If you’ve had COVID-19 and now want to set up a life assurance policy, you may be wondering where to start. We previously discussed the impact of Covid-19 on various protection plans and as the pandemic has evolved over the past two years, so too have the requirements for applications.
Will COVID-19 impact my ability to get life assurance?
If you had COVID-19 and did not require an in-patient hospital stay, are now back at work, and you have fully recovered with no other significant underlying condition, your application should proceed as normal. In general, people are not refused life assurance for this reason.
After having COVID-19, is there a waiting period before I can get life assurance?
The general rule in life assurance providers is that once you are one-month post-COVID, and fully recovered, you can apply as normal.
Assuming your application is accepted at standard rates, you will be quoted the normal premium rate for life assurance. Note, this one-month post-COVID period applies to applications for mortgage protection life cover as well.
Has COVID-19 altered the life insurance market?
Sadly, statistics have shown that COVID-19 deaths occur more often in elderly people, and people who have significant underlying health issues or conditions. Due to this information, the insurance market in Ireland and in the UK in general is more limited when offering cover to those with significant underlying medical conditions.
This means that a very small number of people who would have been eligible for life assurance before the pandemic are temporarily unavailable to access this cover, regardless of whether they have had COVID-19 or not. That said, most providers look at every application individually, taking all details into account, to see if it’s possible to go ahead with life cover.
What happens if I have a serious underlying condition, but I’m also fully vaccinated against COVID-19?
If you have a significant underlying condition but are fully vaccinated, this is considered a positive factor when applying for life assurance.
Does my occupation make a difference to my life assurance application?
Applications for life assurance cover are treated equally, irrespective of an individual’s job or career. For example, health care or frontline workers are not treated any differently due to COVID-19.
If a person with a life assurance policy has an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine and death occurs as a result, will the policy sum be paid to the beneficiaries?
Yes, they will be covered under their life policy should this occur.
Happy New Year to all readers of the Meath Coaster and best wishes for 2022 from Drumgoole Financial Services!