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Life insurance with pre-existing conditions, your options

Life insurance with pre-existing conditions can still be possible: MoneyHelper says a medical condition shouldn't prevent you getting life cover, though in many cases it'll cost more and might be harder to find (MoneyHelper ↗).

Insurers assess each case.

This page covers what counts, what they ask and what can happen.

Every claim here is our summary of a named external source, linked beside it. Sources change: check the wording at the link before you rely on it.

Pick your condition ↓Possible outcomes →
01 · Key facts

Life insurance with pre-existing conditions, the key facts

The points that matter most, each linked to the guide or law it comes from.

At a glance

  • A medical condition shouldn't stop you getting life cover, though it may cost more (MoneyHelper ↗)
  • A lot of medical conditions will still allow you to get life insurance, Legal & General says (Legal & General ↗)
  • Outcomes include higher premiums, an exclusion, a delayed decision or no offer (Aviva ↗)
  • Criteria and approaches can vary significantly between insurers (MoneyHelper ↗)
  • Your duty is to take reasonable care not to misrepresent anything (legislation.gov.uk ↗)
  • A policy you already hold doesn't need to hear about a new condition unless it asks (MoneyHelper ↗)
New individual protection claims UK insurers paid, 202497.9%The ABI names non-disclosure of existing conditions as a common reason for declined claims.

ABI figure, all individual protection; check at the link: (ABI ↗)

02 · Can you get it?

Can you get life insurance with a pre-existing condition?

In many cases, yes: Legal & General says there are a lot of medical conditions that will still allow you to get life insurance, but every individual is different (Legal & General ↗).

Pick your condition for what the charity or insurer says, and our guide.

Choose a condition

After or with cancer

Macmillan says it can be difficult, and might depend on the type of cancer or its stage and grade (Macmillan ↗).

Life insurance after cancer →

Summaries of each source. Check the wording at the links.

03 · Your application

How pre-existing conditions affect your application

Aviva describes a pre-existing condition as having had symptoms, medication, advice, treatment or diagnostic tests for a disease, illness or injury before taking out a policy (Aviva ↗).

Possible outcomes Aviva describes

  • Higher premiums, if you have a serious, chronic medical condition (Aviva ↗)
  • An exclusion, so the policy may not pay out on a claim linked to the condition (Aviva ↗)
  • An application that isn't accepted straight away (Aviva ↗)
  • No offer: sometimes an insurer is unable to offer cover for medical reasons (Aviva ↗)

Critical illness cover, in Legal & General’s words

04 · Applying

How to apply for life insurance with a pre-existing condition

Mind suggests having a doctor's report ready before you apply (Mind ↗).

Legal & General lists what it asks about, and how a GP report works.

What Legal & General asks about

If it asks your GP for a report

05 · Tips

Tips for getting the best cover

MoneyHelper says it's important to shop around, because criteria and approaches can vary significantly between insurers, and suggests a specialist broker (MoneyHelper ↗).

It also points to charities for specific conditions, such as Macmillan Cancer Support (MoneyHelper ↗).

01

Prepare

Know your medical history

Diagnoses, dates, treatment and medication, in order.

02

Evidence

Have a doctor’s report ready

It can support your application.

03

Help

Read your charity’s guidance

Many condition charities publish insurance guides.

04

Compare

Shop around, or use a broker

Insurers’ criteria differ.

05

Answer

Answer every question fully

Full answers protect a future claim.

06 · Disclosure

Full answers protect your claim

MoneyHelper says an insurer can't reject your claim if you took reasonable care to answer its questions honestly (MoneyHelper ↗).

Aviva says to answer medical and all application questions truthfully and correctly, because incorrect information could invalidate the policy (Aviva ↗).

If your health changes between applying and being accepted, Vitality says to let the insurer know straight away (Vitality ↗).

If an answer turns out to be wrong

No remedy against a careful answer

The law asks you to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to the insurer (legislation.gov.uk ↗). The insurer's remedies apply where the consumer breached that duty (legislation.gov.uk ↗).

Our summary of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2 and Schedule 1. Read the Act at the links; it is the authority.

07 · Help

Specialist brokers and your rights

MoneyHelper says it is important to shop around, because criteria and approaches can vary significantly between insurers, and that a specialist broker can research the market for you (MoneyHelper ↗).

If you think an insurer's risk assessment isn't based on a reliable or relevant source of information, MoneyHelper says you can challenge it under the Equality Act (MoneyHelper ↗).

Complain to the insurer first.

We do not recommend brokers or insurers.

Before you buy, the FCA tells consumers to check the firm on its Firm Checker (FCA ↗).

08 · Business owners

Run a business? Key person cover asks too

If your company insures you as a key person, the company applies, owns the plan and pays for it, and any payout goes to the business (Royal London ↗) (Legal & General ↗).

You are the person insured, so a pre-existing condition is part of the application: Legal & General's adviser guide says the key person gives their own personal and medical details (Legal & General ↗).

If Aviva can't decide on a case straight away, it gives free life cover while it looks into it (Aviva ↗).

The business must also be able to show it would lose profits in your absence (Legal & General ↗).

What is key person insurance? →Key person risk →Business protection insurance →Key person vs relevant life →Executive income protection →
01

Applicant

The company applies

The business owns the policy and pays for it. You are the person insured.

02

Your answers

You answer the health questions

The same care applies as for a personal policy: answer every question fully.

03

Underwriting

The insurer assesses the case

It may ask for more evidence before it decides, as with any application.

04

Sizing

The cover is sized on the business

How much cover the business can take is based on what it would lose.

09 · Related

Related life insurance guides

Guides to other health conditions and to the cover itself.

10 · Trusted sources & further reading

Check it for yourself

Every claim on this page is our summary of one of the documents listed here.

We last checked them against the live sources on 28 September 2026.

The documents are the authority, not this page.

Insurers and HMRC update them, so validate any figure or condition at its link before you rely on it.

Questions

Pre-existing conditions, answered

Aviva describes it as having had symptoms, medication, advice, treatment or diagnostic tests for a disease, illness or injury before taking out a life insurance policy.

Legal & General describes it as any illness or injury that exists before, or at the time, you take out the policy. Aviva guide ↗

Yes. Aviva says that sometimes an insurer will be unable to offer cover for medical reasons, and that an application might not be accepted straight away.

MoneyHelper says criteria vary significantly between insurers, so it is worth shopping around. Aviva guide ↗

You must answer the insurer’s questions fully and accurately.

The law puts a duty on you to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation, and that duty replaced the older duty of disclosure.

MoneyHelper says not to be tempted to withhold information about a condition. The Act, section 2 ↗

There is no standard figure, and we do not publish loadings.

Aviva says premiums may be higher if you have a serious, chronic medical condition.

MoneyHelper says that, depending on your condition, in many cases cover will cost more. Aviva guide ↗

It can help.

MoneyHelper says you might want to use a specialist broker to research the market for you, and points to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association website to find one.

We do not recommend brokers; check any firm on the FCA register. MoneyHelper guide ↗

Beta · information only

Run a business? Size the key person cover.

If a business depends on you, the calculator works through the earnings, profit and loan methods UK insurers publish.

01Earnings, profit and loan methods

02Insurers’ published multiples, with sources

03No email, no quote, no sales call

Information, not advice

We are not an insurer, broker or regulated adviser, and we do not give quotes or recommend a policy. For regulated advice, use an adviser authorised by the FCA.

Open the calculator →

Takes you to the key person insurance calculator.

Not financial advice. This page is general information. Before buying insurance, the FCA tells consumers to check the firm on its Firm Checker (FCA ↗). For free guidance, see MoneyHelper.