Life Insurance with Mental Health Conditions

Life Insurance for Mental Health Issues

Overview

Insurers in general have a reputation for declining life insurance and other covers to those with Mental Health Conditions. Yet it is possible to find cover for many who have suffered mental health issues in the past and sometimes for those who are still being treated.

Every individual is affected differently at different times in life and so any attempt to generalise about the availability of Life Insurance is difficult to produce while being relevant, useful and accurate for everyone.

At the risk of such over-generalisation, if your condition has been stable for 6 months or more whether through medication which you are taking and/or other professional support, cover may be available.

If you have not yet approached mainstream insurers for Life Cover, this is a good first step, as cover may be available.

If however you have been declined for cover or only offered restricted cover because of your mental health condition, it may be that Pulse Insurance can help.

We are not always able to find cover, but we like to think if cover is available, we will find it.

Your Specific Mental Health Condition

Pulse have found cover for people with a wide range of mental health conditions or issues resulting from these.

We find that each person is best treated as an individual and so providing any generic guidance across all conditions is difficult.

If you have or are previously had any of the following conditions, events or issues which are linked – please select to review a limited amount of specific information. Otherwise, the details provided here are usually broadly relevant and helpful.

Our general Mental Health enquiry questions should allow you to adequately tell us enough about your condition and your Life Insurance requirements. 

Please add any details you feel are relevant and inform us of any additional medical conditions you may have.

If your Mental Health issue is not listed above, this does NOT mean we cannot help. The following more generic details are likely to be relevant and / or we will need to consider your very specific circumstances.

There are some situations where finding cover can be extremely difficult finding cover including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and recent suicide attempts (PTSD).

At Pulse Insurance, we believe if cover is available, we will be able to find it for you.

Life Insurance with a Mental Health Issue

Typically, the availability of Life Insurance once you have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder may become non-standard.

Your specific situation should be assessed fairly by every life underwriter and where there is increased risk, premiums may be increased and in a some instances the life cover sought may not always be available.

If you have been declined by some insurers already, our underwriters will want to fully understand your past and present health in detail before they will issue a policy.

The underwriters assessment will be based on medical reports and should focus upon:-

  • Nature and onset / event or trigger for the condition
  • Severity of condition
  • Medication & psychotherapy and counselling
  • Stability and control including taking prescribed medication
  • Number and timing of any suicide attempts

Recent suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts can make finding cover difficult or comparatively high cost where available. Conversely, where incidences took place some time ago, this will be taken into account relative to any predispositions or triggers you may have.

There is a wide variety and depth of complexity to be appreciated and that drive the cost and availability of Life Insurance for Mental Health Disorders. 

NB If you are still being treated as an in-patient in a hospital or is being detained under the mental health act then we are not going to be able to find cover.

Other Conditions or Complications 

Sometimes a Mental Health Disorders or even Mental Health Disorders treatment itself can bring other health complications or be affected by other per-existing medical conditions. These may have a bearing on the availability and cost of Life Insurance.

 If you need a specialist underwriter 

Pulse specialise in taking your Mental Health Disorders and any other specific conditions and needs into account and finding you Life Insurance cover, if it is available.  

We use our knowledge and experience to find a solution when other Life Insurers have declined to quote.

Why Pulse Insurance?

  • Pulse Insurance have been focused on finding unusual cover since 1998
  • We strive to offer caring and sensitive service
  • We are knowledgeable insurance professionals who work as a team
  • We provide a personal service to guide you through
  • If we cannot help, it will not be for the want of trying or know-how

While finding cover for everyone is not always possible and the premium will be higher to reflect increased risk, we like to think we are rather good at helping people find the cover they need.

In many of Mental Health Disorders cases we can offer indicative premiums and/or sense of if cover may be available or not early on; so, you can decide to proceed or not. Sometimes however, we may need to await receipt of detailed Medical Report(s), the underwriters will arrange and pay for these if you take out cover. 

Being Transparent

It is always important to declare your Mental Health Disorders and any other medical conditions completely.

Your Health & Beyond

Every person who lives with Mental Health issues knows that their condition and any complications will be in some way unique to them. Other aspects of your physical health and lifestyle can separately impact your risk and the cover available. These will be explicitly considered when determining the fair premium, you would pay. 

Your Pulse underwriting specialist will look to gain a detailed picture of your mental health and you should take care to disclose everything.

As you have a medical condition, it is possible that underwriters will need to seek a Doctor’s report or for you to undergo medical examinations or other tests that will confirm your health to allow them to quote an accurate premium and confirm cover details. The costs involved in obtaining the medical information are usually paid by the underwriter, but if not, you will be informed before they are requested.

Pulse will never sell your details to anyone. We will use your details to provide the service you have asked for according to the permissions you grant us– read our Privacy and Data Protection policy in full.

Additional Covers

Pulse may be able to offer covers beyond everyday Life Insurance to give you the peace of mind and protection you desire.

The reasons you may need life cover may be simple or complex, but having the right covers brings peace of mind for you and your family.

Useful Mental Health Disorders resources

We suspect if you have read this far, you are relatively well informed about your Mental Health. 

You may know of or find useful information or specific external resources provided on these NHS pages; although Pulse are inevitably not responsible or in control of the accuracy or nature of the information provided.

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth/Pages/Mentalhealthhome.aspx

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