The questions insurers ask about diabetes
Your application will ask whether you have type 1, type 2 or another form of diabetes, and how old you were when your doctor diagnosed it. Age at diagnosis matters because it tells the insurer how many years the condition has had to affect your body.
Expect questions about how you manage it. Some people control type 2 diabetes through diet, others take tablets, and some use insulin. The insurer also wants your most recent HbA1c result, which shows your average blood sugar over the last few months. Keep a note of your latest readings before you apply, as it speeds things up.
- Type of diabetes and age at diagnosis
- Treatment: diet, tablets, injections or insulin
- Your last one or two HbA1c readings
- Blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Any eye, kidney, nerve or circulation problems
- How often you attend diabetes reviews
Why control and complications shape the offer
Insurers care most about how steady your blood sugar has been over time. A run of HbA1c results in the target range your clinic set, regular check-ups and no complications all count in your favour. Your weight, blood pressure and whether you smoke feed into the same assessment.
Complications tell the underwriter that diabetes has started to affect other organs. Retinopathy in the eyes, kidney changes found in urine tests, nerve damage in the feet and circulation problems each make the risk look higher. If you have had any of these, include the details and any treatment you received.
The outcomes you could see
Someone with well-controlled diabetes and no complications may be offered standard terms by some insurers. More often, the insurer adds a premium loading, and the size of that loading depends on your control, your age and how long you have had the condition.
Critical illness cover is a different matter. Diabetes raises the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure, which are conditions those policies pay out for, so insurers may exclude them, load the premium heavily or decline the critical illness part while still offering life cover. A recent episode of poor control can lead to a postponement until your readings settle.
Gestational diabetes and prediabetes
If you had diabetes only during pregnancy and it cleared after the birth, tell the insurer when they ask. Many insurers treat resolved gestational diabetes lightly, though they may ask whether you have had blood sugar tests since.
A diagnosis of prediabetes, sometimes called impaired glucose tolerance, also needs to go on the form if the question covers it. Insurers will want to know your readings and what your doctor advised. Lifestyle changes and stable results help your case.
Steps that can help your application
You cannot change how long you have had diabetes, but other parts of the picture are within reach. Keeping your annual diabetes review, eye screening and foot checks shows the insurer that your clinic watches your health closely. Those appointments also give you up-to-date results to put on the form.
Blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and smoking all affect the terms alongside your diabetes. Improving any one of them can count. If you have recently changed treatment, give your new routine a few months to settle, as a run of steady readings gives the underwriter more to go on.
If your control has improved since you bought an older policy, it may be worth comparing new cover. Keep the old policy in place until the new one starts.
How Hi Tomorrow helps people with diabetes
Insurers differ more on diabetes than on many other conditions. Some have specialist underwriting that looks closely at your HbA1c history and gives credit for good control, while others apply a broader rule. We know which insurers on our panel tend to take a more favourable view and we go to them first.
Before you apply, we go through your readings and treatment with you so the application is complete the first time. If an insurer wants a GP report or a nurse check, we keep things moving. Disclosing your diabetes in full keeps your policy safe for the day your family needs it.