Life insurance for high risk applicants

Are you aged over 50, have a pre-existing medical condition or undertake a risky job?

Think you may need high risk life insurance?

Not a problem. At Reassured we’ve many years of experience helping customers from all walks of life secure the cover they need, at an affordable price.

Even if you’ve been declined cover in the past, Reassured may be able to help.

Our specialist impaired life insurance team have arranged protection for 45% of applicants declined elsewhere.

Our award-winning broker service is fee-free - so get in touch today and take the steps towards protecting your loved ones.

In this article, we focus on how risky hobbies or a dangerous occupation affect your life insurance and how to save on your high risk life insurance premiums.

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What is high risk life insurance?

High risk life insurance is simply another way to describe a life insurance policy that provides cover for a high risk applicant.

A high risk applicant is statistically more likely to make a claim on their life insurance policy, due to certain risk factors.

In this case, insurers mitigate the heightened risk of a pay out by charging higher life insurance premiums.

However, this should not deter you from being able to secure the affordable life cover you need to protect loved ones.

Get in touch with our award-winning team to secure your high risk life insurance today.

High risk life insurance calculator

Enter your financial commitments below to establish the level of high risk life insurance cover you need.

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£121,687 is the estimated average outstanding mortgage per household in the UK.

Our property is generally the largest financial commitment any of us will make.

Your life insurance should cover this significant debt should you no longer be around.
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According to Money Advice Service, full-time childcare in the UK now costs £242 a week.

The loss of a parent could result in the need for additional childcare whilst the surviving parent increases their hours to account for lost income.

Your life insurance cover should factor in this additional required outgoing.
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The average level of debt (minus a mortgage) in the UK is £15,385.

Factoring in any outstanding debts in your name when arranging life insurance ensures this burden is not passed to loved ones.
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You may wish to leave your loved ones an inheritance or lump sum gift upon your passing.

Factoring in the gift amount when arranging your cover will ensure the pay out amount will be sufficient to provide your loved ones with this selfless gesture.
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According to SunLife, the average cost of a UK funeral is now £4,417, whilst the total cost of dying is £9,493.

This is a 130% increase over the past 16 years and shows no signs of slowing down.

A significant cost which should be factored into the amount of life insurance you secure.
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If you are one of the 65% of the UK who are lucky enough to have savings, this could be used as protection if you were to pass away.

Any pay outs from existing life insurance policies and investments can also be used as financial protection for your loved ones if you were no longer around.

Factor this into your required cover amount.
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Your total cover estimate

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Let us find your best available quotes.

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High risk life insurance companies

There are high risk life insurance companies, but you don't necessarily need to secure cover from them directly.

This is because what’s deemed as high risk differs between insurers, and you may be able to secure standard life cover even if you think you may be high risk.

At Reassured, we work with a panel of major insurers as well as smaller specialists, so we’re well equipped to help you find the right cover.

Our consultants are highly trained in understanding the different criteria of each insurer.

This means we’re able to provide you with quotes from insurers willing to offer you cover.

What is deemed as a high risk on a life insurance application?

Your life insurance application may become high risk due to a number of factors.

This could be your:

  • Age
  • Health
  • Smoking status
  • Weight/BMI
  • Lifestyle
  • Occupation
  • Hobbies

For example, if you’re over 50 and/or have a pre-existing medical condition then you may fall into the high risk category and could pay higher premiums.

Elements of your lifestyle may also flag your application as high risk.

For example, if you smoke, are overweight and/or drink alcohol excessively.

It also makes sense that high risk life insurance applies to certain jobs.

For example, police officers, military personnel and some sporting professionals are faced with life-threatening situations every day.

Furthermore, if you regularly take part in dangerous sports and/or hobbies then you may expect to pay higher premiums to compensate for the additional risk you pose.

And the catch-22 is that if you’re high risk, you may feel a greater need to put protection in place - especially if you have dependants that rely on your income.

Continue reading as we expand on some of the risk factors and how you could save money on your premiums…

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Life insurance for high risk sports & hobbies

We all enjoy some thrill-seeking every now and again – but if you take part in regular extreme sports or dangerous hobbies, then you could be on the insurer’s risk list.

Some of the activities which are classed as high risk by insurers include:

Motorsports:

Watersports:

  • Scuba diving
  • Surfing
  • Water-skiing
  • Wakeboarding
  • Some types of boating
  • Deep-sea fishing

From the sky:

  • Hang gliding
  • Flying
  • Skydiving
  • Parachuting
  • Hot air ballooning

Outdoor pursuits:

  • Rock climbing
  • Abseiling
  • Canyoning
  • Mountaineering
  • Hunting
  • Shooting

Life insurance for high risk occupations

Occupations classed as high risk can vary depending on the insurer.

This is why it’s important to either shop around yourself or use a life insurance broker to compare quotes, such as Reassured.

As a general rule, insurers deem you a higher risk if you:

  • Regularly work at height (12 metres+)
  • Work in a job where your car mileage is very high
  • Work in a hazardous environment, i.e. building site
  • Work underwater or underground
  • Work with explosives, pyrotechnics or dangerous chemicals
  • Operate heavy machinery
  • Often undertake heavy lifting

Example risky occupations include:

  • Soldier
  • Offshore oil or gas worker
  • Airline pilot
  • Motorbike courier
  • Professional sportsperson
  • Rally driver or race driver
  • Bus, lorry, HGV or coach driver
  • Policeman/woman
  • Fireman/woman
  • Fisherman or trawler
  • Prison officer
  • Bartender
  • Taxi driver

The above is not a complete list of high risk occupations, merely a guide of the most common.

