High Blood Pressure and Life Insurance: What You Need to Know

Taking out life insurance is one of the best ways you can protect your family from financial hardship in the event of your death, but certain medical conditions can make it expensive or even impossible to take out life cover.

So what are your options if you have a chronic condition?

High blood pressure is one of the most common health conditions in the West, affecting up to 1 in 4 adults in the UK. The good news is, it’s usually not seen as a show-stopper by insurers.

In this article, we take a look at what you can do to get access to the best and most cost-effective life insurance with high blood pressure, as well as some of the issues to be aware of before you apply, including:

What is considered high blood pressure by life insurance companies?

When it comes to defining exactly what is meant by ‘high’ blood pressure, even doctors can disagree, but generally speaking, for the purposes of obtaining life insurance, high blood pressure is defined as any reading that is persistently at, or above 140/90mmHg.

Bear in mind that this figure can vary between insurers.

How do I qualify?

Most insurers will want to take certain details on your condition and how it’s being managed before considering your application and working out your premium.

They will usually want to know:

• What blood pressure medication you’re taking (if any)
• How often your blood pressure is checked
• Date and results of your last test
• If you’re waiting for any medical test results
• Whether you have any other conditions

If you indicate high blood pressure on your application, some insurers will then request further information from your GP, which will often include the following:

•  Any hospital admissions in the past 12 months
• If you’ve had an ECG that needed further investigation
• If you have a high body mass index (BMI)
• History of any diabetes

Does taking blood pressure medication affect the application?

Some people worry that telling an insurer they take drugs designed to lower their blood pressure will negatively affect a life insurance application. In fact, the reverse is true because, when used successfully, medication can be very effective in bringing blood pressure into normal range.

You will inevitably have to mention any health conditions when you make your life insurance application, so blood pressure medication in itself is not seen as a ‘red flag’ by insurers. On the contrary, it demonstrates that you’re controlling the condition.

Some policies even include perks that are designed to help you keep your BP healthy, such as discounted gym memberships.

Is life insurance with high blood pressure more expensive?

Not necessarily. If your condition is well-managed and you don’t have any other significant medical conditions that could make you a higher risk for insurers, you could still qualify for standard life insurance rates or even market-leading rates, despite your diagnosis.

By working with an independent advisor with experience in this area, you should be able to get access to the best rates of life assurance for your circumstances.

The experts we work with regularly negotiate good deals for clients with high blood pressure, and will be happy to help. Make an enquiry with us to be matched with a suitable advisor.

What should do if I’ve been denied life insurance?

Fortunately, this setback need not be the end of the road. Each insurance provider will have its own policy on common medical conditions and the problem is usually solved by finding a suitable policy elsewhere.

In some cases of uncontrolled high blood pressure that is way above the norm, there may, unfortunately, be no insurers willing to offer cover at a worthwhile price.

However, these cases are rare and a specialist insurer can usually be found if you’re willing to pay the higher premiums.

The best way to find a suitable insurer quickly and with the highest chance of success is to work with an independent broker with access to the whole insurance market and a good knowledge of which companies are most generous towards customers with a diagnosis of hypertension.

Speak to an expert

If you’d like to work with a specialist to find the right policy, or if you have any further questions on this topic, please get in touch to be matched with one of the independent advisors we work with.

All the advisors we work with are experienced financial advisors with access to all the insurance providers in the UK.

Call us today on 0808 189 0463 or fill out our quick enquiry form and we’ll be in touch soon to match you with the most suitable advisor.