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Editor’s note: First published June 2019 | Fully rebuilt in 2026 to reflect current Irish underwriting practice and how digestive conditions are actually assessed today.
If you’ve been diagnosed with a digestive condition and you’re thinking about life insurance or mortgage protection, it’s normal to worry that this could complicate things.
The good news is that for many people, it doesn’t.
What insurers care about isn’t the headline name of the condition. It’s whether things are settled, whether investigations are finished, and whether there’s anything progressive or unresolved going on.
This page walks through how the most common digestive conditions are viewed in practice, including an important distinction that often gets missed.
Important distinction: IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis) are not the same thing medically, and insurers assess them very differently. This page explains how each is treated in real underwriting.
Before getting into individual conditions, there’s one issue that comes up again and again.
If you’re waiting on an investigation like a colonoscopy, endoscopy, or further gastrointestinal tests, insurers will usually pause an application until results are back.
That’s not a decline.
It’s a postponement.
Insurers won’t make a decision while something potentially serious is still being ruled out. Once investigations confirm what’s going on, applications usually move quickly.
If you know tests are coming up, getting advice before applying can save a lot of wasted time.
IBS is a functional bowel condition. It isn’t inflammatory and doesn’t cause permanent damage to the gut.
From an insurance point of view, that matters.
For most people, IBS on its own isn’t a problem.
We deal with IBS cases all the time. In most cases, the insurers offer life insurance and mortgage protection at the standard price once investigations are complete.
Where people run into trouble isn’t the diagnosis itself.
It’s applying while tests are still ongoing.
Insurers will usually ask about symptom frequency, severity, impact on work, and what checks were done to rule out other conditions. If those answers are clear, that’s often the end of it.
Stress or anxiety alongside IBS is common and usually doesn’t change outcomes on its own.
In plain English: once IBS is confirmed and nothing else is lurking, it rarely affects pricing.
IBD includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
These are inflammatory conditions, so insurers assess them more cautiously than functional conditions like IBS.
What underwriters are really trying to understand isn’t the diagnosis itself. It’s how active the condition has been, how it’s being managed, and whether things are genuinely settled.
In practice, insurers will usually look at:
Mild, well-controlled cases often still qualify for cover.
Sometimes that’s at the normal price.
Sometimes there’s a premium increase, depending on the insurer and the timing.
More active or complicated cases may face higher premiums, exclusions, or a postponement until things settle. That can be frustrating, but it isn’t the same as a permanent no.
If you’ve already been declined or postponed because of Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, that doesn’t automatically mean you can’t get cover.
In many cases, it means the application was made too early, while investigations were still ongoing, or to an insurer that takes a particularly cautious view of inflammatory conditions.
This is one area where insurer choice really matters.
Different underwriting teams assess IBD very differently. Applying to the wrong insurer first can leave you stuck with an outcome that has to be disclosed again and again, even if another insurer might have taken a more flexible view.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are assessed using similar principles, but extent of disease, treatment history, and stability can lead to different outcomes in practice.
If you’re unsure whether now is the right time to apply, or you’ve already had a bad experience elsewhere, getting advice before submitting a full application can make a difference.
Insurers treat it cautiously because of its long-term risk profile.
They’ll usually look for GP or consultant reports covering diagnosis date, symptom control, treatment response, and any dysplasia.
Mild, stable cases often get standard or lightly loaded terms. More severe cases can face heavier loadings or postponement.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux is very common and usually straightforward from an underwriting point of view.
If symptoms are controlled and there’s no significant time off work, most insurers offer normal terms without fuss.
Only poorly controlled or complicated cases tend to cause issues.
Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. It isn’t the same thing as acid reflux or GORD, although the symptoms can feel similar.
From an insurance point of view, simple or short-term gastritis that has settled is usually treated as low risk.
Insurers will want to know what caused it, how long symptoms lasted, whether treatment worked, and whether there were any complications such as ulcers or bleeding.
Conditions such as coeliac disease, diverticular disease, or past stomach or duodenal ulcers are usually straightforward once diagnosed and settled.
Insurers mainly focus on whether symptoms are controlled and whether there have been complications, repeated flare-ups, or hospital admissions.
Gallstones are very common, and from an insurance point of view they’re usually straightforward.
If you’ve had your gallbladder removed and recovered fully, most Irish insurers will offer life insurance and mortgage protection at normal rates.
They’ll typically ask when the surgery took place, whether there were any complications, and whether symptoms have fully resolved.
Once the gallbladder is out and you’re back to normal, it’s generally considered a closed chapter.
Hernias are one of the least problematic digestive-related conditions for insurance.
Once surgery is completed or if no surgery is planned and symptoms are stable, life insurance, serious illness cover, and income protection are usually offered at standard rates.
I’ve never had a straightforward hernia case declined.
PSC is treated very differently by insurers.
At the time of writing, PSC results in a decline with all Irish life insurers.
The biggest mistake I see isn’t medical.
It’s applying too early, to the wrong insurer, without checking whether investigations are complete.
Once an insurer postpones or rates a case, that outcome has to be disclosed to every other insurer you approach.
That’s why order matters.
If you have a digestive condition and want clarity before applying, don’t jump straight into a full application.
Complete the short questionnaire below and I’ll look at your situation first.
I’ll tell you whether it makes sense to apply now, wait a bit, or approach a specific insurer.
That way, you avoid delays and give yourself the best chance of getting cover when you actually need it.
Complete the digestive conditions questionnaire
Thanks for reading,
Nick
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 get fair, transparent cover for over 15 years and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you want straight answers without the sales pitch,
learn more about Nick here.
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