Life insurance and kidney disease
Millions of us know someone with kidney disease. In fact, according to Kidney Research UK data from 2023, more than 10% of the UK population has chronic kidney disease. But how does kidney failure or disease impact your life insurance policy?
Yes, it’s possible to get life insurance with kidney disease. However an insurer will want to understand more about your condition. A condition can range from milder problems such as kidney stones to severe health challenges like chronic kidney disease.
Whether you can get a policy and whether your condition increases the cost depends on a range of factors. This includes:
- The severity of your kidney condition
- Your medical history
- Health and lifestyle factors such as your weight, smoker status and alcohol usage.
If you choose L&G for life insurance you'll answer some health and lifestyle questions. It's important to provide as much information about your kidney condition as possible. If we need more details, we may arrange a telephone call or medical exam before we make a decision on your life insurance application.
Yes, it’s possible that you can get life insurance with kidney stones. This is a common condition that affects more than one in 10 people. We would want to know more about your condition as it could increase the cost of life insurance. For example:
- What is the severity of your kidney stones? For example, has it caused an infection or impacted your daily life?
- Have you received medical treatment for your kidney stones?
- Do you have any other medical conditions that are linked to your kidney stones? One example would be polycystic kidney disease.
You can learn more about kidney stones through the NHS website.
The average cost of L&G Life Insurance was £27.30 per month in 2024. Paying the average wouldn’t mean you'll have the right amount of cover. Younger customers are likely to get more protection for the price. Health and lifestyle also affect the cost of life insurance. So, if you have kidney disease, your life insurance could cost more.
Try our life insurance calculator for a simple way to estimate how much cover you need. If you already know what you want, you can get a quote. This would give you an idea about the cost of life insurance for somebody your age in typical health.
Life insurance with kidney failure
We can help some customers with kidney disease get a life insurance policy. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to insure somebody with kidney failure. This is because there are some important differences between kidney disease and kidney failure.
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term health condition where your kidneys are unable to function as they normally would.
- In contrast, kidney failure is a severe phase of kidney disease where your kidneys stop working. It can be life-threatening if left untreated.
- According to the NHS, around one in ten people with kidney disease go on to experience kidney failure.
If you have an L&G Critical Illness Cover policy, you will be covered for kidney failure if it requires permanent dialysis. Critical Illness Cover can be added when taking out Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance for an extra cost.
If you have undergone surgery for a kidney transplant, you could still get life insurance. However, you may need to take part in a medical examination so that your insurer is satisfied that you have recovered from the surgery, and that your kidney is able to function as it should.
If you’re on a waiting list for a kidney transplant, you insurer might delay the outcome of your application until the surgery has taken place.
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