Can You Get Life Insurance After A Heart Attack?

A major health event like a heart attack can be life-changing for you and your loved ones. Life insurance can play an important role in protecting your family financially, and you may be eligible for cover even if you’ve experienced heart problems in the past. This guide will walk you through how it works and what to expect along the way.

Key takeaways

• It’s possible to get life insurance after a heart attack, but most applications are deferred for 6-12 months. After that, life cover may be considered on a case-by-case basis, typically with a premium loading.
• Expect detailed medical questions and requests for reports/testing.
• Life insurance generally pays a lump sum on death from any cause, including heart attack, subject to policy terms and exclusions.
• Your age, treatment history, cardiac function, smoking status, and health conditions amongst other factors influence whether cover is available and the premium you’ll pay.

Prevalence of heart attacks in Australia

Before we get into the finer details of cover, it helps to know how widespread heart attacks are in Australia. These snapshot statistics are from the Australian Heart Foundation and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:

• Cardiovascular disease causes 1 in 4 deaths.
• Around 120 people in Australia die from cardiovascular disease each day – or one person every 12 minutes.
• More than 1.3 million are living with one or more heart conditions.
• In 2021, there were approximately 57,300 acute coronary events, including heart attacks.

Is it possible to get life insurance after a heart attack?

Usually, yes – just not straight away. Insurers commonly defer applications for at least

6–12 months after a heart attack. The exact period depends on your personal health picture and test results. After that, insurers might approve life cover with a loading amount that reflects your individual risk profile.

Factors that can impact rates

Every insurer may approach this slightly differently. At NobleOak, our underwriters look at the overall risk of a future cardiac event. Key factors include:

• Your age when you apply.
• Treatments received (e.g., stent, bypass, medications) and whether you are following your treatment protocols.
• Current heart function (e.g., left ventricular ejection fraction).
• Severity and extent of coronary artery disease on angiography or imaging.
• Number of heart attacks and any complications.
• Smoking status. Smokers usually pay more; quitting can help bring down your premiums.
• Other conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, prior vascular disease, or other heart issues.

These can affect pricing and sometimes eligibility.

Applying for life insurance after a heart attack

If you’re considering life insurance after a heart attack, and want to lodge an application with NobleOak, our aim is to make the process easy for you. Your information is handled confidentially, and our team is here to support you at every step.

What we’ll ask about:

• When your heart attack(s) occurred.
• Details of treatment (medications, procedures such as angioplasty or bypass).
• Whether you’ve taken time off work.
• Your current work capacity.
• Details of your treating cardiologist/GP.
• Medical evidence such as recent cardiologist reports and test results.
• Sometimes more medical investigations will be required.

Because NobleOak policies are fully underwritten, we carefully assess your individual situation up front to avoid surprises when a claim is made.

Types of cover to consider

If you’re looking for life insurance after a heart attack, you may be eligible for NobleOak’s comprehensive life cover. It’s designed to protect the people you care about with a lump-sum payment if you were to pass away.

In practical terms, that lump sum can help your family cover the mortgage, everyday bills, debts, education costs, and final expenses – so they can focus on what matters most while they navigate a difficult time.

Our team will guide you through a fully underwritten assessment with care and confidentiality, so your cover reflects your current health and your budget.

Learn more about our life insurance cover.

Heart attacks and loadings

A prior heart attack increases health risks, so loadings on your premium can be common. Loadings are a way to help ensure people, who might not have been eligible for cover otherwise, because of previous health challenges or conditions, to obtain cover. These vary depending on your age, treatment, test results, and lifestyle changes. Many people who have had a prior heart issue may be offered insurance with a loading. Improving your risk factors (e.g., quitting smoking, keeping control of your blood pressure/cholesterol, completing cardiac rehab) can help.

For practical ways to keep cover affordable, see our information about managing premiums.

Does life insurance cover death from a heart attack?

Yes. When a life insurance policy is in place as long as heart attack wasn’t excluded from the cover, NobleOak will pay a lump-sum benefit on death – even if death is due to a heart attack. A funeral advance may also be available to help your loved ones with immediate expenses while the claim is finalised. Policy terms will apply.

Steps to prevent another heart attack

Your doctor is your best guide, but many people lower their risk of cardiovascular disease with these evidence-based tips from the Heart Foundation:

1. Change lifestyle habits: Focus on a heart-healthy diet (more vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats), be active most days, and limit highly processed foods.
2. Regular medical check-ups: Monitor your blood pressure, cholesterol and signs of diabetes; follow your care plan and medications.
   
3. Manage stress: Sleep, mindfulness and social support can help reduce cardiac risk by improving blood pressure.
4. Quit smoking: Quitting reduces heart attack and stroke risk quickly and these benefits continue to improve over time.

Award-winning life insurance

Life cover can provide important financial protection if the worst happens. If you’ve already had a heart attack, NobleOak may be able to provide you with life cover after an appropriate waiting period and based on your personal medical evidence. Please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for details and exclusions.

Ready to take the next step? Start a quote today – our friendly team will guide you through the process with care and confidentiality.Any financial product advice is general in nature only and does not take into account your individual circumstances, objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before acting on it, please consider the appropriateness of the information, having regard to those factors. Any third party websites or tools referred to are subject to their own terms and conditions and NobleOak Life Limited makes no representation or warranty as to any information on those websites. Persons deciding whether to acquire or continue to hold life insurance issued by NobleOak Life Limited should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination for the product. NobleOak Life Limited ABN 85 087 648 708 AFSL 247302.