Finding the best life insurance with pre-existing conditions is absolutely possible—you just need the right type of policy, the right carrier, and the right strategy. Many people assume a health history automatically means sky-high premiums or denials. In reality, underwriting outcomes vary widely by company. With a smart approach, you can often qualify for meaningful coverage at a reasonable cost, even if you’ve dealt with heart issues, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune conditions, or other medical concerns.

At Diversified Insurance Brokers, we specialize in cases most agencies label “high risk.” Our advisors help you avoid the most common mistake—applying randomly with one carrier—by comparing options across the market and matching your medical profile to companies that are known to be more flexible for your specific condition. If you want a deeper, condition-focused approach, start with our dedicated resource: High Risk Life Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions.

Whether your goal is a large term policy to protect your family, a permanent policy for lifelong coverage, or a smaller plan to cover final expenses, this guide will walk you through what insurers care about, which policy types tend to work best, and how to put yourself in the strongest position to get approved.

What Counts as a Pre-Existing Condition?

A pre-existing condition is any health issue you’ve been diagnosed with, treated for, or monitored for before applying for life insurance. It can include conditions that are mild and well-controlled, as well as diagnoses that require ongoing treatment or specialist care. The reason this matters is that life insurance underwriting is based on risk—insurers want to understand how stable the condition is, how it’s being managed, and whether there’s a history of complications.

Common pre-existing conditions include high blood pressure or high cholesterol, Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, heart attack history, stents, bypass, atrial fibrillation, cancer history (even if in remission), chronic lung disease, autoimmune disorders, blood disorders, and chronic illnesses managed with medication. Your condition is only part of the story, though. Underwriters also care about your trendline over time—your follow-ups, your medication compliance, and whether you’ve had recent hospitalizations or abnormal testing.

Different carriers view the same condition in very different ways. That’s why it’s important to work with an independent agency that can compare multiple companies rather than guessing with a single insurer. If your situation is cancer-related or cardiac-related, these condition pages can also help set expectations: life insurance options after colon cancer and coverage after a heart attack.

Why One Company Declines You and Another Approves You

Life insurance underwriting is not identical across carriers. Each company builds its own underwriting philosophy, preferred niches, and pricing models based on its appetite for certain risks. One insurer may be conservative on cardiac history but flexible on diabetes. Another may be strict on insulin use but more lenient on controlled blood pressure. This is why “I was declined” does not automatically mean “I can’t get coverage.” More often, it means the wrong company or the wrong product type was selected.

Underwriters evaluate not just a diagnosis, but context. How long ago was the event? Are you stable? What medications are you on? Are you under specialist care? Are your labs and vitals trending in the right direction? When the story is stable and well-managed, many people qualify—even if they assumed they wouldn’t.

It’s also important to understand that underwriting is designed to reduce uncertainty. If the carrier doesn’t have enough information to evaluate stability, they may postpone a decision, request additional medical records, or require a paramedical exam. When you understand what the carrier is looking for, you can avoid delays and apply in a more strategic way.

Best Types of Life Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions

The “best” policy depends on your health, age, goals, and how quickly you need coverage. In most high-risk cases, the best path is chosen by balancing three things: (1) the likelihood of approval, (2) the cost per dollar of coverage, and (3) how the policy is structured (term vs permanent, immediate benefits vs graded, flexibility vs guarantees).

1) Fully Underwritten Term or Permanent Life Insurance

Fully underwritten life insurance is often the most cost-effective option if your condition is well-controlled and stable. You complete a detailed application, and many carriers will request a medical exam and labs. While that process can feel intimidating, it can also unlock better pricing when your numbers support stability.

Fully underwritten coverage is often a strong fit when your diagnosis is mild or well-managed, you see your doctor regularly, your medications have been stable, and there have not been major recent events like a hospitalization or procedure in the last few months. Even with a history of health issues, many people qualify for standard pricing or a table rating that’s still more efficient than simplified or guaranteed issue options.

If you’re unsure what to expect from the exam side of underwriting, review what a life insurance exam is and how it works so you know why labs and vitals can matter so much for underwriting class.

2) Simplified Issue Life Insurance

Simplified issue life insurance is a middle ground. It generally skips the full paramed exam and instead relies on a short health questionnaire plus electronic checks such as prescription history and other databases. It’s popular for people who want meaningful coverage but prefer a faster, simpler process and want to avoid the deeper medical-record timeline that can come with full underwriting.

Simplified issue is often a great fit when you have manageable conditions but worry the full exam/records process could slow you down. The tradeoff is that simplified issue pricing can be slightly higher for the same coverage amount, because the carrier is making a decision with less medical detail. Approvals also aren’t guaranteed—health questions still matter—but for many people with moderate pre-existing conditions, it can be the cleanest path to getting coverage in place quickly.

3) Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance

Guaranteed issue life insurance typically has no medical questions and no exam. Approval is close to automatic, which makes it an important safety net for people with complex medical histories or recent serious events. The tradeoff is cost and benefit design. Guaranteed issue policies generally provide smaller coverage amounts and frequently include a graded period early in the policy for natural causes of death.

This type of coverage can still be the “best” option if your priority is simply to put a policy in place when other underwriting paths are unlikely. If you’re weighing that decision, this guide helps set expectations: is guaranteed-issue life insurance expensive.

