Surely someone who’s fat and/or has an eating disorder MUST have life insurance?

[Someoneeeee]

I need help!

I’ve been trying to take out life insurance since the beginning of the year and I’m either declined due to my weight or the fact that I have an eating disorder. Pls, if you’re on the bigger side and/or have an eating disorder but you have life insurance, who do you have a claim with?!

Are you trying through a broker? Surely they can find you something even if it excludes conditions due to your weight/eating disorder.

I only disclosed what was diagnosed on my records, which didn’t include my eating disorder. Had to disclose some other mental health stuff which meant I was uninsurable through cheapest providers and ended up paying more. Lied about my weight. Updated it at the GP before applying (they didn’t weigh me to check) and then the GP reported to the insurer. I got a lecture at my next asthma check about gaining so much weight in such a short time. Needs must.

Hi OP, I’m not in quite the same position but currently can’t get life insurance due to historical mental illness/current neurodiversity because the various aspects trigger too many tick boxes. But I’d recommend talking to Vita who are a specialist broker, they’ve been really helpful even though I’m still struggling (I need to do a few things to try and work it out but can’t right now)

No I haven’t been, maybe that’s the next step? There are so many brokers out there though, how do you know which one is legit and worth the money you pay?

Yes, I honestly wondered whether I’m being too honest or something! My eating disorder is on my medical recorded as I was diagnosed by the NHS. I did think about lying about my weight but I was recently referred to a weight management clinic and my most recent weight was recorded. Gosh, I must stop visiting the GP

You don't pay. You find one that gets commission. I think the mortgage broker L&C have life insurance brokers- fee free, check online.

Thank you, I’ll have a look now! Wishing you all the best🤞

Oh really? Thanks so much, I’m gonna have a look now

As long as you have decided that you absolutely need it, you can go through a broker but dont be surprised if you just cant get insured

its a bit of a myth (particularly on here) that you can just shop around for certain insurances like critical illness/health/travel and you'll find it, often for those of us with a complex medical history, you cant get insured.

I was declined life insurance at 24 due to benign tumours. I naively thought I needed it for the mortgage but I didnt actually, its not a requirement and never applied again. 30 years later I will be completely uninsureable!!!

You should be able to get it - it just might cost a lot. When we took out life insurance 15 years ago, my husband had to go through a broker due to being obese - he pays almost 3 times the amount I do for the same level of insurance.

You’re welcome, and it doesn’t cost anything, they get commission from the insurance company when you take out a policy. I wouldn’t think just these two factors would count you out though. Don’t lie about anything, if you do your insurance won’t be valid.

I didn't take it out as too much money but had no issue getting it through a broker.

However the company did send someone to my house so no chance of lying about my weight, they brought their own set of scales with them.

DH and I are both overweight and we’re insured through Scottish Widows. It’s about £30 a month for the two of us.

Do you work ?

If so, if you pay into a work pension, it sometimes comes with free life insurance or death in service insurance

Suggest check this

I'm in the same situation as you. I have never even ever taken a single day off work due to mental ill health but couldn't get insured when I tried via a broker a couple of years ago. It makes us feel tetchy as only DH has life insurance, income protection and the critical illness covers him and the kids. But I have no cover and I do more of the childcare than him so he'd be absolutely up shit creek still if I died even though he is our main earner (but not a high earner). Will take a look at the broker you've mentioned though, thanks.

its a bit of a myth (particularly on here) that you can just shop around for certain insurances like critical illness/health/travel and you'll find it, often for those of us with a complex medical history, you cant get insured.

Agree, a friend had cancer in her 20s & another one had quite a severe eating disorder. They can’t afford life insurance.

I hope it helps, I worked with Phil who was just lovely despite my chaotic ADHD approach to trying to sort things out. For me it’s because there’s so many different things that come up on the boxes, and also that I do still get some anxiety as part of my ADHD, though I’m not medicated and it doesn’t cause me issues, I do still get DLA so it’s quite complex. If yours is less complex you should be ok. I have income protection through work now thankfully, so that’s something, and DH is a higher earner so hopefully could manage our big mortgage on his own if he needed to. But hopefully I’ll just live a long healthy life, and we’ll keep saving/paying down the mortgage. Another few years I might have better luck with insurance too

Definitely find a broker but if you have a very high BMI then be prepared to struggle to find any cover or if you can find cover it will be very expensive with lots of exclusions. My husband is a mortgage and income protection adviser and this is one of the biggest things he hits with trying to find good cover for clients, once they see height & weight it’s often an instant decline if significantly overweight. It’s worth going via a proper adviser though as they will know any loop holes and most likely providers.

I have life insurance for a mortgage

It was a God awful experience

Mental health issues and asthma meant that life, critical illness and terminal illness cover would have meant payments worth more than my mortgage repayments and they would have increased year on year

I've got 'basic" like insurance, with a lot of 'get out' clauses for more than double the initially advertised rate

Dh has v high bmi. We had to go to a specialist and he had to have a full medical before they insured us but it costs £50 a month for 250k. However he is a very medically healthy fat person so if anything had shown up he wouldn't have got it