MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Life Insurance With High Cholesterol
High cholesterol on its own often makes little or no difference to UK life insurance, especially if it is treated. Insurers price your overall heart and circulation risk, so the other numbers around it matter as much as the cholesterol itself.
The short answer
Yes, you can get life insurance with high cholesterol, and mildly raised or treated cholesterol often has little or no effect on the premium. Insurers look at your total cholesterol, HDL and the ratio between them, whether you take a statin, and your other cardiovascular risk factors: blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, weight and family history. Familial hypercholesterolaemia is assessed more closely and is more likely to be rated, particularly for critical illness cover.
At a glance: how it usually affects each type of cover
| Type of cover | Typical outcome | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Life insurance | Usually standard rates when treated or mildly raised | Levels and ratio, treatment, other cardiovascular risk factors, family history |
| Critical illness cover | Usually available; a rating is more likely with very high levels or FH | Overall cardiovascular risk, because heart attack and stroke are covered conditions |
| Income protection | Usually little or no effect on its own | Occupation, deferred period and any heart-related history |
A general guide to how UK insurers commonly approach this, not a promise of terms. Every application is underwritten on its own facts.
Cholesterol Is A Risk Factor, And Insurers Underwrite It As One
Raised cholesterol is not a disease in the way insurers think about disease. It does not cause symptoms, time off work or claims by itself. What it does is raise the chance of the things insurers do pay out on: heart attack, stroke and other circulatory problems.
That shapes the whole assessment. An underwriter is not asking "how bad is this person's cholesterol?" so much as "how likely is this person to have a cardiovascular event during the term?" Cholesterol is one input. On its own, mildly or moderately raised, it frequently makes no difference to the price of life cover at all.
The Ratio Often Tells Underwriters More Than The Total
Most applications ask for your most recent cholesterol reading and when it was taken. The figures that do the work are usually:
- Total cholesterol, the headline number most people remember
- HDL cholesterol, the protective kind, where higher is better
- The total-to-HDL ratio, which many insurers weigh heavily
- LDL and triglycerides, which some insurers also ask about
A high total with a high HDL can produce a perfectly reasonable ratio, and underwriters know that. This is why it is worth getting the full breakdown from your GP practice or the NHS App rather than quoting one remembered figure. Insurers set their own thresholds and do not publish them, so the exact point at which a rating starts varies.
Taking A Statin Usually Helps Your Application
People sometimes worry that being on a statin marks them out as higher risk. In practice an underwriter cares mainly about your levels on treatment. A statin shows the issue has been found and is being managed, and levels that have come down in response are a good sign.
It is also common to be offered a statin because your GP has calculated your overall ten-year cardiovascular risk, not because your cholesterol was especially high. If that is your situation, say so. It gives the underwriter the right context, and the reason for a prescription is as useful to them as the prescription itself.
Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Is A Different Application
Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition in which cholesterol is high from birth rather than rising with age and lifestyle. Because the arteries have been exposed for longer, the risk of heart disease at a younger age is higher, and underwriters treat it accordingly.
Expect questions about your age at diagnosis, when treatment started, what you take, your levels on treatment, whether you are under a lipid clinic, any heart tests or symptoms, and which relatives have had heart disease and at what age. FH that was diagnosed early and is well treated, with no evidence of heart disease, can often be insured on reasonable terms. A rating is more common than for ordinary raised cholesterol, and critical illness cover is where it shows most.
On genetic testing: under the UK Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance, insurers agree not to require or use predictive genetic test results, with one narrow exception unrelated to FH. A diagnosis, your readings and your treatment are still medical facts that must be declared where asked. Our page on family history and life insurance covers how relatives' illnesses are assessed.
The Company Cholesterol Keeps Matters More Than Cholesterol Itself
Because the insurer is pricing overall cardiovascular risk, each extra factor counts. Raised cholesterol with normal blood pressure, a healthy weight and no smoking is a very different proposition from the same reading with high blood pressure, diabetes, a high BMI or smoking. Individually each may be minor; together they can lead to a rating none of them would attract alone.
The useful corollary is that improving any one of them can improve the overall picture. If you have stopped smoking or brought your blood pressure under control, that is relevant evidence, not just a footnote.
Critical Illness Cover Feels It; Income Protection Rarely Does
Critical illness cover pays on diagnosis of conditions such as heart attack and stroke, which is exactly what raised cholesterol makes more likely. The same reading can therefore affect a critical illness quote when it leaves a life quote untouched. For most people with treated cholesterol the effect is small; with FH or several risk factors combined, an increased premium is more likely and an exclusion or decline for critical illness is possible.
Income protection is seldom affected by cholesterol alone, because it does not stop people working. Your occupation, deferred period and any other health history will drive those terms.
How To Apply Without Making It Harder Than It Needs To Be
- Have your most recent full lipid result and its date, not a figure from memory
- Know the name and dose of any cholesterol medicine and when you started it
- Have your latest blood pressure, height, weight and smoking status ready
- Know which close relatives had heart disease or stroke, and roughly at what age
- If you have FH, have your lipid clinic letters and any heart test results to hand
Do not leave cholesterol off because it "is not really a condition". You are legally expected to answer the insurer's questions honestly and with reasonable care. A careless wrong answer can lead to a claim being reduced or refused in line with what the insurer would have done had it known, and a deliberate one can void the policy. A GP report or nurse blood test would often reveal it anyway.
