Life Insurance for People With Diabetes: What You Need to Know in 2025
Finding affordable life cover with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes is easier than ever — here’s why.
For many years, life insurance for people living with diabetes felt almost impossible to secure. High premiums, strict medical assessments and frequent declines left thousands feeling shut out of essential protection for their families and mortgages.
But the market has changed — significantly.
With diabetes now affecting millions of people across the UK, insurers are finally adapting their underwriting, improving their understanding of the condition, and offering far more accessible options. If you’ve previously struggled to get life cover because of diabetes, 2025 could be your year to try again.
At
Prosper Mortgage Solutions, we specialise in protection advice — including helping clients with chronic health conditions find suitable, affordable life insurance. Here’s everything you need to know before applying.
Why Diabetic Life Cover Used to Be Difficult
Traditional life insurance underwriting was built around “ideal” health profiles. Anyone with ongoing medical conditions, especially those linked to cardiovascular risk was seen as a higher-risk applicant.
For diabetics, this meant:
- Higher premiums
- Delays while insurers requested GP reports
- Inconsistent decisions
- Frequent “declines” for those with complications
The challenge wasn’t only the risk itself. Historically, insurance providers lacked detailed understanding of how diabetes truly affects long-term health. Two people with very similar readings could receive completely different outcomes simply because underwriting models weren’t advanced enough to differentiate the individual risks.
Why Things Are Changing for Diabetics
The number of people diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes has grown massively over the past two decades. With more data available, insurers have been able to work closely with medical experts to:
- Understand the condition and its variations
- Recognise the importance of good long-term management
- Improve fairness in underwriting
- Develop products specifically designed for diabetics
Today, diabetic life insurance is far more accessible, and sometimes more affordable, than ever before.
If you were declined in the past, it’s absolutely worth reviewing the market again.
New: Incentivised Life Cover for Diabetes
One of the most exciting developments is the introduction of incentive-based policies.
These policies reward good diabetic management over time.
Here’s how it works:
- You provide your HbA1c reading each year
- If your results improve, your premium may go down
- If your results worsen, your premium stays the same — it will never increase above the original rate
This structure gives applicants peace of mind while encouraging healthy long-term habits.
What Insurers Need to Give You the Best Price
Being prepared can make a huge difference to the premium you’re offered. Before applying for life insurance with diabetes, try to have:
- Date of diagnosis
- Latest HbA1c result
- Details of any medication
- History of diabetic complications
- Relevant family medical history
- Whether your condition is Type 1 or Type 2
- Height, weight, and lifestyle details
Insurers often view lack of information as lack of condition management — which could increase your premium unnecessarily. Being organised helps show you’re in control of your health.
Can You Get Life Cover for a Mortgage If You Have Diabetes?
Absolutely!!! And in many cases, the process is smoother than ever.
Insurers now regularly provide:
- Level term life insurance (to protect your family or mortgage)
- Decreasing term life insurance (to match your repayment mortgage)
- Critical illness cover options, depending on your HbA1c and medical stability
- Joint life policies for couples where one partner has diabetes
At Prosper Mortgage Solutions, we review the whole market to find the most suitable insurer based on your medical profile — not just the “big names.”
Why Use a Specialist Protection Adviser?
Online comparison sites can rarely cater properly to people with diabetes. Many clients come to us after being quoted extremely high premiums online or declined completely.
A specialist adviser can:
- Identify insurers who are most sympathetic to diabetes
- Present your medical history correctly to underwriters
- Avoid unnecessary declines
- Help you secure the most competitive premium
- Provide protection advice tied to your mortgage needs
Our goal is to make sure you’re fully protected, without overpaying.
Ready to Explore Life Cover With Diabetes?
If you’ve been told in the past that life insurance isn’t possible, things have changed.
Whether you’re securing life cover for a new mortgage, protecting a family, or reviewing older cover, we’re here to help you navigate the market confidently.
Get in touch with Prosper Mortgage Solutions today for a free, no-obligation review.
We’ll help you find affordable, fair and tailored life insurance options that reflect you — not outdated assumptions about diabetes
Important Information
- If premiums are not maintained, your cover will cease.
- The plan ends at the end of the selected term.
- Life insurance availability and premiums depend on individual circumstances, medical underwriting, and insurer criteria.
Need help preparing for your mortgage application?
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📞 Call us on 07825 770882 or book a free consultation - we’ll help you get mortgage-ready with confidence.
