance, if you have had the cancer quite recently. We know the best insurers to approach for people who have had cancer, and we can also access specialist insurers that can offer you Life Insurance.
It depends. If the leukaemia was quite recent, then no, because you will need to speak with specialist insurers for the life insurance. The Life Insurance that specialist insurers can offer can be really good for people who have had, or still have cancer. The policies are usually more expensive than ones offered by standard insurers and can come with exclusions related to your health. If the leukaemia was a while ago, then you could apply for Life Insurance with standard insurers. You should be prepared that there will be a few “hoops”, but they really shouldn’t be a concern. The insurer will want to speak with your GP to confirm your health now and the history of the cancer. Its just a matter of authorising your GP to speak with the insurer, and the insurer receiving a copy of your health report, the process can take a few weeks.
Client Reviews
Cura Financial Services has been rated 4.9 out of 5 based on 800 reviews.
Review by Raja on 2nd August 2018
“I was struggling to get a life insurance due to my medical condition but Nick and the team made it possible. The application took longer than expected but this was due to my GP who took time to respond to the insurer's enquiries. The team was very patient and informed me of the progress of my application until it was completed. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a life insurance. Thank you very much Cura!” - 5
You can read more of our reviews here.
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Dr Kathryn Knowles Phd
Author
This page was written by Dr Kathryn Knowles Phd, an award-winning insurance adviser. To read more about Kathryn please see her bio here
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