A stroke or a TIA (transient ischaemic attack, often called a “mini-stroke”) can change life overnight. Once recovery is underway and routines start to return, the practical questions begin to creep in.
How do I protect my family if something happens to me? Can I still get cover for the mortgage? Will any insurer even consider me now?
Having a stroke or TIA in your medical history doesn’t automatically make you uninsurable. What changes is how insurers look at your application, and that’s where a personal approach can make a difference.
Online comparison tools are built for speed and straightforward applications. When you tick the box for a stroke or TIA, the system may give you an error message, a refusal or a surprisingly high quote. It can feel like the door has closed.
But that’s one system’s view. When an underwriter looks at an application, they usually want to understand your situation in detail:
How long ago it happened: six months or six years? Generally, the longer it’s been without further problems, the more options tend to open up
The type and severity: a minor TIA with no lasting effects is different from a major stroke needing long rehabilitation
How it’s managed now: blood pressure, cholesterol, medication and lifestyle, including whether you smoke
How you’re doing day to day: are you back at work and carrying on as normal?
Every insurer assesses medical history differently, so one may decline an application where another offers cover on reasonable terms.
Life insurance is usually the most accessible. If it was a few years ago and you’ve made a good recovery, some insurers may offer standard or close to standard terms. If it was recent, an insurer may ask you to wait for a period to see that your health has settled. And if there are ongoing symptoms, you may be offered cover with an extra premium, known as a “rating”.
Critical illness cover is where insurers are most careful. Stroke is one of the core conditions these policies cover, so after a stroke, cover is often offered with stroke and related conditions excluded. You may still be protected for other conditions, such as cancer or a heart attack, but it depends on the insurer and your history.
With income protection, insurers will look at your job, how your recovery has gone and whether any symptoms affect your work. They might exclude related conditions, add to the premium or ask for a longer wait before payments start.
When you apply, the result will usually be one of these:
Standard terms: the same price as anyone else your age
An extra premium: sometimes only for a set number of years
An exclusion: cover for everything except named conditions
Postponement: come back once more time has passed
Decline: no cover for now
A “no” from one insurer isn’t necessarily the end of the road.
If the timing isn’t right, there are options that ask no medical questions at all. Guaranteed acceptance life cover, often called an over-50s plan, can provide a smaller amount, for example towards funeral costs. And some short-term accident and hospital plans are available for specific situations. They won’t replace full cover, but they can be a start.
If your policy started before your stroke, it carries on as normal, as long as you’ve kept up the premiums and answered honestly when you took it out. Your insurer can’t cancel it because your health has changed.
So think carefully before replacing an existing policy. The cover you have may be far better than anything available today. If you’re not sure what it covers, an adviser can run a quick check for you.
We work with a full panel of insurers, and we know their views on stroke and TIA can differ a lot. We’ll take the time to understand your story and can often sound out an underwriter before you apply. No pushy sales, no jargon, just honest guidance.
A stroke is a major life event, but it doesn’t mean protecting your family is off the table. If you’d like to find out where you stand, give the team a shout.
Graham came to us for a second opinion on his protection. We uncovered a 17-year-old policy with unbeatable cover - one worth holding onto. Two years later, after a stroke, that legacy policy paid out £75,000 when he needed it most. The right advice. At the right time. For all the right reasons.
Twelve outdated policies. No Trusts. Then - stroke, fracture, and later, bereavement. Because Waddle restructured everything, payouts were fast, probate was bypassed, and the cover actually worked when it mattered most.
A teenage health scare, emergency surgery, and weeks in intensive care. With Waddle guiding the claim, £25,000 was paid quickly, extra support was accessed, and the family could focus on recovery - not bills.
We’ve got you.
Whether it’s a bump in the road or a full-blown storm, you’re not on your own. Making a claim with Waddle is simple, human, and hassle-free - because the last thing you need right now is paperwork stress or policy puzzles.
We just show up, sort it, and stand by you - like we said we would.
Already have protection in place? We believe your cover should grow with you. Our friendly Policy Check reviews what you have, highlights strengths and gaps, and gives honest, expert advice to keep your cover working its best for you.
