The coronavirus pandemic may have given you many questions regarding your existing policy or if you are looking to take out a new one. In this guide, we aim to give you all the information you need to put your mind at rest.
The coronavirus pandemic may have given you many questions regarding your existing life insurance policy or if you are looking to take out a new one. Many people ask us: “Does life insurance cover covid?” In this guide, we aim to give you all the information you need to put your mind at rest.
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has sent the world into disarray and brought uncertainty into many people’s lives. Understandably, you may have questions about your existing life insurance policies, or you may be looking into getting new life cover. In this guide, we aim to answer some basic questions to help put your mind at rest.
With COVID being a relatively new critical illness health risk, you may wonder if it’s covered by your existing policy. As with all the information on this page, the exact details will depend on the individual insurance provider, but there are some general consistencies you’ll find between most providers. One of these consistencies is that you are going to be covered by any death related to COVID.
Every life insurance claim is treated individually, but your life insurance policy will almost certainly pay out for coronavirus. Life insurers only contest about 0.6% of life insurance claims, and these are usually due to non-payment of premiums or false information given at the time of purchase.
That being said, the usual stipulations apply in regards to being truthful on your application. If you have lied about your risk of contracting COVID or any pre-existing conditions, then this could invalidate your policy. This is not isolated to COVID, however, and applies to any health issue.
If you have any doubts, then it’s best to contact your insurer directly.
New policies may be a little different, but almost all insurers are going to cover Covid-19. While it has unfortunately killed many people across the globe, the risk of an individual dying from it is still very low. Due to that, Covid-19 should have a minimal impact on whether or not you can get a policy and whether or not Covid-19 will be included.
That being said, it is likely that you’ll be asked questions specifically related to COVID on your application. The range of these questions will differ from one provider to the next but they will be related to your history with the virus.
You’ll most likely be asked if you are currently suffering from any symptoms, whether or not you have had the virus if you’ve been in contact with someone who has had the virus, if you have been asked to self-isolate, and also if you are regarded as high-risk.
If you answer yes to any of these questions, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be denied life insurance. Instead, it may simply mean that you have slightly higher premiums or your application is postponed until symptoms clear. Again, it always pays to tell the truth as you never want to run the risk of your claim being invalidated.
You may have different kinds of life insurance, such as term life, decreasing term, and critical illness cover. Do these policies cover coronavirus?
Your existing term life and decreasing term life policies will almost certainly cover coronavirus. If someone passes away after they tested positive, their life policy will pay a cash lump sum following a normal claims process. British insurers have consistently paid life insurance claims related to coronavirus.
While coronavirus is covered by standard life insurance, critical illness claims are different. A critical illness policy is usually limited to specified conditions. Because coronavirus is a new condition, it is probably not included in your policy.
Also, many people who are diagnosed with coronavirus make a full recovery. Despite the financial difficulty you may experience, your critical illness insurance will probably not cover your case.
Income protection insurance policies taken out prior to the onset of the coronavirus outbreak will probably cover you for coronavirus. Covid-19 causes financial difficulties because many people experience breathing difficulties, respiratory failure, and extreme tiredness for up to three months after testing positive. Losing income and work is exactly what many people have in mind when they buy an income protection policy.
While the vast majority of people recover, if you have a policy, then you can make a claim and many insurers will payout according to the policy terms.
“What about the next one?” is one of the more frequently asked questions we receive about the pandemic. If you buy life insurance now, the policy may have specific clauses about pandemics, dread diseases, and certain criteria about global health emergencies.
We can only offer some simple advice about protecting yourself and your family in the future with life cover:
If you keep these simple tips in mind, then you should be able to find the best policy for your needs, regardless of how the world changes.
It’s a scary time for many people at the moment and it makes sense that you’d be thinking about what you’d leave behind should you pass away. The reality is that you never know what life could throw at you, and instead of thinking about getting specific COVID insurance, it’s best to just think of the benefits of regular life insurance. While it’s always worth double-checking, all reputable companies should include COVID insurance within their standard policy.
Not only has COVID caused health issues, but it has caused major financial concerns. Whether it is redundancy, furlough, or loss of work, it has been a challenge. With existing policies, many are offering a payment holiday or a deferral of payment.
Coronavirus is very unlikely to be regarded as a critical illness and shouldn’t be on the list of critical illnesses covered by your insurer. That being said, if you become disabled or another illness is triggered by COVID, then you would be covered for that as long as it’s written into your policy.
Again, if you’re worried, it’s always best to contact your insurer directly. Your policy will have specific terms and conditions that you can get clarity from.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll likely be asked more questions that are specifically tailored to life insurance for COVID. Aside from that, your insurer will work with you if they need more details or have a hard time obtaining medicals during this time. It can be a little more difficult at the moment but it’s worth it to get the cover you need.