What insurers ask about your migraines
The application may ask how long you have had migraines, how often they happen and how long each attack lasts. Insurers also ask whether you get aura, such as flashing lights, zigzag lines or tingling, before or during an attack.
Medication questions cover painkillers taken during an attack, triptans and any preventive tablets or injections. If a neurologist has been involved, give the diagnosis they recorded, since a label such as chronic migraine or migraine with aura is more useful to the underwriter than headaches.
- How often attacks happen and how long they last
- Aura or other neurological symptoms
- Medication for attacks and prevention
- Any scans or neurology referrals
- Days off work in recent years
Scans and investigations
If you have had a CT or MRI scan of your head, the insurer will want to know the result. A normal scan reassures the underwriter that the headaches are migraines and nothing that needs a different assessment.
If you are waiting for tests or a neurology appointment, an insurer may postpone until the results are in. Once a clear diagnosis of migraine is confirmed, terms usually follow quickly and the wait is often short.
Terms for life cover and income protection
Standard life cover is the usual outcome for migraines. Even frequent attacks seldom change the price, because migraines are not, in most cases, linked to a shorter life. Some insurers ask a few more questions about migraine with aura, but the result is often the same.
Income protection is different. If migraines have caused time off work, some insurers add an exclusion for headaches and migraines. That still leaves you covered for other illnesses and injuries. People with occasional attacks and little time off often get full cover.
Accurate answers keep the policy safe
Migraine prescriptions and GP visits are in your records. Declare them if asked, along with any scans or specialist referrals. Leaving them out could affect a claim later, even a claim for something unrelated.
Be precise about time off. Saying you missed two days last year is clearer than saying you sometimes miss work, and it gives the insurer what it needs without guesswork. A migraine diary, if you keep one, can help you get the numbers right.
Hormonal migraines linked to periods, pregnancy or the menopause are common, and so are migraines set off by poor sleep or long hours at a screen. If you know your triggers and have reduced attacks by managing them, include that. It shows the underwriter the condition is understood and under control.
How Hi Tomorrow helps with migraines
For life cover, we can usually move quickly, as migraines seldom hold an application up. For income protection, we look at how each insurer on our panel treats migraines and compare the exclusion wording, so you know what would and would not be paid.
We also help you describe your migraines accurately so the underwriter sees the real picture. If a longer deferred period would lead to fuller cover, we explain the trade-off.