Epilepsy life insurance – can you secure cover?

Epilepsy statistics UK

Epilepsy is a growing illness in the UK, with more than half a million people being diagnosed as epileptic.

It’s a neurological condition which causes seizures and 87 new people are diagnosed daily with having epilepsy^[1].

The good news is that over 50% of sufferers now live seizure-free due to being medicated.

Epilepsy can affect anyone at any age and 5% of us will experience a seizure at some point in our lifetime.

Unfortunately, epilepsy brings added health risks, making it even more important for sufferers to protect their loved ones with life insurance.

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Epilepsy and life insurance

Having adequate life insurance in place ensures that if something were to happen to you, your loved ones wouldn’t suffer financially.

Life insurance can:

• Clear the mortgage
• Settle any debt in your name
• Cover the cost of your funeral
• Allow your family to continue their existing lifestyle.

It’s often believed that all epileptics experience increased premiums, restricted protection or potentially even being declined when applying for life insurance.

But, this isn’t necessarily true.

It’s possible to obtain full cover at a standard premium if your condition is well controlled and you don’t experience any other significant medical conditions.

However, it’s always best to compare quotes from multiple insurers to ensure you’re receiving the right cover at the best price…

This is something we can do for you here at Reassured, completely free of charge.

Can you get life insurance if you have epilepsy?

The good news is yes.

It’s possible to arrange life insurance if you suffer from epilepsy and in some instances, you don’t even require specialist cover.

Suffers from Petit Mal epilepsy (no loss of consciousness) who control their condition through medication and haven’t experienced a seizure in the past 5 years are likely to be able to arrange standard cover.

Those who suffer from Grand Mal epilepsy (loss of consciousness), or those who experience Petit Mal attacks more than once a week, are likely to be able to arrange standard cover but will experience loaded premiums.

Any other medical conditions will also be taken into account and may affect the cost of your premiums or ability to be accepted.

For those who have recently been diagnosed with epilepsy, it’s usually required that stabilisation of your condition is achieved before cover is accepted.

Sufferers of highly frequent or uncontrollable epilepsy, or those who have required hospitalisation/emergency treatment, may find it more difficult to find cover.

So even if you’re concerned about getting cover, contact us to see what options are available.

Does epilepsy affect life insurance premiums?

Like all forms of life insurance, epilepsy premiums are calculated based on the level of risk you pose to the insurer.

It takes into account your age, health, whether you smoke, the sum assured and policy type.

Sufferers of mild epilepsy with no other significant medical conditions are unlikely to experience inflated premiums if they have undergone 5 or more years without experiencing a seizure.

Petit Mal sufferers who have recently experienced an attack or Grand Mal sufferers may still be able to acquire life insurance cover using our specialist impaired team, but are likely to experience loaded premiums.

The cost of epilepsy life insurance premiums will differ significantly between insurers, making it essential to compare quotes.

Best life insurance for epilepsy

The best life insurance for epilepsy will depend on what it is you’re looking to protect and your available budget.

All of the various types of life insurance will be available to you even if you have epilepsy.

Although, different types of cover are better suited to covering different aspects of your life.

For example, if you’re on a tight budget and only want to cover your repayment mortgage, decreasing term cover may be best suited.

Whereas, if you’re aged over 60 and simply wish to cover the cost of your funeral, an over 50s plan may make more sense.

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Term life insurance for epilepsy

Term life insurance for epilepsy is no different than standard term life insurance.

You make monthly premium payments and if you pass away during the policy term, your loved ones will receive a cash lump sum.

There are two different types of term life insurance; level and decreasing.

Level term life insurance provides your loved ones with a fixed pay out regardless of when during the policy you pass away.

As a result, it’s ideal for covering aspects of your life which don’t change in value, such as an interest-only mortgage.

Decreasing term life insurance, on the other hand, provides your loved ones with a sum assured which reduces over the policy term.

This means that the further into the policy you pass away, the lesser amount your beneficiaries will receive.

As a result, decreasing term cover tends to be the cheapest option and is ideal for covering a repayment mortgage.

Whole of life insurance for epilepsy

Similar to level term, whole of life insurance provides your loved ones with a fixed lump sum, making it ideal for protecting similar aspects of your life.

However, unlike term-based insurance it doesn’t expire, meaning that a pay out is guaranteed.

Whole of life insurance is well suited to those in later life who are in good health.

Because this type of insurance lasts for the rest of your life, it’s possible that you can pay more into the policy than the sum assured. (Hence being best suited to the older generation).

Whole of life tends to be more expensive when compared to term life insurance for the same cover amount.

