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In many cases, yes.
Having had a stroke or TIA does not automatically rule you out of life insurance or mortgage protection in Ireland. We help people with this history every year.
That said, stroke is something insurers take seriously, and the details matter.
Two people with “a stroke” on paper can be treated very differently depending on what actually happened and how things look now.
The key is understanding how insurers assess risk — and applying in the right way, to the right insurer, at the right time.
A stroke and a TIA (often called a mini-stroke) are related, but they are not the same thing in underwriting terms.
A TIA involves a temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain, with symptoms resolving fully within 24 hours.
A stroke involves lasting damage.
That distinction can have a big impact on what cover is possible.
When an insurer looks at an application involving a stroke or TIA, they are usually trying to answer a few core questions.
Age matters more than people expect.
Counter-intuitively, the younger you are when you have a stroke, the more cautious insurers tend to be.
Strokes are statistically unusual in younger people. So when one occurs at a younger age, insurers worry more about underlying causes, recurrence risk, and what that might mean over a long policy term.
This is particularly true for men under 40.
In younger applicants, insurers will look much harder at what caused the stroke, whether there are any unresolved risk factors, and whether the event was fully explained or remains unexplained.
By contrast, a stroke later in life, with clear causes and good recovery, can sometimes be easier to assess from an underwriting point of view.
Ischaemic strokes (caused by a blockage) are assessed differently to haemorrhagic strokes (caused by a bleed and usually more serious).
TIA cases are usually assessed separately again.
Recent events are more difficult to insure.
If a stroke or TIA occurred within the last number of months, insurers will often postpone a decision to allow time for recovery and follow-up.
Insurers will want to know whether there are any lasting neurological effects, and if so, how significant they are.
Things like blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking history, heart rhythm issues and medication are known as “risk factors” and they all matter. Well-controlled risk factors help. Poorly controlled ones make getting cover harder.
One isolated event is very different to multiple strokes or repeated TIAs.
Every case is assessed individually, but in broad terms:
This is exactly why applying blindly can be risky. A refusal can make it harder to get cover eslewhere because you will have to disclose that decision to the next insurer you apply to
The most common issue we see isn’t the medical history itself.
It’s applying too quickly, to the wrong insurer, with incomplete context.
Once an application is formally declined, other insurers will ask about it. That can limit options that might otherwise have been available.
This is why we speak to underwriters informally first, without names attached, before any application goes in.
If your stroke or TIA was many years ago and your health has remained stable, it can sometimes make sense to review existing cover.
We regularly see people still paying premiums based on risk that no longer reflects their current situation.
If you’ve had a stroke or TIA and are thinking about life insurance or mortgage protection, the safest approach is:
This isn’t about delaying for the sake of it. It’s about protecting your options.
If you’d like us to assess your situation properly, the simplest next step is to complete the medical questionnaire below.
We’ll review it, speak to underwriters anonymously where appropriate, and come back to you with a clear picture of what’s possible before any formal application is made.
Thanks for reading
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, an independent Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people navigate complex medical underwriting for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you’d like straight answers without the sales pitch, learn more about Nick here.
As Ireland's leading life insurance broker, we specialise in comparing the rates and policies from the top five Irish life insurance providers and offering the very best value quotes to suit the individual needs of our clients. Our expertise lies in finding a suitable insurance plan for those with specific needs, be it a particular illness, occupation or claim history, we've got you covered in every sense!
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