How Pre-Existing Conditions Affect Your Rate Class

Life insurance companies assign you to a “rate class” based on your medical profile, lifestyle factors, and supporting records. Rate classes generally range from top-tier categories for the healthiest applicants down to rated or substandard categories for higher risk profiles. Pre-existing conditions can shift you out of preferred classes, but that does not automatically mean the coverage is unaffordable. The goal is to match your condition to a carrier that prices it more reasonably.

When a condition requires a rating adjustment, that can show up as a table rating (substandard class) or as a flat extra in some cases, depending on the condition and policy design. If you want a clear explanation of how ratings work, review life insurance table ratings explained and what is a flat extra in life insurance?. Understanding the difference can help you compare offers more accurately instead of feeling like you’re looking at random numbers.

It also helps to remember that underwriting is about stability and outcomes. A controlled condition with consistent follow-ups can be seen very differently than an uncontrolled condition with complications, missed appointments, or recent hospitalizations. The “best” carrier for your situation is often the one that is most comfortable with the risk profile your records actually show.

Life Insurance Strategies by Condition Type

Heart and Circulatory Conditions

For heart history, carriers generally look at how recent the event was, what treatment was required, what medications you’re on now, and whether there are ongoing symptoms or repeat hospitalizations. Many insurers become more flexible after you’ve demonstrated stable follow-up care over time. That stability is often shown through cardiology visits, medication compliance, and test results that support control.

If you’ve had a major event like a heart attack, stent placement, or bypass surgery, the strongest strategy is usually to apply with carriers that are known to be more reasonable once a certain period of stability has passed. If you want a dedicated heart-focused overview, start with life insurance after a heart attack.

Diabetes

With diabetes, underwriters often focus on A1C, medication type, treatment history, and the presence or absence of complications. Two people with “diabetes” can be underwritten very differently depending on control, duration, and whether complications exist. A well-controlled profile may still qualify for strong term coverage, while a more complex profile may be better served by simplified issue or permanent coverage designed for stability rather than perfect pricing.

Cancer History

For cancer survivors, the details matter: type, stage/grade, treatment, and time since remission. Many carriers want to see stability and follow-up before offering the best classes. That doesn’t mean you can’t get coverage; it means you may need to select the right carrier and the right product design for the timeline. If your history is colorectal, this page helps outline realistic expectations: life insurance after colon cancer.

Blood Disorders and Chronic Conditions

For anemia and blood-related conditions, carriers often want to understand the cause, severity, and whether there are underlying complications. A mild iron-deficiency anemia case is underwritten very differently than a hereditary blood disorder. If your condition falls into this category, resources like life insurance for anemia and life insurance for sickle cell anemia can help you understand what insurers commonly look for.

Autoimmune and Inflammatory Conditions

Autoimmune and inflammatory diagnoses are often underwritten based on control and stability. Underwriters tend to focus on flare frequency, treatment intensity, specialist follow-ups, and whether there have been hospitalizations or major complications. Many applicants with autoimmune conditions qualify, but outcomes can vary sharply depending on medication type and the stability shown in records.

How Much Coverage Should You Consider?

The best life insurance is the policy that solves the financial problems your family would face if you weren’t here. For many households, that includes replacing income for a period of time, paying off major debts (mortgage, car loans, credit cards), protecting dependents, and covering final expenses. The “right” number is personal, but the framework is consistent: identify what you want covered, decide how long you want that obligation protected, and choose the policy type that fits your situation.

If your goal is simple coverage for family protection, term insurance is often the most efficient route when you qualify. If your goal includes lifelong coverage or a policy that can remain in force indefinitely, permanent insurance may be a better fit. Some families also think about insurance as part of broader planning, which is why concepts discussed in life insurance strategies the wealthy use can still be relevant—even for people with pre-existing conditions—when the policy design is built around the right objective.

Life Insurance Calculator: See What Coverage May Cost

Use the instant calculator below to get a baseline estimate. Then we’ll layer in your condition details and shop carriers strategically.

Working With a High-Risk Life Insurance Specialist

When you have a pre-existing condition, the biggest mistake is applying randomly with whichever carrier has the best headline price. Each decline, postpone, or unfavorable offer becomes part of your history, and it can limit momentum. The better approach is to be intentional: understand what your profile looks like to underwriting and apply with carriers that are more likely to view your situation favorably.

A high-risk specialist helps by reviewing your condition details, identifying which carriers are historically more flexible, selecting the right underwriting path (fully underwritten vs simplified vs guaranteed issue), and positioning the application around stability and compliance. That often means highlighting consistent follow-ups, stable medications, improving labs, and strong lifestyle factors like non-tobacco use and clean driving history.

In many cases, our team helps clients who were previously declined or rated too high by placing the case with a better-fit carrier. The goal is not to “game underwriting.” The goal is to submit an accurate, well-presented application to the company most likely to price it fairly.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

You don’t need perfect health to get meaningful life insurance. With the right carrier and the right underwriting strategy, many pre-existing conditions can still qualify for strong coverage at a reasonable cost. The key is to stop guessing and start comparing carriers based on how they underwrite your specific history.