Diabetes can feel like a roadblock when applying for life insurance, but it doesn’t have to be. Across Canada, hundreds of applicants with diabetes are approved every month by providers who understand the condition better than ever. In this guide, you’ll learn which factors matter most, how to lower your premiums, and what steps you can take to improve your chances of approval, even if you’ve been declined before.

From controlled A1C levels to the type of diabetes you have, insurers evaluate many factors when reviewing your application. Your medication, lifestyle, and history of complications all play a role in shaping your options. The good news? You don’t need perfect health to qualify, just the right approach and expert guidance.

In this article:

• Can I Get Life Insurance With Diabetes
• Factors Life Insurance Providers Consider if You Have Diabetes
• How Does Diabetes Affect Your Health Rating
• Types of Life Insurance Available to Diabetics
  • Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance
  • Simplified Issue Life Insurance
  • Term Life Insurance
  • Permanent Life Insurance
• What Affects the Price of Coverage?
• Disclosing Diabetes to a Life Insurance Provider
• What to Do if Your Application is Denied
• Case Study Examples
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Life Insurance for Diabetics

Can You Get Life Insurance With Diabetes in Canada?

Yes, Canadians living with diabetes are still eligible for life insurance and can choose from a variety of life insurance plans—just like anyone else. That being said, depending on certain factors such as the severity of your symptoms and overall health, it can be more challenging to be approved for a traditionally underwritten policy, and you may need to pay higher premiums.

But even the most high-risk applicants are still able to get life insurance through simplified issue and guaranteed issue life insurance in Canada, since these policies ask limited medical questions and don’t require a medical exam for approval.

What Insurers Look For When You Have Diabetes

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed or have lived with diabetes for years, the underwriting process can vary between life insurance companies in Canada. Medical underwriting involves reviewing your overall health and medical history. Fully underwritten policies often require a medical exam, blood and urine tests, an attending physician’s statement (APS), and answers to health-related questions.

Here are the main factors life insurance providers consider when you have diabetes:

✅ Type of Diabetes:
– Inform the insurer whether you have:
– type 1 diabetes
– type 2 diabetes
– gestational diabetes

✅ A1C Levels:
– A1C measures your average blood sugar over the past 3 months
– Below 7.0 = better premiums
– 7.0–7.9 = moderate risk, still insurable
– 8.0+ = high risk, possible decline for traditional policies

✅ Date of Diagnosis:
– Longer duration with diabetes increases complication risk
– Shorter time since diagnosis generally improves your rating

✅ Medical History:
– Height and weight
– Medications you take
– Pre-existing conditions
– Family history
– Lifestyle risks like smoking or
obesity

✅ Treatment Plan:
– Your current diet and exercise habits
– Types and doses of medications
– Insulin units used per day

These factors can help a life insurance provider have a better understanding of the overall risk to insure you. If you were more recently diagnosed, are taking good care of your health and managing your diabetes well, don’t have other pre-existing conditions, and have lower AC1 levels you will typically be able to qualify for traditionally underwritten insurance with standard premium rates. But even if you are a high risk to insure you can still qualify for life insurance through a simplified issue or guaranteed issue life insurance policy.

How Diabetes Affects Your Life Insurance Rating

Life insurance companies assign a medical rating to your application, which directly affects how much you’ll pay in premiums. These ratings are based on your current health status, lab results, and any chronic conditions. For applicants with diabetes, these ratings can either help or hurt your chances—depending on how well the condition is managed.

Ratings act as a risk multiplier. If your diabetes is poorly controlled or combined with other health issues, you may face higher premiums—or even a decline from traditional policies. Insurers commonly refer to A1C levels, which indicate how well blood sugar has been managed over time (see the A1C monitoring guidance at Diabetes Canada).

✅ Common factors that lower your life insurance rating:

• Poor blood sugar control (high or unstable A1C)
• Obesity or high BMI
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Elevated blood lipids (cholesterol or triglycerides)
• Heart or kidney complications
• Diagnosed sleep disorders (like sleep apnea)
• Diabetes-related complications such as:
  • Retinopathy (eye damage)
  • Nephropathy (kidney damage)

What can affect a health rating and how much the rating is affected by specific factors can vary between companies. Typically a health rating can increase up to 150% to 200% before an insurance company will consider an applicant too risky to insure and deny an application.

