Guest post
It’s no secret that for many of us, having Crohn’s is a pain in the stomach, mouth, and, well… the usual idiom. We cancel plans due to tiredness and cramps, and even if we’re having a good day we still need to be aware of where the nearest bathroom is, medication dosages are, and what we’re eating.
However, one thing I never realised was how much Crohn’s can affect life insurance. I mean, Crohn’s is a debilitating illness but not usually life-threatening, right? I guess it can lead to additional severe illnesses, like intestinal cancers or infections, but on the whole, it shouldn’t impact my life insurance, surely?
However, as well as affecting our diets, social life and working life, Crohn’s also impacts our life insurance cover. Today I’m going to explain my situation and how Crohn’s disease impacted my life insurance journey, I hope it helps inform you.
But what is life insurance?
First of all, we all know what Crohn’s is but not necessarily what life insurance is and how it works.
Life insurance is a policy which can pay out a cash lump sum to your loved ones after you pass away. Usually, you will pay a fixed monthly amount, or premium as it’s known, and in return, your family will receive a payout if anything happens to you. The proceeds are often used to clear a mortgage, cover family living costs, pay for a funeral or provide an inheritance.
There is a range of policies available. You could take out term life insurance which will provide you with cover for a set period, or, whole of life insurance which guarantees a pay out when (not if) you pass away. Due to cover lasting for life, the whole of life insurance tends to be more expensive, so I decided on term-based life insurance which comes as either level term or decreasing term cover.
The price you pay is impacted by a range of variables, such as your age, weight, diet, smoking status and occupation. These all play a part in determining the terms that you’re offered, as well as the price you pay each month.
So far, so good. I don’t know about anyone else, but my weight is in a healthy range – mainly because I literally cannot eat anything unhealthy. I don’t smoke – the few times I’ve had a cigarette, I’ve had between 2-4 days of unbearable cramps, and I don’t drink alcohol. Other than the fact I sometimes have days where I can’t walk more than 5 metres, I’m probably classified as being in good shape.
However, life insurance takes any current and previous medical conditions into consideration, which is where the problem lies.
But can I get life insurance with Crohn’s?
The good news is, I did find it possible to find affordable life insurance quotes even though I have Crohn’s. However, there were two big caveats that I discovered.
Firstly, the price I would pay per month compared to my friends was more expensive. Despite my symptoms fluctuating between mild and severe, but honestly being closer to mild on many days, I found I was paying more than my two best friends who don’t have any form of inflammatory bowel disease. Not only am I younger than both Sarah and Jake, Jake has additional health issues too.
So that sucks, but it’s not nearly as bad as finding out that some providers wouldn’t cover any condition that I may succumb too that’s related to my Crohn’s. That’s right – if I’d taken out certain policies and then passed away because of an intestinal infection or of a cancer anywhere along my gastrointestinal tract, my loved ones would be entitled to nothing.
I did originally think about not disclosing my Crohn’s but shot this down quickly once I discovered it’s a type of insurance fraud. Call me a goody-two-shoes if you want, but I wanted to make sure my family were covered if something happened, and a non-disclosure (as it’s called) would prevent a successful payout if I died.
A little bit of background
The thing is, I’d been on this journey of looking at life insurance for a little while. The thought had been on my mind since the Coronavirus pandemic, where many of us were forced to consider our own mortality and what we may leave behind for our loved ones.
I was fortunate enough to be in a remote occupation which meant I could work while curled up in the fetal position if required. My managers were understanding if I couldn’t do a Zoom meeting on days where I barely had energy to lift my body.
The point is, I could carry on and survive and keep a roof over my head. However, ordering food, getting my prednisolone (thankfully I don’t require medical injections) and everything that involves potentially leaving the house was a huge anxiety due to the obvious reasons. I think most of us who have any form of IBD who have also suffered from anxiety will know how much of a vicious circle this can be.
I wasn’t worried about the pain, or the illnesses that could arise. I’ve been feeling less than fantastic nearly every day since I was 13 years old. What I was worried about were my mum, step-dad and two younger brothers. I worried about how they would cope day to day without me around. I know this sounds incredibly narcissistic, but they have a reliance on my organisation skills, and the odd bit of money I have to throw their way. I wanted to make sure they were financially secure if I were no longer around.
Plus, they also had to put up with a lot from me, mainly metaphorical, unfortunately sometimes physical. Though, I guess (thankfully?) I have more issues with inflammation and fatigue than anything else these days.
The solution
Anyway, I digress. As my anxiety was getting worse I continued looking for quotes, even though finding them and comparing numbers is really not my forte. I don’t have dyscalculia, but I have been tested for it when younger and still just see a jumble of symbols on a tired day.
This is when I thought I’d try something new. I found a company called Reassured online, who are a life insurance broker that work with a panel of UK insurers. They take your personal circumstances into account and provide you with the most suitable quotes. Ok, I thought, at least I can locate some quotes and then start whittling down which ones would work for my situation and importantly their service was free to use.
I spoke to a guy called Morgan. Morgan was probably the cheekiest person I had ever spoken too, but in a good way. He made me laugh so hard at one point, I had to put the phone down and call him back! Fortunately, he was also incredible at listening to what I needed and was really sympathetic about my situation. I know it was his job and he needed this information, but he seemed really interested in how long I’d had Crohn’s, how it affected me and how often my bad flare-ups were.
After chatting and answering all his questions, Morgan went above and beyond. You see, I was at my breaking point looking for a suitable policy at this point. But Morgan kept looking and researching even after the call. Bear in mind this is a fee-free service and I wasn’t legally obligated to take any of the quotes he found.
It wasn’t long before Morgan called back, saying he had found a policy within my budget that I would be accepted on. It turns out Reassured has a specialist, impaired risk team which was open to covering me. There were still certain conditions that would not be covered on the life insurance policy – sadly including if I died from my Crohn’s, but with medical and surgical advancements helping increase life expectancy of those with Crohn’s and preventing additional life-threatening conditions, I wasn’t as worried as I thought I’d be.
Instead, I felt elated. It was as if the knot of anxiety, which had been tightening more and more, had finally come loose.
Another good option is to use a reputable comparison website free of charge, such as comparethemarket or moneysupermarket, however I decided to use a broker as I needed additional support and questions answered by an expert. If you know the cover you want and importantly what cover you can secure and don’t want to talk to anyone, this is a great alternative.
Make no mistake, this is not a story of how life insurance made my Crohn’s better. It’s not even a story about how it alleviated the symptoms. What this is, is how I regained a small bit of my freedom and a little slice of peace of mind. Considering everything for me has to be in little slices, it may seem like a very small victory to some. But I know to likeminded individuals, it’s a significant triumph.
And now…
It’s been a couple of years since I got my life insurance and a lot has changed. Sadly, my step-dad died of covid complications, right before the older of my two brothers’ 16th birthday. He didn’t have life insurance and it’s been a struggle. But, my older brother, who is now 18 in 4 months is doing his A-levels while my younger brother will be starting his GCSE years.
We miss him a lot, but we’re all in a good place at the moment. It also forced mum to face her own mortality, who actually ended up getting life insurance through Reassured too (sadly she didn’t get through to Morgan though!)
I know this is a slightly different post to what you usually see on A Balanced Belly but I felt it was important to share my story. Life can feel a bit bleak and lonely with Crohn’s. I’m sure it can even feel fleeting, though I am only 26. However, we do only get the one and we need to make the most of it the best we can. Insure it, especially if you have a family. You won’t regret it.
