Life Insurance With Kidney Stones

For Life Cover, A Stone Is Usually A Footnote

Kidney stones can be one of the most painful things people experience, so it is understandable to expect them to count heavily on an insurance application. For life insurance, they usually do not. Life cover prices the chance of death during the term, and kidney stones in someone whose kidneys work normally are not something insurers expect to shorten life.

What the underwriter wants to confirm is simple: that your kidney function is normal, that there is no serious underlying cause, and that nothing is still being investigated. With those boxes ticked, many people with a history of stones are accepted on standard terms.

One Episode And Recurrent Stones Are Treated Differently

The most useful distinction is between a single episode and a pattern.

A one-off stone that passed on its own or was treated successfully, with no recurrence since, is often viewed as having little lasting significance. Even for income protection, a single episode some time ago may be accepted without an exclusion.

Recurrent stones tell an insurer something different: that you are likely to have more episodes, each potentially with time off work and possibly a procedure. That does not affect life cover much, but it is exactly the risk income protection is exposed to, and it is where exclusions become common.

In between, a stone that is still present but not causing symptoms is usually treated more cautiously than one that has been cleared, because it could move and cause problems later.

Kidney Stones Are Not Chronic Kidney Disease

These two are often confused, and the difference matters a great deal for insurance.

Kidney stones are hard deposits that form in the urinary tract. They cause pain and sometimes blockage, but in most people the kidneys go on working normally between episodes.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term reduction in how well the kidneys filter the blood, usually measured by your eGFR and the amount of protein in your urine. It is assessed on its stage, its cause and whether it is stable or getting worse, and it is often linked with blood pressure, diabetes and heart risk. CKD can significantly affect life and critical illness cover and is a different and bigger conversation that needs a specialist assessment of its own. If you have been told you have CKD as well as stones, mention both, and expect the CKD to be what drives the decision.

This is also why insurers ask about kidney function after stones. A normal result tells them the stones have not caused lasting damage, which is what keeps the application simple.

Lithotripsy, Ureteroscopy And Stents: What To Tell The Insurer

Many stones pass without intervention. Others need treatment: shock wave lithotripsy to break the stone up from outside the body, ureteroscopy to reach and remove it with a thin scope, or, for larger stones, percutaneous nephrolithotomy through a small cut in the back. A temporary stent is sometimes placed to keep urine draining.

Having had any of these is not an issue in itself. What an insurer wants to know is:

• Which procedure, and the date
• Whether the stone was fully cleared
• Whether a stent was placed, and whether it has been removed
• Whether there were any complications, such as infection
• Whether any further treatment is planned

If you are currently waiting for a procedure, income protection is often postponed until it has been done and you have recovered. Life cover is less often affected, but tell the insurer.

Income Protection: Where Stones Make A Difference

Income protection pays if illness or injury stops you working. An episode of renal colic, a hospital admission or a procedure can mean time off, and recurrent stones can mean that happening repeatedly. That is the risk insurers are pricing.

The common outcome for recurrent or recent stones is an exclusion. Some exclusions cover kidney stones only; others are worded more widely, for example to cover any disorder of the kidneys or urinary tract. The narrower the wording, the more the policy still covers, so it is worth comparing.

• Time since the last episode is often the most important factor. A longer stone-free period is viewed more favourably.
• Deferred period. Most stone-related absences are short. A longer deferred period means a short absence is less likely to become a claim, which may make an insurer more comfortable.
• Exclusion reviews. Some insurers will review an exclusion after a set period without a recurrence. If you are offered one, ask whether a review is possible.

An exclusion for kidney stones still leaves the policy paying out for almost everything else, from injuries to cancer to mental health.

The Cause Can Matter More Than The Stone

Most kidney stones have no serious underlying cause. Some are linked to other conditions, including gout, an overactive parathyroid gland, inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease, or inherited metabolic conditions. Where one of these is involved, the insurer will assess that condition as well, and it may affect the terms more than the stones do. Our page on stomach and bowel conditions covers inflammatory bowel disease.

If you have been investigated and no underlying cause was found, say so. That is useful information for the underwriter.

Getting The Application Right First Time

Kidney stone applications are usually straightforward when the detail is complete. The problems come from avoidable mistakes:

• Leaving out an old episode. A single stone years ago feels irrelevant, but if it is within the period a question asks about, it must be declared. You are required to answer honestly and with reasonable care, and an undisclosed history can lead to a reduced or refused claim.
• Applying mid-investigation. If you are waiting for a scan, a urology appointment or a procedure, income protection is often postponed. It can be better to wait until it is complete.
• Accepting the first exclusion offered. Insurers word exclusions differently and differ on how long a stone-free period they need. A broker can check where your history is likely to be treated most favourably before you apply, rather than you applying to several insurers direct.

For more on how disclosure and claims work, see our guide to whether life insurance will pay out.