The short answer is YES, quite possibly.

It might take us a little longer to get it sorted. The insurer might want a report from your GP or consultant, and you could end up with an exclusion for a particular condition.

But having something in your medical history does not automatically mean you cannot get Income Protection.

This comes up constantly, so let’s go through some of the conditions we deal with most often.

GLP 1 Medications including Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda

These are absolutely massive at the moment and no, taking one does not automatically mean you cannot get Income Protection.

The insurer will want to know why you are taking it. Is it for diabetes or weight management? How long have you been taking it? What dose are you on? How much weight have you lost? Is your weight still changing? Are you having any side effects?

If you have only just started or you are still moving through the doses, they may want to wait until things settle.

And yes, you have to disclose it, even if you are paying privately and taking it purely for weight management. It is still prescribed medication.

Anxiety, Stress and Depression

This one genuinely baffles me.

We regularly meet people who were told they could not get Income Protection because they had anxiety.

A huge number of our clients have a history of anxiety and still have cover in place.

The insurer will look at medication, counselling, time off work, hospital treatment, any history of self harm and how well you are now.

You may get a mental health exclusion. That means you could not claim for something connected to anxiety, stress or depression, but you could still have valuable cover for another eligible illness or injury.

So please do not accept “you have anxiety, therefore you cannot get cover” without talking to us first.

Back, Neck and Joint Problems including Scoliosis

Another one we see all the time.

Bulging discs, sciatica, scoliosis, back pain and joint problems do not automatically mean no cover.

With scoliosis, the insurer will look at the severity of the curve, symptoms, treatment, pain medication, any surgery or specialist follow up and whether it has ever affected your ability to work.

You may get an exclusion for your back, neck, spine or affected joint.

That is not ideal, obviously, but it is very different from having no Income Protection whatsoever. You could still have extremely valuable cover for another eligible illness or injury.

Cancer

Yes, you can get Income Protection after cancer.

We have clients with a history of lymphoma, breast cancer, skin cancer and cervical cancer who have cover in place.

It depends on the type and stage of cancer, the treatment you had, when treatment ended, your follow up results and how well you are now.

The insurer might offer cover at the normal price, add an extra cost, apply an exclusion or ask you to wait a while longer.

It is completely case by case, but a previous cancer diagnosis is absolutely not an automatic no.

Diabetes

Now this one I know about personally because I am a fully paid up member of the Type 2 diabetes club myself.

Great fun altogether. Not

Traditional individual Income Protection is extremely difficult to get with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and is often simply unavailable.

So I am not going to sit here and pretend this one is easy. It isn’t.

Some group Income Protection schemes may provide an option, depending on their own rules and the cover available. There may also be more limited alternatives, but they are not the same as comprehensive Income Protection and I will always be honest about that.

If your GLP 1 medication is being used to manage Type 2 diabetes, it is the diabetes rather than the medication itself that causes the bigger problem.

Trust me, I would love the answer to be different on this one!

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

This depends on how severe the condition is, what medication you are taking, recent flare ups, hospital admissions, surgery and time taken off work.

A mild and stable case may be considered, sometimes with an exclusion or an additional cost.

If the condition is active, you have had recent flare ups or you are taking certain medications, it can be much more difficult. The insurer may postpone or decline the application.

Heart Conditions

There is no blanket answer here.

The insurer will look at the exact diagnosis, treatment, medication, test results, recovery and how much time has passed.

Cover might be offered with special terms, postponed or declined. We need to see the full picture before telling you what is realistically possible.

Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease and polycystic kidney disease can be very difficult to get through, particularly if kidney function is affected or the condition is progressing.

The answer may be a postponement or a decline, but we will always look at the medical details before assuming there are no options.

Neurological Conditions including Tremor and Dystonia

These can be extremely difficult to get through.

The insurer will want detailed information about the diagnosis, severity, progression, treatment, specialist reports, time off work and how it affects your ability to do your job.

If you are still being investigated or nobody has established exactly what is causing the symptoms, the insurer will usually want to wait.

Even with a diagnosis, tremor and dystonia can be difficult because of the possible effect on your ability to work in the future.

I would never promise an outcome on this one.

Intracranial Hypertension

Another difficult one, particularly if you still have headaches, vision problems or ongoing investigations.

The insurer will look at medication, lumbar punctures, surgery, specialist follow up and any time taken off work.

If the condition is active, the application may be postponed or declined. If it has completely settled and remained stable, the insurer may consider it once enough time has passed.

Again, very much case by case.

Complement C Deficiency

This is rare and the insurer will need detailed medical information.

They will want to know the exact type of deficiency and whether you have had serious or recurring infections, hospital admissions, autoimmune complications or ongoing treatment.

Depending on your history, the answer could be special terms, a postponement or a decline.

Weight and BMI

Unfortunately, insurers do use BMI charts. I don’t make the rules!

Your BMI is not the only thing they consider, but it will form part of the decision.

If your BMI is outside the insurer’s usual range or your weight is changing very quickly, they may add an extra cost, postpone the application or decline it.

This can also come into play if you are losing weight on a GLP 1 medication and have not reached a stable weight yet.

So, what is the actual point of this very long post?

Please do not decide for yourself that you cannot get Income Protection because of something in your medical history.

But equally, please do not go online and fire applications into every insurer just to see what sticks.

The Income Protection market in Ireland is very small. We do not have dozens of different insurers sitting there waiting for your application.

If you apply online without understanding how each insurer is likely to view your particular condition, you can do more harm than good. You could end up with a refusal, a postponement or an exclusion that may need to be disclosed when applying elsewhere.

And with the greatest of respect, unless you work in insurance, you are going into that process fairly blind.

You will not know which insurer is more comfortable with your condition, what medical information they are likely to request, what details will matter most or whether now is even the right time to apply.

That is where someone like me comes in.

I can look at your medical history first, identify the insurer most likely to consider it fairly and approach them armed with the right information.

That does not mean hiding anything. Absolutely everything must be disclosed honestly.

It means presenting the full picture properly instead of sending off a basic online application that says “anxiety,” “cancer,” “scoliosis” or “neurological symptoms” without any of the context that could completely change how the case is viewed.

There is a massive difference between an old condition that has been stable for years and something that is active, changing or still being investigated. An online form will not always tell that story very well.

Different insurers can look at the exact same medical history and reach completely different decisions. Knowing where to place the application matters.

An exclusion for one condition is not the same as having no cover. You could still have extremely valuable Income Protection for another eligible illness or injury.

I cannot promise everyone cover because that would be nonsense.

But I can make sure we approach the right insurer, with the right information, at the right time and give the application its best chance of being assessed fairly.

This is one of those times when doing it yourself online is not necessarily saving you time or hassle. You may have far more options than you think, but you need to take the right route from the beginning.

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