Life Insurance For People With Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis

If you have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, you might be wondering if it’s possible to get life insurance. Whether you’ve been recently diagnosed or living with symptoms for years, we’ll explain what you need to know about the effect Crohn’s and colitis have on both new and existing life insurance policies.

Can you get life insurance with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis?

Yes, it’s possible to get life insurance if you have Crohn’s or colitis, but the process can be more complex. Your insurance options and premiums will depend on factors such as the severity of your condition, your treatment history, and your overall health.

Every person is unique, and the way Crohn’s or colitis affects your life might be different from someone else. Apart from health issues, your ability to get life insurance will also depend on your age, lifestyle habits and much more.

How your application gets assessed

If you’re applying for life insurance with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, here are some of the key areas underwriters will assess when determining your eligibility and the cost of premiums:

• Diagnosis and severity: Insurers will want information relating to your individual diagnosis. Frequent, severe episodes of discomfort and inflammation - or any other regular symptoms might put some insurers off. Similarly, whether you’ve had any recent hospital admissions or past complications can impact your eligibility to be insured.

• Treatments: Depending on your type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you might use a range of treatments. Insurers will have varying opinions about different types of medications. For example, whether you’re using 5-ASAs (aminosalicylates), biological medicines, corticosteroids (like prednisolone), immunosuppressants or anything else to help manage your disease.

• Past surgery: If your Crohn’s or colitis is manageable day-to-day, you might not be using medicine. However, you may have had surgery to remove part of your digestive system. Life insurance providers will assess any previous surgery, the reason for it, and any ongoing complications, as this can influence your premiums.

• Time since diagnosis: It can work in your favour if you were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or colitis many years ago, and you can easily prove your health has remained stable for long periods. In contrast, getting life insurance can be trickier or more expensive if you have a recent diagnosis.

• Age, health and lifestyle: Your age and important lifestyle habits, like whether you’re a smoker, significantly impact the cost of life insurance premiums. It also makes a difference to some insurers if you work in higher-risk occupations like the police force or construction work.

How to get a quote online

If you have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, insurers will want in-depth details about your health before providing a life insurance quote. Trying to find accurate quotes online can be frustrating because some platforms may not completely understand your disease, making it difficult to find a policy.

Speaking to a broker simplifies the process and ensures you get the right cover. A brief discussion means they can get familiar with your medical history and find you the most suitable policy. It’s also worth noting that specialist insurers can tailor the underwriting process for Crohn’s disease or colitis.

If you’d like a free, no-obligation chat with a life insurance advisor specialising in people with Crohn’s or colitis, you can get started here:

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Will you need a medical?

If you have Crohn’s, colitis, or another type of IBD - in some cases, insurers may request a medical assessment before approving your application. However, most policies only require medical records rather than an examination.

Ideally, it’s best to have to hand as much relevant information as you can relating to your IBD, including:

• GP or consultant reports detailing your condition and diagnosis timeline

• Medication history and any currently prescribed medicines

• Details of previous hospital treatments or surgeries

• Recent test results, such as colonoscopies or blood work

Some insurers offer policies that accept existing health conditions without providing your medical history. However, these policies tend to have higher premiums and lower levels of cover.

Does Crohn’s and colitis affect existing life insurance?

If you’ve got an existing life insurance policy and are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or any other related condition - you might be able to make a claim now or in future:

• Critical illness cover: If your policy included critical illness cover when you got your diagnosis, you may qualify for a lump sum payout. However, it depends on whether your specific critical illness benefit covers Crohn’s or colitis.

• Whole-of-life insurance: If you have whole-of-life insurance, your policy should still be valid to pay out when you pass away, and your premiums shouldn’t change. However, it might still be worth checking your existing policy or contacting your insurer to see if you can get any benefits because of your disease.

• Term insurance: Your Crohn’s or colitis diagnosis wouldn’t impact term insurance. If you kept paying the premiums and passed away during the term, your policy should pay out regardless. However, if something happens to you outside the term, you may not get a payout from the life insurance policy.

What to do if you’ve been declined for life insurance

If you’ve been denied life insurance because of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, don’t lose hope; you still have options:

• Speak to an advisor: An experienced life insurance advisor can find insurers who are more flexible with their underwriting for people with Crohn’s or colitis.

• Use specialist insurers: Some specialist insurers are difficult to find and don’t advertise their life insurance policies. However, your advisor can show you any specialist options that might be more familiar with your condition.

• Improve your health: Sadly, there’s nothing you can do about your age, but implementing a healthier lifestyle will improve your chances of getting life insurance at a reasonable cost. This could involve losing weight, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and many other potential improvements.

• Guaranteed acceptance policies: Sometimes, these aren’t ideal. However, there are life insurance policies (including those for over 50s), that offer guaranteed acceptance. They do have drawbacks, like higher premiums and low coverage, but they can still be useful as a last resort.

Why choose Teito for your life insurance needs?

Finding the right life insurance policy with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis isn’t entirely straightforward. Your situation will be unique, and you’ll need support to ensure you get cover that will be there when you need it, and at a reasonable cost.

Although a severe IBD diagnosis can affect your ability to get life insurance, our expert advisors can find you the correct cover for your situation and needs. They have in-depth knowledge about which insurers and policies are best for those dealing with chronic Crohn’s and colitis.

Here are some more of the reasons people with Crohn’s, colitis, and other IBD conditions choose us to find them the best life insurance policy:

• We can get tailored life insurance quotes

• Our advisors have 5-star ratings on leading review sites

• Your first chat is free, with no obligation to proceed

• Access to specialist insurers with flexible underwriting

Ready to take advantage of a free, no-obligation chat with an advisor specialising in life insurance with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis? Get started here.