Life insurance with high blood pressure or high cholesterol

7 September 2026

Being on blood pressure medication rarely costs you much. Being untreated or uncontrolled is what raises the price.

5 min read · Ben Tomlin · Last reviewed September 2026

The short answer

Yes, and treated, well controlled blood pressure often gets standard rates for life cover. Being on medication is not the problem. An untreated or uncontrolled reading is, and so is the combination of raised blood pressure with smoking, a high body mass index or diabetes.

Does blood pressure medication affect life insurance?

People delay applying because they have just been put on tablets. That is backwards.

An insurer would rather see a raised reading that is treated and controlled than one that is untreated and drifting.

Medication is evidence that the condition is known, monitored and managed.

What raises the price is a high reading with no treatment, poor control despite treatment, or a reading nobody has checked recently.

Before you apply.

Get your most recent blood pressure and cholesterol readings from your surgery. Without them, the insurer is more likely to write to your GP, which can add weeks.

What insurers ask about blood pressure and cholesterol

Your most recent blood pressure reading, and ideally the one before it.
When it was first raised, and what has happened since.
What medication you take, at what dose, and whether the dose has changed.
Your cholesterol figures, including the total and the ratio if you have them.
Whether there has been any cardiovascular event, such as angina, a heart attack or a stroke.
Related factors, meaning body mass index, smoking, alcohol and diabetes.

The last line is the one that decides most cases. Raised blood pressure alone is usually minor.

Raised blood pressure plus smoking plus a high body mass index plus diabetes is underwritten as a combined cardiovascular risk.

That combination costs far more than the sum of its parts, which is why fixing one of them can move the price a long way.

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Life insurance terms with high blood pressure

Position	Typical outcome
Treated, controlled, no other risk factors	Often standard rates for life cover
Treated, borderline control	A modest rating, varying by insurer
Untreated or uncontrolled	A larger rating, or postponement until it is managed
Raised readings plus other cardiovascular risk factors	Rated on the combination, sometimes significantly
A previous cardiovascular event	Underwritten on that event, with time since it mattering most

Critical illness cover is underwritten more tightly than life cover, because heart attack and stroke are listed conditions.

Income protection sits between the two.

Insurers use different thresholds and different scales, so the same readings genuinely produce different answers in different places.

What medical evidence an insurer may ask for

Above a certain sum assured, or where readings are borderline, the insurer will want evidence rather than your word.

There are three routes and they differ a lot in how long they take.

A GP report. The insurer writes to your surgery. This is the slowest route and can take several weeks, sometimes longer.
A nurse screening at home or work. A short appointment covering height, weight, blood pressure and usually a blood sample.
A tele-interview. A trained interviewer goes through your history by phone, often the same week.

A tele-interview is usually the fastest and it gives you the chance to explain context that a form cannot capture.

Ask your adviser which the insurer uses before you apply, because it changes how long you are without cover.

Whatever the route, cover is not in force until the insurer says so. Do not cancel an existing policy while you wait.

How to get better terms

Get your readings from your surgery before you apply, rather than guessing.
If you have just started medication, ask whether waiting for a stable follow up reading would improve terms.
Do not stop taking medication to improve a reading. It makes the medical picture worse and the insurer will see the history anyway.
Address smoking first if it applies, because it compounds the cardiovascular rating.
Ask for pre-assessment with several insurers rather than submitting one formal application.
Diarise a review once your readings have been stable for a year or two, because ratings can come down.

The review point is worth money and almost nobody does it.

Someone rated for uncontrolled blood pressure who is now well controlled is a materially better risk. That does not reach your premium unless you ask.

Keep the existing policy in force until any new cover is issued and accepted.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I get life insurance with high blood pressure?

Yes, and often at standard rates if it is treated and well controlled with no other risk factors. Untreated or poorly controlled readings attract a higher premium.

Does being on blood pressure medication make insurance more expensive?

Not usually by itself. Insurers generally view treated and monitored blood pressure more favourably than an untreated raised reading.

Should I wait until my blood pressure is lower before applying?

If you have just started treatment, a stable follow up reading can improve the terms. That said, being uninsured while you wait carries its own risk, and most ratings can be reviewed later.

Does high cholesterol affect life insurance?

Yes, though usually modestly on its own. It matters most in combination with blood pressure, body mass index, smoking or diabetes, because insurers price the overall cardiovascular risk.

Is critical illness cover harder to get with high blood pressure?

Generally yes, because heart attack and stroke are listed conditions on the policy. Life cover is usually the more straightforward of the two.

Can my premium be reduced if my readings improve?

Often, but you have to ask. Insurers do not usually review ratings automatically. Once readings have been stable for a period it is worth retesting the market while keeping existing cover in force.