Life insurance with pre-existing conditions is absolutely possible—and in many cases, affordable—when you use the right underwriting strategy and carrier. At Diversified Insurance Brokers, we work with 75+ top-rated insurers to match health histories to the companies most likely to approve you at a competitive rate. Whether you’ve been declined, table-rated, or offered a policy you’re not happy with, we’ll regroup, target the right carriers, and secure coverage that fits your goals and budget.

Can You Qualify with a Pre-Existing Condition?

Yes—many applicants with medical histories are approved every day. The key is choosing an insurer that is friendly to your specific diagnosis and presenting a complete, accurate picture of current control. If you were table-rated or declined elsewhere, don’t assume all carriers will respond the same. We routinely help clients who were turned down get placed by reframing the case and shopping to better-fit underwriters.

Start by reviewing the basics of how underwriting works and what to expect in a paramed exam: see What Is a Life Insurance Exam? and Life Insurance Table Ratings Explained. If you’d like to avoid an exam, explore No-Exam Life Insurance options.

Common Conditions & What Underwriters Look For

Every insurer has different “appetite guides.” Some are lenient with cardiac history; others with cancer survivorship, diabetes, or high BMI. Here’s how underwriters tend to evaluate frequent scenarios (and where to learn more):

• Diabetes (Type 2, controlled): A1C trends, treatment compliance, complications. See Diabetics with Complications.
• History of cancer: Type, stage, treatment completion, disease-free interval, follow-up protocol. See Life Insurance for Cancer Patients and Burial Insurance for Cancer Survivors.
• Cardiac issues (MI, stents, hypertension): Time since event, medications, ejection fraction, stability.
• Respiratory (asthma/COPD): Hospitalizations, steroid use, smoking status. See Life Insurance for Smokers and Burial Insurance for Smokers.
• BMI/weight: Build charts vary by company; improvements over 6–12 months matter. See Overweight Applicants and Burial Insurance for Overweight People.
• Chronic illness riders: Consider policies with living benefits. See Living Benefits for Seniors and Chronic Illness Riders.
• Special situations: HIV, autoimmune, transplant history often default to guaranteed/graded plans; specialist underwriting may help. See Burial Insurance for HIV/AIDS.

Best Policy Types (By Situation)

• Term life for budget-friendly protection (10–40 years). Use our Term Life Insurance Calculator and compare durations (e.g., 20-year term, 30-year term).
• Permanent life (whole life / indexed universal life) when lifetime coverage or cash value is a priority—see Whole Life with Cash Value and IUL for College Funding.
• Final expense (burial insurance) if other routes are too expensive or time is critical. Explore Best Burial Insurance Companies, No-Exam Burial Insurance, and Low-Income Options.
• No-exam simplified issue when speed matters or paramed exams are impractical—see No-Exam Life Insurance.

Ways to Improve Approval Odds & Pricing

• Demonstrate control: Provide recent labs, follow-ups, and physician notes. Underwriters reward stable trends.
• Stop smoking/nicotine: Many carriers require 12–24 months tobacco-free for non-smoker credits; start now (see Smokers).
• Use the right product for your timeline and budget—term for large, time-bound needs; permanent for estate planning or lifelong protection. Compare Group vs. Individual and Mortgage Protection vs. Term.
• Riders that matter: Chronic illness/accelerated benefits can add flexibility—see Accelerated Death Benefit Riders.
• Policy design: If table-rated, we may lower cost by reducing face, adjusting duration, or shifting to a carrier with better build/condition credits.

Smart Application Strategy (Step-by-Step)

1. Intake & pre-screen: We gather health/treatment history and run an anonymous “quick-quote” with multiple underwriters.
2. Carrier match: Choose the insurer most favorable to your profile (we compare against your existing coverage—see Review My Life Insurance Policy).
3. Apply with intent: Decide exam vs. no-exam, order records strategically, and control the narrative.
4. Negotiate & place: If table-rated, we appeal, pivot carriers, or restructure coverage to hit your budget.
5. Annual review: If your health improves, we’ll revisit underwriting to lower costs—see 5 Signs to Review Your Policy.

Alternate Paths if You’re Declined

• Guaranteed issue final expense: No health questions, graded benefits in first 2–3 years; see Guaranteed Issue.
• Accidental death coverage: Quick approval, useful bridge for hard-to-insure risks—see Accidental Death Insurance.
• Annuitize assets for income needs: If insurance remains costly, create a guaranteed income stream to protect dependents’ cash flow—see Best Retirement Income Annuity and Joint Income Annuity.

Curious how guaranteed income might supplement survivor needs? Review How Social Security and Annuities Work Together and the Annuity Beneficiary/Death Benefits guide.

Why Work with Diversified Insurance Brokers

As an independent, fiduciary-aligned brokerage, we represent you, not a single carrier. That means we can:

• Shop dozens of underwriters to find those most flexible for your condition and budget.
• Negotiate table ratings and advocate with real case notes (not canned forms).
• Design coverage for mortgages, childcare, business partnership needs, or estate planning—see Convert Term to Permanent and Per Stirpes vs. Per Capita.
• Coordinate riders for living benefits and long-term care—start with Hybrid Life/LTC and Shared LTC Benefits.

Related Pages

• Life Insurance Table Ratings Explained
• No-Exam Life Insurance
• Life Insurance with Living Benefits for Seniors
• Best-Rated Burial Insurance Companies
• Mortgage Protection vs. Term Life
• Group vs. Individual Life Insurance
• Convert Term to Permanent Life Insurance