Turned down for income protection, critical illness cover etc

[TickTickTock]

Hi, I'd really appreciate some advice if possible.

I was turned down for insurance recently. Long story short, I separated from my husband last year and he bought me out of our house. I took 6 weeks sick off work due to stress, anxiety and low mood (this was due to the stress of the separation and ex moving out). The company (Legal and General) turned me down because of the 6 weeks off.

They said I can reapply in 3 months. I could approach other companies but I'm wondering if anyone will insure me now...?

Does anyone have any experience of this? Am I more likely to be accepted for one type of insurance over another? I'd really like to protect my mortgage payments for my kids' sake...

Thank you

You could try a broker? Money saving expert has a guide that may help. Also, check if you have any cover from your employer if you are working.

I would expect most insurers will have the same requirement - was your hospital stay within the last 12 months? And in 3 months time it will be outside that period?

You could see a protection IFA with access to the whole market - they will often be able to speak to underwriters before even submitting an application so can find out if it would be an auto decline

It would be the IP element that this is the biggest issue for, so you may be able to apply for CI by itself. But obviously they are different products for different needs, so you may want to take proper advice on which is most appropriate for you

I think you'll struggle to find cover for anything that might involve anxiety etc when you've recent history.

As others say, this is the situation in which a broker is worth their weight.

Thank you. There was no hospital stay, just some time off work.

Thank you, that's really helpful. I knew posting here would be worthwhile☺️
Thank you all so much

Sorry 🤦‍♀️ I can't seem to read today

Good luck with a broker/IFA - I'm sure they will be able to help

Mental Health comes into insurance underwriting, so L&G in this particular case are saying they cannot insure you at this time.
Other providers might give some cover, as they all have different criteria.

Podcast: Mental Health in Insurance
https://practical-protection.co.uk/hannover-re-mental-health-webinar/#1582123554237-1fe6e1b3-8a06
Podcast is aimed at advisers so may include some industry terminology.

Cura Insurance, who provides podcasts like this one, are a specialist broker, and I have personally had insurance via them. They will be honest with you about your specific situation, find you cover if they can but will let you know what is and is not possible at this time and when it may be possible to get more cover. They are paid by the insurers (commission is still a thing in insurance sales) and will disclose what commission they get on selling you a policy. So it does not cost you more to talk to a broker. Income Protection and Critical Illness insurance is one of those times when going direct to insurer is not always best. Having a broker look at the whole market, a broker who can talk to underwriters, will result in cover that is suitable for your specific circumstances.

It’s worth shopping around. My DH needed life insurance for a loan he took out for purchasing shares at work. One place wanted a full physical, others would not insure him at all (possibly age, possibly because waiting for consultant appointment), one gave him insurance just by filling in online form.

I was sectioned a couple of years ago for mental health reasons and most holiday insurance won’t insure me but I found some who specialise in providing insurance for people with medical conditions who do.it is of course a little more expensive.

I'm sorry you have had such a tough time. Good to hear you’re feeling better. All the best getting it sorted.

Different insurance companies will have their own underwriting philosophy, which will give different results.

You can quickly get an answer for quite a lot of insurers at the same time if you use Moneysupermarket - they ask you the medical questions and apply that to the rules for all the insurers linked into their platform. That way you get an underwritten quote - for your own medical history - without having to apply to each in turn. It won't be all the insurers, but will have the main ones.

If you don’t find what you're looking for (or maybe anyway!) you could speak to an insurance broker who will have good knowledge of the different insurers.

There are speciality insurers who will insure 'impaired lives' - ie people who have conditions which most insurers consider too high risk. Obviously it costs more.

If you get a very high premium, you could re-apply in 6 months anyway, since if your anxiety was temporary and you're fully better that may reduce your risk profile. Worth trying! (You can obviously cancel your insurance at any time. It's worth bearing in mind though that your risk of illness does increase as you age - and your premiums for a new policy will reflect that - so it doesn't usually make sense to switch years later. 6 months is fine though)

I'm sorry you have had such a tough time of it. I would also recommend a broker- they will know the nuances of the different providers and how they treat things.

Try a specialist broker. I'm bipolar and struggled to get life insurance. I went through a broker and they found be two companies one quite expensive but Aviva was more affordable. The benefit I found from how aviva treated me Vs other companies was they counted symptoms of my bipolar as part of my bipolar rather than in addition to the bipolar. I did find the whole thing quite difficult emotionally so I've just stuck with my original policy and it has put me off looking at other similar types of insurance.