Over 50s life insurance for epilepsy

As discussed, it’s rare that your epilepsy would prevent you from being able to arrange life cover.

However, if this is the case or you also have another pre-existing condition which prevents you from securing cover, you do still have an option.

Over 50 life insurance provides guaranteed acceptance to all UK residents aged between 50-85.

The key benefit of this type of insurance is that no medical information is required, making it ideal for anyone who has previously struggled to obtain cover.

Unfortunately, because of this, insurers mitigate their risk by charging higher premiums and not offering a large sum assured, (£25,000 or less).

As a result, this type of policy tends to be used to cover funeral costs or leave your loved one’s inheritance.

If looking to cover larger aspects within your life and you haven’t experienced a Petit Mal attack in the past 5 years, it may be best to look at more traditional cover.

Epilepsy life insurance with pre-existing conditions

Applications with pre-existing conditions alongside epilepsy, particularly if directly linked, may require manual underwriting from a specialist.

Strokes, TIA/CVA and tumours are very common amongst those who suffer from epilepsy.

As a result, experiencing any of these could affect your ability to obtain standard cover.

At Reassured, our impaired risk team can help you arrange life insurance if you’ve otherwise found it difficult.

Simply get in touch to make the most of our award-winning (and free) brokerage service.

Life insurance underwriting epilepsy

When applying for life insurance, it’s likely no manual underwriting will be required and a policy can be issued as standard.

However, your medical information will be required to assess the level of risk you pose and to price your premiums accordingly.

You’ll be required to provide information on;

• Type of epilepsy (Petit Mal/ Grand Mal)
• Severity of attacks
• Date of diagnosis
• Date of last seizure
• Medication/control method
• Hospitalisation
• Underlying cause
• Any other medical conditions.

If your condition is particularly severe, you may still be able to obtain specialist cover with loaded premiums.

Contact our impaired risk specialists who can help you with this process.

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What if I have previously been declined life insurance due to epilepsy?

Previously being declined life insurance doesn’t necessarily mean cover is impossible to obtain.

The options available to you will depend on why you were declined.

If the severity of your condition is what caused you to be declined, it may be that you can get cover with a specialist insurer.

This is something our in-house impaired risk team can help with.

If you were declined because your condition is not yet stable, it may be that an insurer requires your epilepsy to be stabilised for a period of time before they’ll provide you with cover.

As a result, once this time period has passed (5 years with no seizures), you’ll be able to reapply for cover on standard terms.

Epilepsy with terminal illness cover

At Reassured, all life insurance policies we arrange include terminal illness cover as standard.

This means that if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness and predicted to die within 12 months, you can make an early claim.

This early pay out could help provide you financial peace of mind, prior to your passing.

Epilepsy with critical illness cover

Adding critical illness to your epilepsy life insurance means that if you were to be diagnosed with a serious, yet not terminal, illness, you could make a claim on your policy.

Once a claim has been made your cover will expire and will need to rearrange your life insurance.

Due to your epilepsy and the health implications, you may experience loaded premiums or exclusions.

Epilepsy-related illnesses may also be added as an exclusion to your policy, meaning if you’re diagnosed with a critical illness, i.e. a stroke due to your condition, your policy won’t pay out.

In severe cases all neurological conditions will be excluded in the disability section of your policy, meaning that if you become disabled as a result of a neurological malfunction, a pay out won’t be issued.

The pay out from a critical illness policy can be used to pay for private medical treatment, replace a lost income or simply to enjoy with your loved ones.

Is epilepsy a critical illness?

No, in life insurance terms epilepsy is not classified as a critical illness.

Although life-changing, if you’re diagnosed with epilepsy and have critical illness cover in place you aren’t able to make a claim as it’s not one of the illnesses covered.

Getting life insurance with epilepsy

As discussed, arranging life insurance as an epilepsy sufferer will vary depending on the severity and type of condition.

However, in most circumstances, arranging some form of cover is possible.

And provided you have Petit Mal epilepsy and haven’t experienced an attack for 5 years or more, standard cover may be an option.

For those who are finding things harder, contacting our impaired team will help you to acquire all the information required.

Compare epilepsy life insurance quotes, (save money)

The cost of epilepsy life insurance can vary significantly between insurers.

This makes it essential to compare quotes to ensure you secure the right policy, at the best deal.

At Reassured, we do the hard work for you, providing you with all the information needed to enable you to make an informed decision.

And our award-winning, FCA registered broker service is completely free to use.

Simply get in touch to obtain your no obligation quotes today.

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Sources:

[1] https://www.the-insurance-surgery.co.uk/medical-conditions-life-insurance/epilepsy-life-insurance-2/