Naturally, if you’re young, you shouldn’t have to worry about having a heart attack. Of course, there are plenty of ways to stay healthy and protect your heart, such as exercise and eating well.
However, even professional athletes, such as Danish footballer Christian Eriksen, have suffered from heart attacks. Thankfully, he survived, but sadly this isn’t always the case for others.
According to the British Heart Foundation, heart and circulatory diseases are the cause of a quarter of deaths in the UK. This is said to be more than 160,000 deaths every year, with an average of 460 deaths each day or one every three minutes in the UK.
They also state that around 100,000 people are admitted into UK hospitals each year due to heart attacks. This is a rate of one every five minutes.
Whether you’re looking to buy cover or already have a policy, you may be wondering does life insurance cover heart attack? This article will help answer any concerns you may have going forward…
Will my life insurance policy pay out if I have a heart attack?
In most cases, a heart attack is considered a form of accidental death. This is because it usually occurs as a result of a medical condition. However, a standard life insurance policy will cover you in the event of death due to a heart attack.
When this happens, the policy pays out a lump sum to help your family manage their finances when you’re gone. The length of your policy depends on the type of cover you choose - whole life or term life insurance.
Term life insurance protects you for a limited period of time, for example, 20 years. Your policy will only pay out if you die within this time. Once the policy reaches the end of the policy term, it expires, and you’ll need to buy more cover if needed.
Whole life insurance protects you indefinitely, paying out regardless of when you die. Because of this, whole life policies are typically more expensive than term life policies. Despite the cost, it’s a great way to provide peace of mind to your loved ones.
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Can I still buy life insurance after a heart attack?
If you’ve had a heart attack or suffer from heart disease, it may still be possible to buy life insurance cover. However, your monthly premiums are likely to be much higher than normal.
The cost of your monthly premiums, and whether an insurer will be able to cover you will be based on on a number of factors, such as:
The age in which you suffered from the heart attack
The severity of the heart attack
If you suffer from any symptoms related to the heart attack
Medications or treatments you are receiving (such as having a pacemaker)
If you have any family medical history relating to heart conditions or disease
When applying for cover, it’s important to disclose any pre-existing medical conditions with your insurance provider. Withholding this information could result in your cover being voided or a claim being denied.
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What types of insurance covers heart attacks?
As already mentioned, both term life and whole life insurance can cover you in the event of death from a heart attack. However, if you have a heart attack and survive, you can’t make a life insurance claim. So what types of cover can?
Critical illness insurance covers you in the event you are diagnosed with a serious illness or injury. In most cases, it covers you from a heart attack in which you survive (though note it depends on the type and severity of the heart attack - check with your chosen insurer for their definition). The policy then pays out a cash sum to help you and your family cover costs such as living expenses, mortgage payments and medical costs.
Get help from a life insurance expert
At Cavendish Online, you’re not alone when searching for cover for you and your loved ones. We’re not like any old life insurance broker, we’re committed to helping you find the best policy for the lowest fees.
To learn more about how life insurance works, check out our news section. There are plenty of helpful articles to answer any questions you may have about buying life cover.
You can also get in touch with our team of advisors who can help you find a policy that suits your needs. They are specialists in helping those with medical and lifestyle disclosures and operate on a whole of market basis, so your search for cover is not restricted to certain providers.
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Our team of friendly and professional advisers are on hand to help with any questions you may have regarding Life Insurance.
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