Getting Life Insurance with an Eating Disorder

Hey Nick,

My girlfriend had an eating disorder (bulimia) in the past. She’s grand now but has been declined by two insurance companies recently. Can you help her get cover? We’ve just had a baby and are buying our first house so we need mortgage protection. We never knew it would cause such a problem.

Thanks in advance
Graham

Can you get life insurance with an eating disorder?

You can get life insurance if you’ve suffered from an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia in the past.

It shouldn’t result in an immediate decline as long as you have made a full recovery.

• As with all health issues, make sure you apply to the most sympathetic insurer for your condition.

What information do the insurers look for?

The most important factors the underwriters look for when assessing an application for life insurance with an eating disorder are:

• Type of eating disorder (eg bulimia, anorexia)
  
• When you had it, how long it lasted?
• Current height/weight
• Lowest weight
• What treatment did you have?
• How did you respond to it?
• Was there a psychiatric diagnosis
• Any related mental health issues?
• Type of cover (life insurance, mortgage protection, serious illness)
• Age

How much will my life insurance quote be?

This is hard to say but if your BMI is under 18, you would be looking at an increase of 50% on the normal price for someone in perfect health.

If there have been complications related to your eating disorder, your price will be higher.

Click here to see how much your cover would be with no health issues.

How can I improve my chances of getting life insurance with an eating disorder?

Maintain a healthy weight over the long term (at least 12 months). The longer you are a healthy weight, the less chance of a relapse and this is so important from the life insurance companies point of view.

Over to you…

Have you made a full recovery from your eating disorder and would now like to give yourself the best chance of getting life insurance?

But you’re a little hesistant to talk about your health history?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone, we’ve helped a lot of people in similar situations.

Have a read through what our clients have said.

You’ve come to the right place, we know which company is the most sympathetic when it comes to life insurance with an eating disorder.

If you’d like me to make a recommendation on the types of cover you should consider based on where you are in life, please complete this questionnaire and I’ll be right back.

Nick McGowan
LION.ie | The Life Insurance Experts