Brain injury and life insurance
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can have short term and long term effects on you. If you’ve suffered a brain injury in the past then here’s our guide to how life insurance works for you.
Often people with medical issues such as brain injuries don’t consider life cover, usually because they don’t think that they can get it.
Access to life insurance to protect your loved ones can be quicker, easier, and cheaper than you might think. Don’t let a medical condition or previous health issue put you off getting your family protected.
According to statistics from the charity Headway.org, there were nearly 350,000 hospital admissions in the UK due to brain injury in 2016-17. This means that out of every 100,000 of the UK population there were 531 admissions.
60 Second Summary – Brain Injury Life Insurance
We regularly speak to people who have previously suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Often people think that they can’t get life cover or that it’s going to be too expensive, which isn’t always the case.
People with brain injuries can get life insurance, but the availability of cover and the price will depend on the injury’s severity and your overall health.
- Most life insurance policies allow you to add on critical illness cover, which will pay out a lump sum if you’re diagnosed with a serious condition like a brain tumour or brain injury.
- Income protection insurance can offer regular payments to support you if you’re unable to work due to sickness or disability resulting from a brain injury.
- When applying for life insurance after a brain injury, insurers look at your medical history, current health, and recovery progress before approving or declining your application.
- Some life insurance companies will have more experience of conditions like brain injuries and will be more willing to offer cover. Certain insurers specialise in medical conditions life insurance and can often offer cover when other companies would decline.
Can I get life insurance after a brain injury?
YES – You should be able to get life cover to protect your family after suffering a brain injury or head trauma.
You should also be able to get cover instantly where you suffered a one-off trauma and no ongoing impact. In many cases, where the brain injury was several years ago there will be no issue getting affordable life cover.
What are the most common brain injuries?
There are several common reasons why people suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Fall or trip (most common in adults over 65)
- Road traffic accidents (RTA’s)
- Sports (e.g. Rugby, football, boxing, etc.)
- The impact from an object
- Abuse (most common in children under 4 years)
- Explosions or blast injuries
Is brain injury a pre-existing condition for life insurance?
YES – you’ll be asked questions about any damage or surgery to your brain when you apply for life insurance. Most commonly this will be in the same group of questions as stroke, TIA, and brain haemorrhage.
Common life insurance questions about brain injuries:
- Have you ever had a brain haemorrhage, brain damage, or surgery on your brain?
- Are you fully recovered and when did you last have any symptoms?
- Have you suffered from epilepsy or seizures since the head injury?
- Did you suffer a skull fracture, brain haemorrhage, or have surgery?
- Was it a subdural or subarachnoid brain haemorrhage?
Note: You’ll need to answer these questions as honestly as you can but don’t worry if you don’t know the answers, you could refer to your GP.
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Will I need a medical for life insurance after a brain injury?
You might need a medical or to provide evidence from your GP, which is normal so don’t worry. Generally, a medical report will be requested if the insurer needs to clarify some information.
If you are asked to provide consent to view your medical records because of a brain injury, then the insurer will obtain the report. In this case, the insurer will be charged a fee to view your medical records. Medical reports for brain injury life insurance are normal and won’t cost you anything.
There are some advantages to insurers viewing your medical records:
Guaranteed that your cover is valid
There won’t be any questions about any future claims or premiums, as the insurer has already been given all of the relevant information about your health and medical history.
No risk of 'non-disclosure'
Any information you provide will be referenced against your medical records to make sure that your life insurance application is accurate. The biggest reason for life insurance policies not paying out is ‘non-disclosure’ (i.e. not telling the insurance company about relevant medical information).
What is the best life insurance for brain injuries?
There are several different types of life insurance policies that you can get to protect yourself and your family. Each policy will provide cover for different events such as death, sickness, injury, or disability.
Family life insurance
Brain injury term life insurance (family protection) is the most popular and common type of life cover because of how much it costs and what it does. If you’ve suffered from a brain injury in the past and you’re concerned about protecting your family then this could be for you.
Mortgage life insurance
Brain injury mortgage life insurance (decreasing term) is the best way to protect your mortgage for your family if you die. This type of cover is exactly the same as a family life insurance policy except that the cover reduces over the term, so premiums are lower.
Critical illness cover
Brain injury critical illness cover is also sometimes available in some circumstances, depending on your circumstances. The choice may be slightly more limited for critical illness cover if you’ve had a brain injury in the past, and especially for those with more severe symptoms.
Income protection insurance
Brain injury income protection can be available with some restrictions and limitations in some circumstances. Many of the customers that we deal with who have suffered a brain injury in the past can get this type of cover, and sometimes with no exclusions.
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How much is life insurance with a brain injury?
The main question that people we speak to want answering is, how much is it? Obviously, this is the most important thing because it needs to be a fair, affordable price. We’ll search the UK’s top insurers to find you the best cover to protect your family, and make sure that the cost is fair!
The price you’ll pay for life insurance with a brain injury will be based on:
- When you have your brain injury?
- What did it cause (e.g. skull fracture, brain haemorrhage etc.)?
- Did you have any surgery?
You should be aware that some insurers might not be able to offer you cover so don’t worry if you’ve been declined previously. Other insurers might also offer you far better terms and a fairer price, so you can get the right price by shopping around.
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Common questions about brain injury
Some of the most common questions that people ask about traumatic brain injuries include:
What are the 2 main types of brain injury?
The two main types of brain injury are caused by different things, that affect the brain’s ability to function.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common which is caused by an impact (a blow to the head), where the brain moves inside the skull.
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is usually linked to pressure on the brain, that can occur from a tumour or a neurological illness such as a stroke.
Can you recover from a brain injury?
Most people recover from a mild brain injury (concussion) within weeks or up to 3 months in some cases.
Moderate brain injuries can cause longer-lasting damage, and severe brain injuries are also often long-term.
Does brain injury shorten life expectancy?
According to the CDC, the 5-year outcomes for people suffering a traumatic brain injury is:
22% died within 5 years, 30% became worse, 22% maintained their condition levels, and 26% improved their condition.
Which conditions are linked to brain injuries?
There are some medical conditions that are very closely linked to brain injuries for various reasons.
- Epilepsy (brain injury can be a trigger)
- Brain Haemorrhage
- Bipolar
- Schizophrenia
- Clinical depression
- Stroke
There are many potential long-term and short-term effects of a traumatic brain injury. A lot depends on the type and severity of the injury which may also have an impact on life cover.
