Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma & Life Insurance

We know that being told that you have cancer is a life changing experience, whether it’s a relatively mild diagnosis or a more serious outlook, hearing the C word brings to home the fragility of life. Our job is to listen to you, hear your story, and choose an insurer that is going to be supportive of you having had non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Things we need to know:

• When were you diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?
• What was the staging of your cancer?
• What was the grading of your cancer?
• Did you have chemotherapy?
• Did you have radiotherapy?
• Have you had a stem cell or bone marrow transplant?
• When were you given the all clear from cancer?

Life Insurance for those who have had non-Hodgkin lymphoma may be available at standard terms provided that a certain amount of time has passed since the last treatment; this will usually be a number of years. The types of treatment that were used to treat the non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the staging/grading of the tumour, will be needed for the insurer to assess your application for Life Insurance. The insurer will want to see a report from your doctor, to confirm the severity of the non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the time since you last received treatment and any lasting complications that you may have.

It is possible that Life Insurance will be offered at non-standard rates, if your cancer and/or your treatment ended recently, or if the staging and grading of the tumour was of a high severity. Where Life Insurance is offered at non-standard terms, this will mean that the premiums are increased to a higher level, than someone that has not had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. If this is the case, it is likely that the increased premium will be reduced by the insurer, once there is a longer time period since you had cancer.

When you have had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Critical Illness Cover can be available with some insurers, once you are a number of years since your last treatment. The insurer will ask for a report from your GP to establish the full extent of your condition: staging/grading of tumour, treatments undertaken, lasting complications and time since you got the all clear. It is likely that you will have a cancer exclusion placed on your policy, this is what is known as a special (non-standard) terms. Whilst this may not seem ideal, it is worth noting that the Critical Illness policy will typically cover many other serious conditions including heart attack, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

If your non-Hodgkin lymphoma was of a high grading/staging, Critical Illness Cover may not be available with insurers on the standard market. There are specialist insurers that you can arrange Critical Illness insurance through, if this is the case.

When you apply for Income Protection and have had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you will need to detail the staging and grading of the cancer, treatments undertaken and time since the last treatment took place. Where the lymphoma has been classed as low staging and a good number of years have passed, you may be able to secure Income Protection at standard terms. A higher staging lymphoma and/or a case where little time has passed since treatment, may lead to the policy being accepted with a premium loading or cancer exclusion.

Some insurers may decline your application for Income Protection, due to you having had cancer. If this is the case, there are some specialist policies that can be considered, but the acceptance criteria is quite strict and does not suit everyone.

Off on holiday? It could be worthwhile speaking with a specialist travel insurance broker, who can help you choose the an insurance policy after having had non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. To find out more, click here.