Question

I am in my early thirties and have had ME for about three years. Fortunately, I have not been severely affected and, while having to reduce my hours and duties at work, I remain employed and am gradually making some improvement.

Having reached a point in life where I think it would be sensible to have some life insurance I have approached a number of companies – all of whom have either refused or want to increase my premiums because I have ME.

So I have three questions:

Firstly, are you aware of any life insurance companies who are happy to arrange life insurance for people with ME without weighting the premiums?

Secondly, is there any evidence that people with ME have a reduced life expectancy?

Thirdly, can insurance companies refuse to insure people because they have ME?

Answer

First question:

We carried out a small survey on MEA social media last year and received a very mixed response. Unfortunately, we were not able to identify any life insurance companies that were perfectly OK to offer life insurance at normal rates. However, from the feedback obtained it appears that two insurance companies may be more likely to offer life insurance but probably at an increased premium. They are Aviva and Legal & General.

So our advice here is to contact one of the independent insurance brokers which specialise in working with people who have established health conditions or disabilities – as they are well aware of the companies that are more likely to be helpful.

Second question:

We just don’t know whether life expectancy is reduced in people who have in ME/CFS. This is because there is no sound evidence on mortality statistics that come from large epidemiological studies which are recording causes of death and the age of death in people with ME/CFS, and then comparing this data to the normal population. Evidence from one research study did indicate a slightly reduced life expectancy but this study was problematic in relation to both small sample size and an over-representation of more severely affected people.

Consequently, we can only make an educated guess based on what we know about the possible underlying disease process in ME/CFS and the evidence relating to people who have died from ME/CFS. If you exclude the very sad cases of people who have died from suicide and malnutrition, this evidence does not suggest that people with ME/CFS have a reduced life expectancy.

Regarding the underlying disease process in ME/CFS and possible effects on life expectancy:

On the one hand, there are various reasons why some people with ME/CFS might actually live longer than expected (e.g. the presence of low blood pressure, no longer drinking alcohol, eating a more healthy diet, or no longer having work-related stress).

On the other hand, there are various reasons why some people with ME/CFS might have a shorter life expectancy (e.g. low-level neuroinflammation, financial and family stresses associated with the illness, weight gain and possibly developing type-2 diabetes).

There are also some theoretical reasons as to why there may be a slight increase in risk in relation to a malignancy called non-Hodgkins lymphoma and ME/CFS – see this summary from MERUK.

However, when to comes to feedback to the MEA over many years, cases of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in people with ME/CFS are only very rarely reported.

Consequently, in our current state of knowledge, my conclusion is that there is no sound evidence to indicate that life expectancy is reduced in ME/CFS. This is the information that I provide when this question arises in relation to applications for life insurance policies.

Third question:

The 2010 Equality Act makes it clear that insurance companies cannot normally refuse to provide insurance to people who have a medical condition that is classed as a disability – and ME/CFS comes under this Act. So while insurance companies can charge a higher premium because you have a condition that may affect life expectancy, they should not be refusing to do so altogether.

Finally, there are two other options for people who are unable to find affordable life insurance.

One is known as life insurance with exclusions. This will pay-out in the event of a death, but not if the death is a result of the insured person’s known disability.

A second option is called group life insurance. This enables disabled people to be included in a larger plan – such as one offered by a company or professional organisation. These policies require no medical information from the individuals. As you are still in employment, this is worth checking with your employer. The disadvantage here is that cover normally ceases if the person leaves the employer or terminates their membership in the professional organisation.

To conclude, it’s important to research all the various options available, bearing in mind that the rules relating to disabilities and existing health conditions differ among insurance companies. And do obtain as many quotes as possible before making a decision.

Please let us know if you have found an insurance company that is willing to provide life insurance to people with ME/CFS and whether this involved an extra charge.

See Also: Income Protection Insurance (IPI),  Does ME affect life expectancy?