Can I Get Critical Illness Cover With a Family History of Cancer?

Does a Family History of Cancer Mean I Can’t Get Insurance?

The short answer to this question is no – a family history of cancer will not necessarily prevent you from being accepted for Critical Illness Insurance policy.

However, while getting Critical Illness Cover with a family history of cancer is possible, policies differ in which illnesses they cover should you be accepted.

For instance, not all cancers are covered by every Critical Illness policy, and less severe stages of the disease also may not be covered.

Overall, each insurer is unique by how they assess your individual risk and how they will price your policy.

Find an insurer who covers cancer

It is safe to say that all critical illness policies cover multiple cancers (depending on the severity), but not all. With a family history of cancer, it would be logical to try and find an insurer who would also cover you if you were also to suffer cancer in the future.

Insurers would consider a number of factors before making their decision, such as:

• Which family member(s) have had cancer?
• What type of cancer were they diagnosed with?
• How old were they when diagnosed?
• Is the cancer hereditary?

All of these factors help the insurer build a picture of the risk that you bring to a critical illness policy.

How speaking with a insurance expert can help

It’s best to get expert Critical Illness Insurance advice, as your adviser will be able to point you in the direction of the most comprehensive policy that covers the highest number of conditions with the broadest definitions of illnesses covered.

What we can do for you is pre-empt these questions and then speak directly to the person who is going to underwrite your policy at each insurer.

This will give us a good indication of which insurer is going to be most favourable to you.

Possible outcomes would be:

• All cancers (as well as other critical illnesses) are covered
• Exclusion to the particular type of cancer your family has been diagnosed with
• All cancers are excluded from the policy
• All cancers are protected, although your premium will be increased to help negate the risk to the insurer