Types of Life Insurance Available to Diabetics

Many Canadians diagnosed with diabetes can still qualify for standard life insurance. For those with more complex medical histories, simplified and guaranteed issue life insurance provide accessible options that don’t require medical exams.

The right policy for you will depend on your health, financial goals, and how much coverage you need. Here’s a breakdown of the main types available to diabetics in Canada:

✅ Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance
– No medical exams, no health questions, no APS
– Ideal for applicants with:
– High A1C or poor diabetes control
– Pre-existing conditions
– Criminal record or
– high-risk occupation
– Higher cost, lower maximum coverage
– Faster approval and simple applications

✅ Benefits of Guaranteed Issue:
– No medical exam, questions, or APS
– Quick approval timelines
– Accessible for those declined elsewhere
– Simplified and hassle-free

✅ Simplified Issue Life Insurance
– No medical exams or APS required
– Some basic health questions asked
– Lower premiums than guaranteed issue
– Higher coverage amounts
– A great option if you’ve been managing diabetes moderately well

✅ Benefits of Simplified Issue:
– No exam or APS needed
– Limited medical questions only
– More affordable than guaranteed issue
– Easier to qualify for than traditional underwriting

✅ Term Life Insurance
– Covers you for a fixed term: 10, 20, or 30 years
– Most affordable option for diabetics
– Available as:
– Traditionally underwritten (requires medical data)
– Simplified issue (no exam, fewer questions)
– Can be renewed or converted to permanent insurance
– Great for covering specific financial needs (e.g., mortgage, dependents)

✅ Benefits of Term Life:
– Lowest cost per dollar of coverage
– Choose flexible terms and riders
– Matches short- to mid-term needs
– Convertible to permanent insurance if needed

✅ Permanent Life Insurance
– Covers you for life with guaranteed payout
– May build cash value (via whole or universal life)
– Higher premiums, but long-term value
– Can be underwritten, simplified, or guaranteed issue

✅ Benefits of Permanent Life:
– Lifetime coverage with stable premiums
– Flexible premium structures
– Builds savings or investment value
– Useful for estate planning and tax strategies

What Affects the Price of Coverage?

The cost of life insurance for Canadians with diabetes depends on multiple variables, including your medical rating, the type of policy, and which insurer you apply with. Your age, gender, and how well your diabetes is managed all influence the final premium amount.

✅ Key factors that affect pricing for diabetics:
– Your A1C level and overall blood sugar control
– Age and gender at the time of application
– Type of policy (e.g., term vs. guaranteed issue)
– Whether the insurer requires a medical exam
– Any additional health risks or lifestyle factors

If you’re considering simplified issue life insurance, here’s a helpful overview of sample monthly premium rates for $200,000 in coverage. These rates are for male and female non-smokers aged 20–70 from two leading Canadian insurers:

Disclosing Diabetes to a Life Insurance Provider

A common question people ask is if they have to inform their insurer that they have diabetes. You should always let your life insurance provider know about your health conditions when asked to. Diabetes is considered a pre-existing health condition and while it’s fair to worry about increased costs or application denial caused by something out of your control, such as diabetes, providing inaccurate information about your current health can lead to many issues beyond application denial.

Life insurance providers collect personal and health information directly from applicants and traditionally underwritten policies will require applicants to undergo a medical exam and provide an attending physician’s statement (APS). An APS is a questionnaire that an insurance provider will require your physician to complete that offers a summary of any relevant medical information from your health records that the insurer deems important. Insurance providers can also access databases such as the MIB (Medical Information Bureau) to confirm any medical information they have or have not collected from the applicant.

It is very important to ensure the accuracy of the information you submit to a life insurance provider. If your insurance provider determines that information was inaccurately reported or omitted, they have the right to terminate your policy and refuse to pay out a death benefit to your beneficiaries. In addition to this, if it is determined that you intentionally offered significantly incorrect information it can be considered fraud and affect your ability to obtain life insurance coverage in the future.

What to Do if Your Application is Denied

What to Do if Your Life Insurance Application Is Denied

The main reasons life insurance applications are denied:

✅ Common denial reasons:
– Missing, inaccurate, or false information
– Not meeting age eligibility for the policy
– Applying for more coverage than financially justified
– Medical results or APS flagged high risk
– Lifestyle risks like:
– Obesity
– Smoking
– Hazardous occupations
– Dangerous hobbies
– Active addiction to drugs or alcohol
– Criminal record or serious driving offenses like a DUI

If your life insurance application is denied, it may become harder to secure coverage in the future. It’s crucial to apply for a policy you’re likely to qualify for based on your risk profile.