If your job is on this list, get in touch with a member of our team to find out how we can help you secure affordable life insurance.

How much does high risk life insurance cost?

At Reassured, we can arrange life insurance cover from a few pounds a week.

The cost of high risk life insurance will depend on the specifics of your risky job and/or hobby, as well as your age, health, and smoking status.

Based on these factors, the insurer is able to make a decision on the level of risk you may pose.

The results of this assessment will determine the cost of your monthly premium.

Of course, the type of policy and the level of cover you apply for, are also taken into account to calculate your monthly premium.

The cost of high risk life insurance will vary significantly between insurers.

That’s why it’s important to compare multiple quotes to find the best one to suit your needs, which you can do using a broker, such as Reassured.

Challenge a member of our team today to save you money on your high risk life insurance.

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How does high risk life insurance work?

High risk life insurance works in the same way as any other life insurance.

If you were to pass away whilst cover’s in place, and a successful claim is made, then a pay out will be issued to your loved ones.

As mentioned, you may have to pay a higher premium if you take part in risky activities or work a dangerous job.

You may also need to provide more information and answer a few more questions regarding your circumstances.

But besides this, the younger and the healthier you are will reflect positively on the options available to you and the cost of your premiums.

High risk life insurance arranged through Reassured also won’t exclude any cause of death as a result of your high risk job or hobby.

This means that, as long as you’ve made a full disclosure of your circumstances on the application, loved ones will be able to make a successful claim.

Non-disclosure

It may be tempting to lie about your circumstances on application, to save money on your high risk life insurance premium.

This is known as non-disclosure.

Whilst this may work in the short term, lying on your application will invalidate your life insurance policy.

This means a pay out may not be issued, and your long-term, selfless investment could be wasted.

It’s important to make a full disclosure of your circumstances so that any eventuality is covered and your loved ones are protected.

As mentioned, there are no exclusions with high risk life insurance policies arranged through Reassured.

Get in touch with our award-winning team today to arrange the financial protection of your loved ones.

Starting a new risky job or hobby

Taking on a new high risk job or deciding to partake in a new risky hobby once your life insurance is already in place, doesn’t invalidate your policy.

As long as you were truthful at the point of application, it’s not necessary for you to declare this change in your circumstances.

However, it could still be in your benefit to inform your insurer in case it causes your death.

If you were to pass away as a result of your new job or hobby, your insurer could contest the claim (during the first 2 years of the policy) and your beneficiaries could risk being denied a pay out.

This is because the start date of your new circumstances may not have been documented and therefore, it could be deemed that you lied at application.

Self-employed jobs

If you happen to be self-employed, it’s usually even more important that you secure life insurance.

Especially if you’re self-employed and in a high risk occupation.

This is because you don’t benefit from the cover offered through your employers, such as death in service and sickness benefit.

Everything is your responsibility, and if you’re unable to work your loved ones could suffer financially.

It's quick and easy to compare multiple high risk life insurance quotes using our award-winning broker service.

Save money and time by getting in touch with Reassured today.

Best high risk life insurance

The best life insurance for you will depend on what it is you’re looking to cover.

At Reassured, we compare quotes from a variety of the best life insurance providers who offer different forms of life cover.

These include:

Each policy type is tailored to protect different aspects of your life.

For example, term life insurance provides cover for a specified length of time and therefore is ideal to cover a mortgage.

Or, if you have young family that is dependent on your income, then family income benefit (FIB) may be more suitable.

Upon your death, FIB provides your family with a regular, tax-free income.

At the end of the day, the best life insurance will depend on your own personal circumstances.

Though bear in mind, you may have limited or less flexible life cover options if you’re high risk.

Get in touch with Reassured today to discover your best option.

Lifestyle and high risk life insurance

There are elements of your lifestyle that could affect the cost of your life insurance, or your ability to secure cover.

Smoking

A smoker will pay higher premiums due to the health implications of smoking that could have a negative impact on your lifespan.

Insurers also class vapers and e-cigarette users as smokers, as a cotinine test won’t distinguish the difference.

If you quit smoking today, after 12 months of being smoke-free, you could save significantly on your premiums.

Alcohol

Alcohol misuse can be seriously harmful to your health in the short and long term.

You may be deemed high risk if you have more than 15 alcoholic drinks a week.

If you exceed 40 units a week, then you may be required to undergo a medical exam. 

Limiting your alcohol consumption will reflect positively on your life insurance application.

Weight (BMI)

It goes without saying that being overweight brings a range of health problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Generally, insurers will assess the level of risk (and the cost of your premiums) by looking at your weight in correlation to your age.

For example, a 40-year-old with a BMI of 41 will pay a higher premium than a 60-year-old with the same BMI.

In any case, having a BMI of 30 or over may place you in the high risk category.

At Reassured, we work with specialist insurer The Exeter who’re able to find affordable cover for high risk individuals.

Cover with The Exeter can’t be arranged directly, so contact Reassured today to determine if they’re the right insurer for you.

How to get high risk life insurance (compare quotes)

If you take part in risky hobbies or have a dangerous job, you could be placed in the high risk category.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to compare multiple quotes as some insurers may penalise you more than others.

At Reassured we can save you time and money by comparing a range of UK insurers - at no cost.

By comparing quotes from some of the UK’s leading providers, we can help you find the cover you need at the most cost-effective price, even if you do choose to spend your weekends living life on the edge.

Get in touch with our award-winning team to arrange the financial protection of your loved ones.

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