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Life Insurance With High Blood Pressure – New Plans For 2025

Elaine Brookes Steve Case

Author: Steve Case - Insurance Expert

Reviewed & Fact Checked By: Elaine Brookes

Updated: 20th May 2025

life insurance with high blood pressure

Can someone with high blood pressure get life insurance? The simple answer is yes.

We work with UK insurers that offer life insurance with high blood pressure. If you die, the insurer will pay a lump sum to your family. This payment can help cover essential costs like funeral expenses or mortgage payments.

Can you get life insurance cover with high blood pressure?

Yes, you can get life insurance with high blood pressure through Insurance Hero.

If your condition is well managed with treatment, your application is likely to be approved without problems. Depending on your overall health and medical history, you may even qualify for standard rates.

High Blood Pressure And Life Insurance Summary:

This page, compiled by our medical life insurance specialists, provides up-to-date insights on purchasing high blood pressure life insurance cover.

  • Clarity and Confidence: Getting life insurance with hypertension through general providers can sometimes be difficult. That’s why it helps to speak with a specialist who understands heart-related applications.
  • Straightforward Process: You can apply with confidence. Our team handles all inquiries privately and securely.
  • Tailored Options: We work with insurers who offer life cover to people with high blood pressure, especially when it’s well-controlled and there are no other significant health issues.

Compare Life Insurance Quotes For People Living With High Blood Pressure – 60 Second Form

hypertension life insurance companies
  • Our price match promise means we will find you the right cover for your personal circumstances at the lowest price possible. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Have you been denied life insurance due to high blood pressure? Insurance Hero can help.

What is considered high blood pressure for life insurance coverage?

In the UK, blood pressure readings at or above 140/90 mmHg are typically classified as high for life insurance purposes. Insurers use this benchmark to assess health risk during applications.

Impact on Life Insurance

  • Eligibility: High blood pressure doesn’t automatically prevent you from getting life cover, but it may affect the policy terms and premium.
  • Control: If your condition is managed effectively with medication or lifestyle changes, you may still qualify for standard rates.
  • Severity: Readings over 180/110 mmHg are considered severe and can result in higher premiums or restrictions.
  • Other Health Issues: Conditions like diabetes, obesity, or high cholesterol may increase your risk profile.
  • Recent Diagnoses: If your condition was diagnosed recently and isn’t stable yet, insurers might delay approval.

How to Improve Your Chances

  • Keep blood pressure in check through regular monitoring and treatment.
  • Follow a healthy routine: exercise, a balanced diet, limit alcohol, and avoid smoking.
  • Be accurate and complete in your medical disclosures.
  • Work with a specialist broker like Insurance Hero for complex health needs.
  • Managing your condition effectively can improve your chances of getting affordable life cover.
Blood Pressure RangesSystolic Reading (pressure in the arteries)Diastolic Reading (resistance in blood vessels)
Lower than normalBelow 90Below 60
Healthy range90 – 11960 – 79
Raised (pre-hypertension)120 – 13980 – 89
High blood pressure (hypertension)140 or above90 or above

According to a report by Age UK “21% of older men and 23% of older women have controlled hypertension; the rest are uncontrolled or untreated”.

Kantar – a data and insight company – reports that “…the prevalence of hypertension in the UK is 32%”. That’s a high number, in essence, putting a third of the entire British population at risk of serious heart disease.

hypertension life coverage benefits

Why the jump from high blood pressure to serious heart disease?

There is a link. The British Heart Foundation does not mince its words when it states:

“High blood pressure isn’t usually something that you can feel or notice, but if you have it, you’re more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a stroke”.

The bolded parts in that statement are where your life insurance policy must be covered. The British Heart Foundation recommends that everyone over the age of 40 have their blood pressure checked regularly by their family GP or community nurse.

The earlier high blood pressure is diagnosed, the sooner steps can be taken to reduce it. However, medications aren’t always required, as lifestyle changes have a significant impact on heart health.

Regular exercise, dietary controls, especially cutting salt consumption, and lowering alcohol consumption are all ways to lower blood pressure.

A Recent Case Study (With Costs):

Details for the person seeking coverLife insurance with a history of high blood pressure
Age and whether they smoke or vape?Born in 1984, doesn’t smoke or use e-cigarettes
Bodyweight and height5ft 8in tall / Weighs 13stone and 5lbs
Health backgroundDiagnosed with hypertension within the past 4 years
Amount of coverage required£470,000 – Family protection policy
Policy term35 years
Type of premiumFixed (guaranteed) monthly premiums
Monthly Cost£38.46 each month

  • Our price match promise means we will find you the right cover for your personal circumstances at the lowest price possible. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

How much does high blood pressure affect life insurance?

