What the application asks about your skin
Underwriters start with the type of psoriasis and how widespread it is. Plaque psoriasis on the elbows, knees and scalp reads very differently from a severe flare that covers large areas of the body, or from a pustular or erythrodermic form that needed hospital care.
Next comes treatment. Creams, ointments and scalp lotions suggest the condition is well managed day to day. Light therapy, methotrexate, ciclosporin or a biologic injection tell the insurer your specialist felt stronger treatment was needed, so expect a few extra questions about how long you have used it and how you respond.
- Type of psoriasis and the areas affected
- Current and past treatment, including injections
- Any hospital stays for a flare
- Joint pain or a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis
- Time off work in the last few years
When psoriasis affects the joints
Some people with psoriasis go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes stiff, swollen joints and sometimes swollen fingers or toes. If you have this diagnosis, the insurer will want to know which joints are involved, how mobile you are and what your rheumatologist prescribes.
For life cover this often still leads to standard terms or a modest loading. For income protection it matters more, because joint problems are a common reason people stop work for a while. An insurer may offer cover with an exclusion for joint conditions, or ask your doctor for a report before deciding.
The terms you could be offered
Most applicants with limited plaque psoriasis get standard terms on life cover. Where the condition is severe or needs medicines that suppress the immune system, some insurers add a small loading. A decline purely for psoriasis is unusual, though other conditions you have will be looked at alongside it.
Income protection and critical illness cover are assessed on their own merits. An exclusion for skin conditions, joint conditions or both is possible on income protection, particularly if flares have kept you off work. Nothing is decided until the insurer has your full answers, so treat any guide as a starting point.
Why the detail is worth giving
It can feel unnecessary to mention a skin condition when you are applying for life cover. If the form asks about it, answer in full. Your GP record will show prescriptions and referrals, and an insurer that later finds something left out can reduce or refuse a claim.
Giving the right detail also helps you. Saying you use a steroid cream twice a week and have never needed tablets paints a clear, positive picture. It often avoids a request for medical evidence, which keeps the application moving.
Photos are not needed, and the insurer will not ask to see your skin. What helps is knowing roughly when you were diagnosed, which treatments you have tried and when you last changed them. A quick look at your repeat prescription list before you start usually gives you everything the form will ask.
How Hi Tomorrow helps with psoriasis
We ask the questions an underwriter would ask before we approach anyone, so we know early whether your psoriasis is likely to matter at all. If you take a biologic or have psoriatic arthritis, we look first at insurers on our panel that tend to take a fair view of those details.
If you want income protection as well, we explain any exclusion in plain words so you know exactly what it would and would not pay for before you accept. Where one insurer offers narrower wording than another, we point that out.