1. Discover the reason for your application’s rejection

After a denial, contact the insurance provider to learn the reason. Understanding whether it was due to medical, financial, or lifestyle issues can help you course-correct and reapply for a policy that better fits your situation.

2. Discuss your options with a licensed life insurance agent or broker

Speak with a licensed insurance agent or life insurance broker to get expert advice. Brokers represent multiple providers and can recommend the best option based on your profile. Many will assist with your application at no cost, since they are compensated by insurers.

You can also contact us online or call 1-877-654-6119 to speak with a licensed advisor and prevent another denial.

3. Apply for a policy that better represents you

Use what you’ve learned to apply for a policy that better matches your eligibility. Consider your age, diabetes status, lifestyle, and financial profile when selecting the right fit.

Case Study Examples

Here are two helpful case studies outlining the process followed by these Canadians with diabetes who are interested in life insurance.

Case Study #1: Jessica

Jessica is a 40 year old woman with two sons who recently became more independent but still rely on her financially at times. She’s interested in purchasing a life insurance policy to offer financial protection to her sons but isn’t sure how her diagnosis of type 2 diabetes will affect her ability to get affordable coverage.

Here is what Jessica considers when determining her coverage needs:

• Based on the financial support she currently offers her children, Jessica decides to leave each of her sons $20,000 so they can continue to be supported even without her income. This comes to a total of $40,000.
• Jessica also anticipates her funeral expenses to cost around $10,000.

With all this in mind, Jessica would need $50,000 of life insurance coverage to achieve her financial goals.

Worried about how type 2 diabetes will affect her rates, Jessica discusses her current situation with a knowledgeable life insurance broker. Since she manages her diabetes with regular exercise, a healthy diet, and medications, her AC1 levels are at 6.8, and she’s in otherwise good health with no other pre-existing conditions, she is able to qualify for a traditionally underwritten life insurance plan without having to worry about increased premiums or limited coverage maximums.

With the help of her life insurance broker, Jessica gets approved for a standard term life insurance policy with a term of 10 years and a coverage amount of $50,000. This offers her the coverage she currently needs while offering a chance to reevaluate her financial goals when her term is coming to an end.

Case Study #2: Nelson

Nelson is a 45 year old married man with three children. His wife is a stay-at-home parent and relies on his income to finance the household. He decides it would be worth investing in a life insurance policy to protect his family’s financial future. However, Nelson struggles with type 1 diabetes and isn’t sure how this will affect his ability to obtain affordable coverage.

Here is what Nelson considers when determining his coverage needs:

• Nelson currently makes $90,000 per year as a firefighter, meaning that is how much coverage he would need to cover a year’s worth of income.
• Nelson anticipates his funeral expenses to cost around $10,000.
• Nelson anticipates his children will become financially independent in the next 10 years.

With all this in mind, Nelson would need $100,000 of life insurance coverage to achieve his financial goals.

Nelson discusses his situation with an expert financial advisor to better understand his ability to get life insurance and what type of policy is right for him. Nelson has type 1 diabetes and uses an insulin pump to improve his AC1 levels which were previously quite high. He is in good health otherwise, but his job as a firefighter is considered a dangerous occupation and also increases his risk to insure.

Considering Nelson’s health, lifestyle, and occupation his financial advisor suggests a simplified issue life insurance policy as this type of policy asks fewer medical questions and is typically easier to qualify for than traditional life insurance. Nelson applies and quickly gets approved for simplified issue term life insurance with $100,000 of coverage and a term length of 10 years. This will allow Nelson the coverage he needs and the ability to reassess his life insurance needs when his term ends.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Life Insurance for Diabetics

Find a solution that’s right for you

Having diabetes doesn’t have to mean you can’t get life insurance. Regardless of the challenges you face, by working with an expert who knows the ins and outs of life insurance in Canada, you can find coverage that’s right for you.

At Protect Your Wealth, we work with and compare policies and quotes from trusted life insurance companies across Canada to ensure we can find the right solution for you and your family. We provide expert life insurance solutions, including no medical life insurance, term life insurance, and permanent life insurance.

Contact Protect Your Wealth online or call us at 1-877-654-6119 to talk to an advisor today. We’re proudly based out of Hamilton, and service clients anywhere in Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Alberta; including areas such as Vaughan, Abbotsford, Winnipeg, and Lethbridge.