Life insurance with a heart or circulatory condition

What life insurance is

Life insurance is a type of policy that can provide financial support to your loved ones if you’re terminally ill or die. After your death, your dependants (anyone you give financial support to) would get financial support to cover for the loss of your income.

Most people with life insurance have it to help their loved ones with financial worries like mortgage payments, childcare costs and bills.

How life insurance works

There are different levels of life insurance cover available for you to buy. The amount of money paid to your dependants and how it’s paid to them will depend on your level of cover. Your insurance provider can tell you about your policy options or you can talk to an insurance broker who will provide objective, professional advice.

Deciding if you need life insurance

Not everyone has a life insurance policy. Whether you get one or not will depend on your personal situation. You might want to think about getting life insurance if you have:

• dependants, like school age children
• a partner or spouse who relies on your income
• a home with a mortgage or monthly rent bills.

Finding the right life insurance policy

It can be more difficult to find life insurance when you have a pre-existing health issue, including a heart or circulatory condition. This is because insurers assume that due to your condition, you’re more likely to use the policy. Whether you can get a policy, and how expensive it might be, depends on you and your condition.

To find the right life insurance policy and level of cover for you, you can receive advice from independent and objective, professional advice services like:

• Money Advice Service. Find out about the different types of policies and levels of cover and how and when to buy life insurance.
• Citizens Advice. Find out about how insurance policies work, how to make claims, what to do if you have a problem with your policy and more.

If you have some concerns about getting an insurance policy with a pre-existing health condition, it’s important to understand you’re not alone. There are other options for advice, like:

• Money. Find out about choosing and buying insurance policies and the different levels of cover when you have a pre-existing health condition.
• Association of British Insurers. Find out about private medical insurance.

We do not work with or endorse any insurance companies. We cannot guarantee that an insurance provider will offer insurance to everyone, either. Insurance policies are decided on an individual basis and insurers will have their own policy requirements.

There are many other insurance advice services out there, so shop around to get the best available insurance for your specific situation. (British Heart Foundation cannot be held liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of a service provided by a third-party company).

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