For ordinary raised cholesterol, many insurers will offer similar terms and a broker's value is mainly in finding the right policy and price. With FH, or cholesterol alongside other risk factors, insurers' approaches differ more, and checking which ones suit your figures before a full application avoids collecting ratings or declines you then have to declare. See broker or direct for the trade-offs.
Find Your Last Cholesterol Result
About CoverLife
CoverLife is a UK life insurance broker specialising in cover for people with medical conditions, including applicants who have been declined, postponed or rated by another insurer. We have a panel of 15 UK protection insurers, including Aviva, Legal & General, Royal London, Vitality, LV=, Scottish Widows, The Exeter, Guardian, MetLife, Holloway Friendly, British Friendly and National Friendly.
CoverLife is a trading name of CoverTrade Risk Management Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 1020148. Advice is given by a named adviser and there is no charge for it. More about CoverLife
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.
- High blood pressureThe risk factor most often found alongside raised cholesterol, and underwritten as part of the same cardiovascular assessment.
- Family history of illnessEspecially relevant with familial hypercholesterolaemia, where relatives' early heart disease is part of what the insurer weighs.
- Heart conditionsIf cholesterol has already led to angina, a stent or a heart attack, the underwriting moves onto that page's ground.
Common questions
Can you get life insurance with high cholesterol?+
Yes. Raised cholesterol is one of the most common things declared on UK life applications, and on its own it often makes little or no difference to the premium, particularly if it is treated or only mildly raised. Insurers are really assessing your overall cardiovascular risk, so they look at your cholesterol alongside blood pressure, smoking, weight, diabetes and family history of heart disease rather than in isolation.
Does high cholesterol increase life insurance premiums?+
Sometimes, but often not. Mildly or moderately raised cholesterol with nothing else significant usually has a small effect or none. Premiums are more likely to rise where levels are very high, where the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol is poor, or where cholesterol sits alongside other risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes. Each insurer draws its own lines, so the same result can be treated differently.
Do I have to declare high cholesterol for life insurance?+
If the application asks about it, yes. Many forms ask directly about raised cholesterol or about medication you take, and a statin prescription is on your medical record. Because treated or mildly raised cholesterol usually has little effect on the price, declaring it costs little. Leaving it off can give the insurer grounds to reduce or refuse a claim later, which is a far bigger risk than any premium saving.
Does taking statins affect life insurance?+
Not negatively in most cases. A statin shows your cholesterol has been identified and is being managed, and underwriters generally care more about your levels on treatment than about the fact that you take one. Some people are prescribed statins because of an overall risk score rather than a particularly high reading, and that is worth explaining. Declare the medicine and the reason it was prescribed.
What cholesterol level is too high for life insurance?+
There is no single level at which cover becomes unavailable, and insurers do not publish a shared threshold. They usually look at total cholesterol, HDL (sometimes called good cholesterol), and the ratio between them, and some ask about LDL and triglycerides too. A good ratio can offset a higher total. Very high untreated levels are more likely to be rated, but cover is usually still available.
Can I get life insurance with familial hypercholesterolaemia?+
Usually, yes. Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is inherited and means high cholesterol from birth, so insurers look closely at when it was diagnosed, when treatment started, your levels on treatment, any heart symptoms or tests, and whether close relatives had early heart disease. Well-treated FH with no heart problems can be accepted on reasonable terms, though a rating is more common than for ordinary raised cholesterol, especially on critical illness cover.
Do I have to tell an insurer about a genetic test for FH?+
Under the UK Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance, insurers agree not to require or use the results of predictive genetic tests, with a single narrow exception that does not apply to FH. However, a diagnosis of FH, raised cholesterol readings, treatment and any symptoms are medical facts that must be declared if asked about. If you are unsure how a question applies to you, ask before answering rather than guessing.
Can you get critical illness cover with high cholesterol?+
Usually. Cholesterol carries more weight on critical illness cover than on life cover because heart attack and stroke are among the main conditions these policies pay out on. Treated or mildly raised cholesterol often makes little difference. Very high levels, familial hypercholesterolaemia or several cardiovascular risk factors together are more likely to lead to an increased premium, and occasionally to an exclusion or a decline for critical illness.
Does high cholesterol affect income protection?+
Rarely on its own. Raised cholesterol does not usually cause time off work, so for income protection it is mainly relevant as part of the wider cardiovascular picture. If it has already led to heart problems, that changes things. For most people, occupation, deferred period and other health history will have far more effect on income protection terms than cholesterol.
Will the insurer test my cholesterol?+
Possibly. Many applications are decided on your answers, sometimes with a GP report. For larger sums assured or older applicants, an insurer may ask for a nurse screening that includes a blood test. If it does, the result is used alongside what you declared, which is another reason to give your most recent figures accurately rather than from memory.
Should I wait until my cholesterol is lower before applying?+
Usually not. Treated cholesterol is often viewed favourably, and waiting leaves you uninsured. If you have just started treatment and expect a follow-up test within weeks, it can sometimes be worth having that result to hand, but that is a judgement about timing rather than a reason to delay indefinitely. If your levels improve substantially after you take out a policy, you can always look again.
Does a family history of heart disease matter if I have high cholesterol?+
Yes, it can. Many insurers ask whether parents or siblings had heart disease, stroke or similar conditions before a certain age, and they set their own cut-offs. Raised cholesterol plus a family history of early heart disease is read more cautiously than either alone. With familial hypercholesterolaemia, family history is especially relevant because the condition is inherited.