Can I get life insurance with Gilbert’s syndrome after being postponed?
Our client
Our client Mr H, a 42-year-old man had been applying directly to insurers for life insurance. He wanted to ensure that he had financial cover. To protect young family and mortgage should he pass away. Unfortunately, he found that the outcome was the same with every insurer. That his application would be postponed. This means that he was declined cover but could reapply at a later date.
He got in touch and gave us the task of helping him. Asking us to find an insurer who would offer him immediate cover. We discovered that the reason, he was being declined cover was because he had a mysterious health condition. Doctors were so far unable to give him an official diagnosis. Mr H was obviously becoming increasingly distressed about having no financial protection in place.
Mr H also enquired about critical illness cover. But, as he had been postponed many times for life cover, we advised him to apply for life cover only to begin with.
His mortgage had a loan outstanding of £220,000 over a remaining term of 19 years, on an interest only basis.
The medical condition
Mr H was originally thought to have Leukaemia. After receiving varying diagnoses from Lymphoma and non-alcoholic fatty liver, doctors finally determined he had Gilbert’s Syndrome.
Gilbert’s syndrome (GS) is a condition whereby you have higher than normal amounts of bilirubin in your blood. Bilirubin is a yellow substance found naturally in the blood, which forms as a by-product when old red blood cells are broken down.
GS is actually relatively common. It is thought to affect about one person in 20, (approximately 4% of the population), although some estimates are higher. It affects both males and females and is thought to be hereditary, meaning that it could be caused by a family genes. (NHS February 2018)
A significant increase in your bilirubin levels may lead to jaundice. Which is a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. Although it is seen more in the eyes. As bilirubin levels are usually only slightly increased, it is likely to take a medically trained person to observe jaundice in your skin appearance.
Jaundice may become more obvious if you become stressed. Ill with an infection (particularly a viral illness), starved or dehydrated, conditions not in themselves directly related to the disorder. Menstruation might also be a factor in sparking off higher bilirubin levels in women.
Gilbert’s Syndrome is, in fact, a harmless condition. It is not a disease and it is possible that you may not even know you have it.
Our process and advice
We felt that we could use our wealth of insurance and medical underwriting knowledge to help Mr H obtain the cover he needed.
Once we had a good understanding of his situation, requirements and medical history we started our research process.
This involves us contacting many, and in some cases all, of the UK’s leading insurers to discuss our client’s requirements. The purpose of this is to establish how they might treat his application.
As the client had been postponed previously and the process of diagnosis had taken a long time, most of the insurers wanted to obtain full details from the client’s GP.
By pre -underwriting as much as possible we are usually able to provide an idea of an outcome to avoid any nasty shocks.
The outcome
There was one provider that indicated they would possibly offer Critical Illness now that the diagnosis had been established. Mr H was happy to apply to them on this basis.
The provider was then able to offer Mr H life insurance with an increase on top of the initial premium of 50%. As a result, Mr H was very pleased. We were able to arrange a level term life or earlier terminal illness policy with a sum assured of £500,000 over a term of 19 years for a monthly premium of £54.32. Based on this positive outcome, he is now looking to acquire a critical illness policy.
Client Id 121447540
Please note that any premiums mentioned are indicative only. Based on this specific case study/ example, which is shown for information purposes only. Your own circumstances will determine whether the amount payable is more or less than the figure quoted.
Next steps
Whilst you are welcome to get a quote online, we would recommend you speak to one of our advisers.
Any quote that your adviser provides you with will take into account your circumstances and medical history, as well as your budget!
An online quote is just that – a quote – it isn’t a definite offer of cover. What really matters is the premium you are offered, after your application has been assessed.
Call Freephone 0800 644 4468 – Monday to Thursday from 09.00 to 19.00 and on Friday between 09.00 and 17.00.
Please feel free to read our Independent client reviews, or read about the team at Future Proof
Call me backInterested in related stories?
Jon’s moving story – being diagnosed with cancer.
The protection industry pays out over £5.7bn in claims in 2019
What questions will an adviser ask me?
Why you can trust Future Proof.
The benefits of an index-linked insurance policy
Take a look at our handy guides ‘What Cover is Right for me?’
Do you suffer from a medical condition and concerned you can’t secure Life Insurance? Please view our ‘Medical Guides’ for further information.
Whilst we will make every endeavour to help someone to arrange insurance, there is no guarantee of success. All applications are subject to underwriting.
Links to third-party websites exist for information only, and we accept no responsibility or liability for the information contained on any such sites.
The existence of a link to another website does not imply or express
endorsement of its provider, products or services by us or St. James’s Place.
