Bell’s Palsy life insurance
A life insurance policy can provide financial protection to you and your family if you are diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, or if you get this in the future.
According to figures from Facial Palsy UK, this condition affects 20 to 30 people per 100,000 on average. It can be difficult to judge the numbers exactly because not every case is diagnosed. On average a GP will see a case every 2 years.
Even though Bell’s Palsy is not life-threatening, life cover, critical illness cover, and income protection can still be extremely useful.
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About Bell’s Palsy life insurance
Your life insurance, critical illness cover, and income protection policies are designed to protect you and your family financially.
Does life insurance payout for Bell’s Palsy?
YES – Bell’s Palsy is not considered to be life-threatening in any way but it can sometimes be linked to other conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and tumours.
If you pass away from anything linked to Bell’s Palsy and you already have life cover in place then your claim should be paid. Your family will receive a cash lump sum on death which will be paid to them to help them financially in the future.
Life insurance payouts can be used for:
- Clear mortgage balance
- Pay off debts
- Pay rent
- School fees
- Standard costs of living
Your life cover won’t be linked to anything in particular so your family can use the payout however works best for them.
Will critical illness cover Bell’s Palsy?
Bell’s Palsy is not considered to be critical in most cases and generally does not fall under critical illness cover policies. There are certain other complications or linked conditions that may fall under this type of policy.
You should check your policy wording to see whether you are covered for anything linked to your condition in the event of any diagnosis.
If you become seriously ill due to something linked to Bell’s Palsy then you’ll sometimes find that you may be covered, depending on the condition. You can use the payout from a critical illness policy to pay for things such as:
Find out more about CRITICAL ILLNESS COVER.
Does income protection payout for Bell’s Palsy?
If you are unable to work for a period of time due to Bell’s Palsy then your income protection should kick in.
In this situation, if you have been signed off by a doctor or your GP then you should be able to claim. Your income protection should pay you an income for a period of 12 to 24 months usually, depending on your time off work.
Many people overlook income protection, however, it can be an extremely valuable product for this purpose.
Learn more about INCOME PROTECTION
Life insurance with Bell’s Palsy
If you’ve already been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy then you should still be able to get the cover you need.
Can I get life insurance with Bell’s Palsy?
YES – most insurers don’t consider Bell’s Palsy to be severe and therefore your options should be good.
When you apply for life insurance with Bell’s Palsy, you’ll be asked several questions about your health and your condition.
Life insurance questions for Bell’s palsy
Some of the key questions that you are likely to be asked when you apply for life insurance with Bell’s palsy include:
- Are you undergoing or awaiting any referrals, tests, or investigations?
- Is your condition caused by MS, an ear problem, tumour, growth, or other condition?
- In the past 5 years have you had symptoms (e.g. blurred vision, coordination issues, pins and needles, memory loss, bladder control problems etc.)?
- Have you had MRI or CT scan, lumbar puncture, or other investigations?
- How many times have you had Bell’s palsy?
Will I need a medical for Bell’s palsy life insurance?
It is normal for some insurers to request either medical evidence or GP reports to properly assess a life insurance application, especially with a pre-existing medical condition.
If you apply for life cover with Bell’s palsy then you’ll also be asked about your medical history and your health. Some insurers might offer cover without any further medical underwriting which is quicker, but not always cheaper.
If you’re asked to provide some medical evidence, then often that will be:
- GP report (provided by your doctor)
- Medical/nurse screen
- Manual underwriting
This process can take as little as several hours, or up to several weeks, depending on your doctor.
Can I get critical illness cover with Bell’s palsy?
In most cases, you should be able to get a critical illness cover policy if you’ve been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy.
Usually, this will depend on things like when you were diagnosed, any other medical problems, and the severity of your symptoms. Most insurers will consider offering critical illness cover as long as there are no other issues.
A critical illness cover policy for someone with Bell’s palsy can provide peace of mind if there are further complications in the future. If you’ve had a medical condition like this then you might be worried about other problems in the future.
Critical illness cover can provide you and your family with a cash lump sum if something serious happens in the future.
Can I get income protection with Bell’s palsy?
Income protection is often overlooked but it is an extremely valuable type of cover. If you’ve already experienced a medical problem like Bell’s palsy, then you’ll probably understand how important income protection can be.
Most applications for income protection with Bell’s palsy will be reviewed based on your health, medical status, and previous time off work.
If your condition is fairly mild or you had one episode with no other issues, then you shouldn’t have any issues getting cover.
There are often several options available to you when considering income protection with Bell’s palsy. Some insurers also offer cover with exclusions so you should always check your policy wording to be certain what you’re covered for.
Best life insurance for Bell’s palsy
There are several main options when considering life insurance so you just need to consider what you can afford, and what’s most important.
Term life insurance with Bell’s palsy (family protection) is the most common type of cover for people wanting to protect a child or a loved one. This cover will remain the same for the term of the policy and will pay out a cash lump sum on death.
Mortgage life insurance with Bell’s palsy (decreasing term) is designed to protect a repayment mortgage because the cover amount reduces with the mortgage balance.
Family income benefit with Bell’s palsy which is a slightly less common type of life cover but can provide a more affordable solution.
Whole of life cover with Bell’s palsy is a guaranteed payout policy that is designed for things like inheritance tax planning and legacy planning.
Medical conditions linked to Bell’s palsy
There are several common and less common medical conditions that are often linked to suffering from Bell’s palsy. These conditions include:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Lyme disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Tumours
Common questions about Bell’s palsy
Here are just a few examples of some of the most common questions that people ask about Bell’s palsy.
| What is the main cause of Bell’s palsy? | Currently, the actual cause of this condition is still unknown, which is similar to many other neurological conditions. Most people who suffer from Bell’s palsy will find that the symptoms (paralysis) will only last for several weeks. |
| Is Bell’s palsy permanent? | In most cases, the main symptom of Bell’s palsy is a ‘temporary’ paralysis of one side of the face. The usual timeframe for this is that your facial movement and expressions will improve after 2 to 3 weeks. The majority of people who have suffered from Bell’s palsy will get full movement within 3 months. |
| Is Bell’s palsy life threatening? | NO – this condition is not considered to be fatal or life-threatening in any way, even though symptoms are close to those of a stroke |
Useful resources
Here are some useful websites and organisations that we’ve found to help people with Bell’s palsy.