The long-term prognosis after being diagnosed with hypertension is good. If nothing else, it’s a wake-up call to pay close attention to your health and take proactive steps towards improving it.

If you choose to do nothing, such as continuing with high alcohol consumption, smoking, eating fatty foods, and not exercising your life insurance policy will come with a high price attached.

As the recent life insurance news shows, lower premiums go to those who are actively doing things to improve their health.

Applying for Life Insurance with High Blood Pressure: What You Need to Know

When you apply for high blood pressure life insurance, you must be honest and tick the box to indicate you’ve been diagnosed with a medical condition.

Hypertension is that, so I don’t think high blood pressure is anything. It directly indicates how healthy your heart is, which is a measurement of your life expectancy.

Be honest in your application, or it will be void.

It doesn’t mean you’ll be automatically locked into a higher premium. The older you are at the time of diagnosis, the better. It’s expected to come with age.

However, the time of your diagnosis will be considered. In some instances, if you’ve only just been diagnosed with hypertension, the insurer will postpone your policy.

This is because you cannot improve your blood pressure readings instantaneously. It takes time and controlled effort to get your blood pressure under control.

In most cases, insurers will want access to medical records when a pre-existing illness is diagnosed. The reason for this is to establish whether your hypertension is controlled or uncontrolled.

If your records show continued improvements to your blood pressure readings over a two-year period or longer, it will indicate that you are taking steps to bring your blood pressure under control.

Lifestyle changes or medication may contribute to lowering blood pressure. The important factor is that your numbers improve with time.

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Is high blood pressure classified as a critical illness?

High blood pressure (hypertension) is not classed as a critical illness on its own.

Critical illness insurance typically covers severe conditions like heart attacks, strokes, or cancer, not risk factors like hypertension.

However, if high blood pressure leads to a serious complication such as a stroke or kidney failure, the resulting condition may be covered.

The Insurers Insurance Hero works with do consider high blood pressure when assessing applications. Poorly managed hypertension can lead to higher premiums or exclusions, while well-controlled cases may have little impact.

So, hypertension isn’t a critical illness itself, but can contribute to ones that are.

Can I get critical illness cover if I have high blood pressure?

You can still qualify for critical illness cover if you have high blood pressure, but insurers may require more details about your health and daily habits.

If you have other health issues besides high blood pressure, the provider might request additional medical documentation. This often includes a report from your GP, which the insurer can obtain directly with your consent.

Is it possible to access near-regular life insurance premiums when you have controlled hypertension?

If you do nothing to control your blood pressure, though, your premiums will increase based on your risk level.

The higher the level of risk you’re deemed to be, the higher all insurers will quote.

One consideration to access lower premiums could be to consider decreasing term life insurance. As you’ll probably know, there are many types of life insurance policies.

For term insurance, there’s level term that pays out a fixed amount, and then you have decreasing term insurance and increasing term insurance.

The aim of decreasing term insurance is to provide an adequate level of cover and ensure that you aren’t overinsured.

With level cover, you can become overinsured. For example, you have an insurance policy with a £100,000 fixed payout in the event of your death.

This may be adequate cover if you have debt-related costs and a mortgage that must be paid to leave your family with suitable financial cover.

Over time, mortgage payments and debts will decrease, and you may not require £100,000 to meet financial obligations.

With decreasing-term cover, the amount paid out is variable and will reduce the longer you live because your financial obligations will reduce.

This would mean a lower payout in the long run; however, it can offer significant savings in premiums.

Of course, before deciding on the type of high blood pressure life insurance policy to take out, you should seek expert financial advice to ensure you get adequate coverage and that your policy does not have an exclusion clause preventing payout in the event of a heat-related illness.

The majority of insurance companies offer specialist cover for existing medical conditions. Hypertension is a medical condition that your life insurance policy must cover; otherwise, it may be deemed void.

Declare your situation, explore your options with a financial advisor, and follow your doctor’s advice to bring your blood pressure under control.

You will find that your blood pressure life insurance quotes aren’t as expensive for controlled hypertension as they are for uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Related Reading:

Can People With Heart Problems Get Life Insurance?

Life Insurance Quotes For Individuals With Diabetes

High Cholesterol Life Insurance Quotes