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Life insurance with diabetes

How type 1 and type 2 diabetes are underwritten, why A1C and complications matter, options on insulin, and final expense coverage for seniors with diabetes.

Living with diabetes

For adults with type 1, type 2 or prediabetes who want to see which kinds of coverage may fit how they manage it.

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A woman and an older man walk and chat on a leafy park path in autumn; she wears a small glucose sensor on the back of her arm

Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes: How Life Insurance Differs

Life insurers use the same core factors for type 1 and type 2 diabetes: how long you've had it, how it's treated, how well it's controlled and whether you have complications. The difference is how those factors usually line up, since type 1 is typically diagnosed younger and always needs insulin, while type 2 is often diagnosed after 45 and may be managed with lifestyle changes, pills or insulin.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

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Life Insurance for Diabetics: How to Get Covered

Many people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can buy life insurance, but the diabetes usually shapes which policy you qualify for and what it costs. Insurers look at your type of diabetes, age at diagnosis, treatment, recent A1C results and any complications, and if a fully underwritten policy isn't available, simplified issue, group or guaranteed issue coverage may be options.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

An older woman with gray hair and glasses sits on a living room sofa with her adult daughter, looking over papers in a folder together

Final Expense Insurance for Diabetics: Your Options

Many seniors with diabetes can buy final expense insurance, and your answers to a few health questions usually decide which kind you get. Well-managed diabetes without serious complications may qualify for a simplified issue policy that pays the full benefit from day one, while complications can lead to a graded policy or a guaranteed issue plan that typically pays a limited benefit for natural death in the first two years.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

Woman at a kitchen table holding a small glucose meter next to a notebook, a laptop and a cup of tea

Best Life Insurance for Diabetics (2026)

The best life insurance for diabetics depends on how much coverage you need and how well your diabetes is controlled: John Hancock Aspire is built for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who want traditional term or permanent coverage, Foresters PlanRight is a simplified issue option with health questions but no exam, and Mutual of Omaha, Gerber Life, Corebridge and Colonial Penn sell guaranteed acceptance plans with no health questions. We compared six companies using their own published terms, rating agency information and NAIC complaint data.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

A gray-haired man in a plaid shirt sits at a sunny kitchen table holding an insulin pen, with a mug of coffee and a notebook in front of him

Life Insurance for Diabetics on Insulin: What to Expect

Many people who take insulin can still buy life insurance, but insulin use tells an insurer your diabetes needs more treatment, so it usually shapes which policy you qualify for and what you pay. Underwriters weigh insulin together with your type of diabetes, age at diagnosis, A1C history and any complications, and if a fully underwritten policy doesn't work out, simplified issue or guaranteed issue coverage may be options.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

A smiling older man in a cardigan and garden gloves checks a handheld device while standing beside raised vegetable beds in a sunny backyard

Diabetes in America by the Numbers: CDC Data by Age

The CDC estimates 40.1 million people in the U.S., or 12.0% of the population, had diabetes in 2023, and 11.0 million adults with diabetes didn't know it. Diabetes climbs steeply with age: 4.6% of adults 18 to 44 had it in 2021 to 2023, compared with 28.8% of adults 65 and older.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

A woman at a kitchen table writes in a notebook beside a printed page of numbers, a glass of water and a plate of sliced vegetables

A1C and Life Insurance Rates: What Underwriters Look At

Your A1C shows your average blood sugar over the past 3 months, and life insurers commonly use recent results to judge how well your diabetes is controlled. They weigh it together with your treatment, any complications and your age at diagnosis, so no single A1C number guarantees a particular rate, and each insurer sets its own guidelines.

Editorial Team · September 30, 2026

Common questions

Can you get life insurance if you have diabetes?

Yes. Many people with well-managed type 1 or type 2 diabetes qualify for traditional coverage. Insurers look at age at diagnosis, A1C history, medications and any complications.

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What if I've been declined before?

Simplified issue and guaranteed issue policies ask fewer or no health questions. Guaranteed issue policies usually limit the death benefit for the first two or three years, so compare before choosing one.

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