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10-second summary: Most people in Ireland with anaemia, vitamin B12 deficiency or other stable blood disorders can still get life insurance or mortgage protection at normal rates. More serious or unexplained blood results may lead to a premium increase or temporary postponement until investigations are complete.
Editor’s note: First published October 2019 | Refreshed May 2026 with updated Irish underwriting guidance and expanded blood-disorder examples.
If you’ve been told you have anaemia, low B12, high ferritin, abnormal platelets or another blood disorder, there’s a good chance you’ve already gone down the Google rabbit hole and convinced yourself you’ll never get mortgage protection or life insurance.
In reality, most people still get coverage.
The bigger issue is usually applying to the wrong insurer first.
Different insurers look at blood disorders very differently.
One might offer normal terms, another might increase the premium, while a third may postpone cover until more tests are done.
That’s why the order you apply matters.
Once an insurer has assessed a condition, future insurers will often ask what happened with previous applications, so getting the first approach wrong can unnecessarily narrow your options.
Most people who contact us are relieved when they realise the condition itself often isn’t the problem.
It’s the uncertainty that insurers dislike.
Most blood disorders themselves aren’t life-threatening.
What insurers are really trying to understand is:
A mild iron deficiency that’s been stable for years is treated very differently from unexplained abnormal bloods that are still under investigation.
The good news is that mild and well-controlled conditions are usually straightforward once presented properly.
If your GP says your bloods are grand and you’re feeling fine, the insurer will probably agree.
If your GP sighs before opening your file, we’ll just need to pick our insurer a bit more carefully 😉
The most common blood-related conditions we help with are:
Some are extremely common and barely affect underwriting once stable.
Others need a more careful approach because insurers worry about recurrence, clotting risk, organ damage or underlying disease.
Anaemia is one of the most common medical conditions we see.
Most cases are caused by things like:
If your bloods are now stable and the cause is understood, most insurers will simply move on.
They’ll usually ask:
Typical underwriting outcomes look like this:
Most people fall into the left-hand column.
That’s important because many people assume “blood disorder” automatically means a decline, when usually it just means an insurer wants a bit more context.
Some conditions are more difficult because of the long-term risks involved.
Mild cases may still get life cover with some insurers.
Severe haemophilia is much more difficult because of the bleeding risk and associated complications.
This is where the bone marrow stops producing enough blood cells.
Insurers will normally want:
Conditions such as lymphoma, leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome are assessed individually.
Cover may still be possible after remission periods, depending on:
This is the part most people don’t realise.
Two insurers can look at the same blood disorder and reach completely different conclusions.
One might offer normal terms.
Another may increase the premium.
Another might postpone cover until repeat blood tests are done.
That’s why we normally speak to insurers anonymously first before submitting a formal application, especially where:
Being accepted doesn’t automatically mean you got the best outcome.
That’s a huge difference people often miss.
You’ve already done the hard bit and found the right advisor. Now, let us help you avoid unnecessary insurer headaches.
If you complete our quick questionnaire below, I’ll tell you:
Complete the blood disorders questionnaire here.
If you’d rather chat first, you can also book a quick call with me here.
Anything you tell me stays confidential and we anonymise medical details when speaking to insurers.
Thanks for reading,
Nick
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, a multi-agency Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He’s been helping people secure fair, transparent cover 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.
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