Can you get Life Insurance if you have diabetes?

Yes, you can. Diabetes is one of the most common conditions carriers see, and the insurance industry has decades of data on it. Having diabetes does not disqualify you from Life Insurance. What it does is add a health factor that carriers weigh when they decide whether to approve you and at what price. The better your diabetes is managed, the more options and better pricing you will typically see.

The key thing to understand is that carriers do not treat every diabetic the same way. They look at the full picture: your type of diabetes, your most recent A1C readings, how long you have had the condition, your age at diagnosis, and whether you have any related complications. Two people can both have diabetes and receive very different offers based on those details.

Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes: does it matter?

Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are insurable. In general, carriers view well-managed Type 2 Diabetes more favorably, especially when it is controlled through diet, exercise, or oral medication and you were diagnosed later in life. Type 1 Diabetes is also insurable through fully underwritten Life Insurance, though the pool of carriers that offer their best rates for Type 1 is smaller, which is exactly why comparing multiple carriers matters so much.

Because The Jordan Insurance Agency is independent, we are not locked into one company's rules. When one carrier is strict on a particular diabetes profile, another may be far more generous. Shopping the difference is where a diabetic applicant often saves the most.

Does my A1C level affect approval and price?

Yes. Your A1C is one of the single most important numbers in diabetic Life Insurance underwriting. A1C reflects your average blood sugar control over roughly the past three months, so it tells the carrier how consistently your diabetes is managed, not just where it sits on the day of your exam. A lower, well-controlled A1C generally opens the door to better health classes and lower premiums. A higher or fluctuating A1C usually means a higher rate class.

Other factors underwriters weigh alongside your A1C include:

  • Age at diagnosis and how many years you have had diabetes
  • Medications you take and whether your regimen is stable
  • Related conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney issues, or neuropathy
  • Tobacco use, which combined with diabetes raises rates significantly
  • Height, weight, and overall health history

Because these details vary so much person to person, we never quote a flat price. The honest answer to "what will it cost" is that it depends on your specific health picture, which is why a personalized quote is the only accurate number.

Fully underwritten vs. guaranteed-issue coverage

There are two broad paths to Life Insurance with diabetes, and knowing the difference helps you choose wisely.

Fully underwritten coverage

This is traditional Term Life or Whole Life where you complete a health questionnaire and often a brief medical exam with bloodwork. It rewards good control with the lowest available rates and the largest coverage amounts. If your diabetes is well managed, this is almost always the path worth pursuing first.

Guaranteed-issue coverage

Guaranteed-issue policies, usually a form of Final Expense Whole Life, ask no health questions and require no exam. Approval is essentially guaranteed regardless of your diabetes control. The tradeoffs are smaller coverage amounts, higher cost per dollar of benefit, and typically a graded death benefit for the first couple of policy years. This is a strong fallback for someone whose diabetes has complications that make fully underwritten approval difficult, because it means you can still be covered.

What if I have other conditions like high blood pressure too?

Diabetes rarely travels alone, and carriers know that. Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol alongside diabetes does not automatically block you. If those conditions are controlled with medication and stable readings, many carriers will still offer fully underwritten coverage. The combination simply becomes part of the overall picture the underwriter reviews. This is another area where comparing carriers pays off, because each company weighs combined conditions differently.

Will diabetes always make my premium higher?

Not necessarily as dramatically as many people fear. While diabetes is a rated condition, a person with excellent control, a healthy A1C, no complications, and no tobacco use can sometimes land close to standard rates with the right carrier. The premium reflects your management, not just the diagnosis. Applicants who take care of their health and shop the market often pay far less than they expected.

A quick hypothetical

Imagine a 45-year-old parent in Charlotte with a mortgage and two kids who was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes five years ago. They take one oral medication, walk daily, do not smoke, and their most recent A1C is well within a healthy range. This person is a strong candidate for fully underwritten Term Life at a competitive rate. Now imagine a different applicant with a higher A1C and some kidney involvement. That person might not get the lowest rate class, but a Whole Life or guaranteed-issue Final Expense policy can still put real protection in place. Both people walk away covered.

A note for North Carolina residents

Life Insurance is regulated at the state level, and in North Carolina it falls under the North Carolina Department of Insurance. As an independent agency based in Charlotte, The Jordan Insurance Agency is licensed in North Carolina and works with carriers approved to write coverage here, so the options we present are ones you can actually apply for as an NC resident. One consumer protection worth knowing: under current North Carolina rules, an individual Life Insurance policy generally comes with a free-look period of at least 10 days (and at least 20 days if the policy is replacing existing coverage), during which you can review the policy and return it for a full refund of premium if it is not right for you. Diabetes-related approval and pricing itself, however, is not set by a fixed state rule — it is determined by each carrier's own underwriting, which is why comparing multiple companies matters so much.

How The Jordan Insurance Agency helps

As an independent agency, The Jordan Insurance Agency is not tied to a single insurer. We compare multiple carriers so we can match your specific diabetes profile to the company most likely to approve you at the best rate, whether that is fully underwritten Term Life, Whole Life, or a guaranteed-issue Final Expense policy. You get one honest conversation, several carrier options, and no pressure. Our job is to find the door that opens for you.