Life Insurance with Autoimmune Diseases

Editor’s note: First published in 2017 | Fully refreshed in 2025 with new underwriting criteria, stable-condition guidance, and updated remission timelines.

If you’ve got an autoimmune condition, you’ve probably Googled life insurance at least once and thought: “This is going to be hassle.”

The good news?

It’s usually far less dramatic than people imagine.

Irish insurers see autoimmune conditions all the time — everything from coeliac to lupus — and most people still get cover without any major delays. The big thing underwriters look for is stability: how you’ve been doing recently, whether things are predictable, and if any organs are involved.

And before we dive into the details: you’re not alone and you’re not the “weird rare case” insurers have never seen. People, weirdly, often apologise to me for their medical history as if it’s their fault (but trust me — insurers have seen it all. Your condition will fit neatly into an underwriting pattern, even if it doesn’t feel that way to you)

Autoimmune disorders also sit on a huge spectrum. Some barely cause a ripple; others involve multiple systems. That’s why picking the right insurer matters so much. They all look at the same medical evidence… but each one interprets it differently. One might load 50%. Another might decline. Another might offer standard rates. Same condition, same person, wildly different outcomes.

Just last month, for example, I helped someone with psoriatic arthritis who’d already been declined twice. We tried a different insurer — one that’s more undertanding when it comes to inflammatory conditions — and she was approved with a manageable loading.

Mortgage protection sorted, panic over.

Same story, different insurer, different ending.

How Insurers Actually Assess Autoimmune Conditions

Underwriters love clarity. They’re basically trying to answer one question: “How are things going right now?”

When you apply, they’ll look at:

• When you were diagnosed
• How stable things have been over the past 6–12 months
• Any flare-ups, hospital visits or recent medication changes
• Your current treatment (especially steroids or immunosuppressants)
• Whether any major organs are involved
• Recent consultant reviews or test results

No one expects perfection — autoimmune conditions ebb and flow. They simply want reassurance that your condition is being managed and isn’t aggressively worsening. If things are settled, underwriting is usually very manageable.

Mild or Well-Controlled Autoimmune Conditions

This group is the easiest. If your condition is mild, stable and hasn’t caused trouble in years, underwriting tends to be very straightforward.

Examples we regularly see accepted at standard rates include:

• Crohn’s disease in long-term remission
• Coeliac disease
• Psoriasis (skin-only)
• Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (mild)
• Stable autoimmune thyroid disease

You might see a small loading if medication is ongoing, but many insurers won’t add anything at all.

Moderate Autoimmune Conditions

These tend to flare occasionally or need stronger medication. Still very insurable — the insurer just needs a clearer picture of your recent pattern.

Common examples:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Autoimmune hepatitis (in remission)

Loadings usually fall in the +50% to +150% range depending on flare frequency, treatment and stability.

Severe or Systemic Autoimmune Conditions

This group involves complex symptoms or multiple organs, so underwriting is more careful — but cover is possible in the best cases.

Examples include:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• Conditions with kidney, liver, heart, lung or CNS involvement
• Vasculitis conditions such as Behçet’s

If your diagnosis is very recent, insurers may postpone for 3–6 months.

It’s not a “no” — they just want to see that your treatment plan is bedding in.

Why Choosing the Right Insurer Matters

Here’s the part most people don’t realise: every insurer has its own internal rulebook. They all follow medical evidence, but they weigh things differently.

For example

• One isn’t bothered by low-dose steroids.
• Another sees the word “steroid” and out comes the red pen.

This is why applying blindly or just picking the cheapest quote online doesn’t work. The front-end premiums look identical — it’s the underwriting that varies dramatically.

Want Me to Check Your Case Anonymously?

If you’d prefer someone to quietly check your case before you apply, I can run your details (with no name attached) past all five insurers. It’s a quick way to avoid declines, wasted time and unnecessary stress.

Here’s what I can tell you:

• Which insurer is likely to give the lowest premium
• Who’s best for your specific condition
• Whether a medical report will be needed
• Whether a postponement is likely

Complete the autoimmune questionnaire — and I’ll do the rest.

Common Autoimmune Conditions We Help With

We regularly arrange cover for:

• Addison’s disease
• Autoimmune kidney/liver involvement
• Systemic lupus (SLE) (not gonna lie, this is one of the trickier ones)
• Coeliac disease
• Autoimmune thyroid disease
• Primary Sjögren’s syndrome
• Psoriasis (skin-only)
• Behçet’s disease (varies)

If your condition isn’t listed — don’t worry. There are dozens of autoimmune conditions, and insurers have guidelines for all of them.

Next Steps

If you’d like a real person (not a computer) to look at your case and tell you what’s realistic, just give me the basics and I’ll translate everything into “insurer language” for you.

Start the autoimmune questionnaire

Or drop me an email at nick@lion.ie.