Overactive Thyroid & Life Insurance

We understand that having hyperthyroidism can be exhausting. I developed an overactive thyroid for two months after the birth of my third child, and whilst it has now developed an underactive thyroid, I am very grateful to have left hyperthyroid hot flushes behind! Here at Cura, our job is to develop a picture of your health and how your thyroid condition affects your daily living, so that we an find an insurer that suits you.

Things we need to know:

• When were you diagnosed with an overactive thyroid?
• Was there a specific cause for the hyperthyroidism developing?
• What medication do you use?
• Have you had or are you due have radioiodine treatment?
• Have you had surgery to remove the thyroid?
• Are your TSH levels now in the normal range?

Overactive thyroid Life Insurance is available with many insurers on the standard market. To be able to get Life Insurance at normal rates your hyperthyroidism will need to be well controlled ,with or without medication, for at least three months. Where surgery or radioiodine treatment has already been used to correct the overactive thyroid you should still be able to get standard terms.

If you are waiting for surgery to remove the thyroid gland, or radioiodine therapy to damage the thyroid, then the insurer may postpone your application until you have recovered from treatment. In these circumstances, you can apply for Life Insurance with a specialist insurer who will be able to cover you.

Overactive thyroid Critical Illness Cover can be available at normal terms if your condition is well controlled, you are not awaiting surgery and there are no other significant medical disclosures. It is likely that you application for Critical Illness Cover will be postponed if you are due to undergo surgery or radioiodine treatment. There are specialist insurers that you can approach for Critical Illness Cover, if this is the case.

Where hyperthyroidism has presented complications with your eyes and vision it is likely that your policy will be accepted with a blindness exclusion. Many Critical Illness policies cover you for at least 50 significant medical conditions, and the loss of one of these (blindness) from your claimable set, should not deter you from taking the cover.

Income Protection for people with an overactive thyroid is more difficult to arrange than Life and Critical Illness Cover. Some insurers may be able to offer you Income Protection at standard rates if your hyperthyroidism is well controlled, with or without medication for at least three months, and there are no surgeries scheduled. If you have started to have problems with your eyes and vision because of your thyroid condition, your policy will likely have a blindness exclusion placed on it.

If you find that Income Protection doesn’t suit you, then you may want to look at Accident, Sickness and Unemployment cover. Your overactive thyroid and general health will not be considered when you apply for this policy, it is not medically underwritten. The policy provides income replacement between 12 and 24 months, if you are unable to work due to ill health or involuntary redundancy. Whilst your hyperthyroidism does not affect you arranging this cover type, it will be excluded from the policy claims set.

Are you looking forward to a holiday? It can be worthwhile speaking with a specialist travel broker, that can arrange your cover with an insurer that is good for people with overactive thyroids. For more details, please visit our travel insurance page here.