TIA & Life Insurance

For many having a transient ischaemic attack (mini-stroke) can be an unnerving experience. With the same symptoms as having a stroke, it can be a worry not knowing what is happening and why you are suddenly feeling a certain way. When it comes to getting insurance in place, we are here to chat you through the types of information that insurance companies will ask about your TIA. We are here to make the process easier for you.

Things we need to know:

• When did you have your TIA?
• How many mini-strokes have you had?
• Do you have any lasting symptoms from the TIA?
• Was your TIA linked to another condition e.g. diabetes, high cholesterol?
• Do you now take medication to reduce the risk of having a mini-stroke?

In some cases it is possible to arrange life Insurance after a TIA at standard terms (this means no price increase). This will be dependent upon the severity of your mini-stoke, when it happened and the insurer you apply to, for the life insurance.

It is likely that the insurer provider that you apply to may ask to see a report from your GP, to support your application. This is arranged at the insurer’s expense and is done so that they can get an accurate record of your health, before they make their decision. I quite like it when insurers ask for this as it means that they have confirmation from your GP about your health, which means that at the point of a claim it can’t be said that you missed something out from your medical history.

If you have applied for life insurance before and hit barriers to getting cover, please do not worry. There are a number of options that can be looked at away from the standard market of insurers. They don’t have to cost silly amounts, it is worth having a chat to see what you can access.

It is also worth checking if your employer offers something known as group life insurance. This is arranged by a company to provide life insurance cover for its employees and pays to their next of kin. If you own a company or are in a position to suggest this cover to your employer, it can be a good option, as it comes with a certain level of non-medical underwriting. This means that your TIA will not need to be discussed for you to be eligible for the cover. 

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

When you apply for income protection after having had a TIA, it is a good idea to be prepared that there could be a cerebrovascular exclusion on the policy claims set. This can include exclusions for strokes and brain haemorrhages, for example. I understand that this might not sound ideal, but I am just trying to be open about what is going to be available to you, without giving false expectations. The policy will still cover you for anything else health-wise, that causes you to be unable to work, which is quite a lot of scenarios.

With income protection the insurance company that you apply to will be quite interested in knowing details about any time you have had to take off work in the last few years, due to your health. They will want to know the same medical information that is needed for the other insurances on this page, which will include details of your blood pressure and cholesterol, amongst other factors.

There are also income protection policies that can be arranged through your employer, that can sometimes offer more options for arranging this type of insurance. Some options will not include exclusions relating to strokes. These are quite specific policies and will need to be discussed with an adviser who can give you access to them, if your employer is willing to look at the cover.

Are you travelling abroad after a TIA? Find out if you have the right travel insurance in place for your medical history, by visiting our travel insurance page here.