Specialist life insurance for people living with arthritis
Rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and related conditions like gout and fibromyalgia. We compare quotes from insurers who look at how you're actually doing, not just the word on your diagnosis.
Family-run UK specialists in life insurance for people with medical conditions.
Why getting life insurance with arthritis feels hard
You've probably felt it. A form treats arthritis like it's all one thing, when rheumatoid and osteoarthritis aren't even related conditions. A quote seems to punish you for the very medication that's keeping you well. Or you've never applied at all, because a lifelong condition sounds like exactly the thing insurers say no to.
Here's what most people don't know. Insurers don't underwrite the word arthritis, they underwrite your version of it. Which condition you have. How active it is. How stable your treatment is. How you're functioning. And for the immune-driven types, modern treatment has changed everything: someone stable on a biologic with their condition under control can be assessed better than someone with similar disease and no treatment at all, because the insurer can see it's being managed.
Not every insurer has caught up equally. Knowing which ones have is our job.
The protection we can help with
Life insurance with arthritis
A tax-free lump sum for your family if you die during the policy term. For most people with osteoarthritis or well-managed gout this is usually straightforward, and for many people with well-controlled rheumatoid, psoriatic or ankylosing spondylitis it's more achievable and more affordable than they expect. Outright declines for life cover are rare.
Read about life cover by conditionCritical illness cover
A lump sum if you're diagnosed with a serious illness covered by the policy. We'll be completely straight with you: critical illness policies don't pay out for the arthritis itself, and policies for this group are sometimes priced higher or carry a disability exclusion. We'll explain exactly what a policy does and doesn't cover before you apply.
Critical illness cover with arthritisIncome protection
A monthly income if illness or injury stops you working. This is the hardest product for the inflammatory types and for fibromyalgia, and some policies exclude claims caused by the condition. Some insurers offer fairer terms than others, and we'll always tell you honestly what's realistic for your situation.
Income protection with arthritisYour diagnosis is not the whole answer
Two people with the same condition can get very different decisions, because the diagnosis is only where the questions start. What insurers really want to understand is your version of it. How long you've had it. How often it flares. What treatment you're on and how stable it's been. How much it affects your day-to-day life.
Different insurers weigh those things differently, and some have moved much further with modern rheumatology than others. One insurer's answer is not every insurer's answer. Our job is knowing the difference before you apply anywhere, and where it helps, checking discreetly with insurers before anything formal goes on your record.
How we make getting life cover simple
01
Fill out a quick health check
A few minutes online. We ask about your condition and general health so we know which insurers to approach.
02
Get tailored advice
A specialist adviser talks through your options and matches you with insurers who understand inflammatory arthritis and modern treatment.
03
Get covered
We handle the paperwork and keep you updated at every stage. Straightforward cases can often proceed without a GP report, and when one is needed we arrange it and chase it for you.
What insurers look at with arthritis
- Which condition you have. Rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, psoriatic and ankylosing spondylitis are assessed as different conditions, because they are. Gout is an inflammatory arthritis caused by urate crystals, and fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread pain condition rather than a form of arthritis, so both are underwritten differently again. Osteoarthritis and controlled gout sit at the straightforward end; the immune-driven types need more care and the right insurer.
- How active it is. Flare frequency and how quickly you get back to normal matter more than the diagnosis itself. Low disease activity is your strongest asset.
- Your treatment, and its stability. Staying well on the same treatment reads as control. Tablets like methotrexate are routine to underwriters. Biologics and JAK inhibitors tell insurers your condition needed serious treatment, and also that it's being actively managed; being on effective treatment is not, in itself, a mark against you.
- Recent steroid courses. These suggest recent activity, so they can affect timing more than outcome.
- How it affects your day to day. Function and mobility matter, particularly for income protection.
- Surgery. Joint operations will be asked about, with dates and recovery.
- Related conditions. Things like psoriasis, eye inflammation (uveitis) or bowel conditions prompt more questions, not automatic refusals.
- Smoking. It counts against everyone, but insurers know it particularly worsens inflammatory arthritis, so being a non-smoker helps more than usual here.
None of these decide the outcome alone. The picture is what counts, and presenting the picture properly is what we do.
Read more about rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, gout or fibromyalgia.
Turned down before? Read what to do if you have been declined life insurance because of arthritis. You can also read about critical illness cover with arthritis and income protection with arthritis.
Meet the family behind Arthritis Life
We're Andy, Sam and Luke, the Stevens family, born and raised in Kent. We've spent years helping people with medical conditions get life insurance that treats them fairly, after hearing too many stories of people being overcharged or turned away by insurers who didn't understand them.
People living with arthritis get a particular version of that unfairness: systems that lump every type together, from wear-and-tear to immune conditions, and prices that punish the treatment keeping people well. We built this brand to treat each condition, and each person, properly.
You'll always speak to a named UK-based adviser, never a call centre.
Our family, looking after yours.
Your premiums can actually come down
- Disease activity settled?
- Been stable on the same treatment longer?
- Stopped smoking?
- Fewer flares than when you took the policy out?
Every year, you can come back to us for a review. If your circumstances have improved, we'll look for ways to bring your premiums down.
Start your free quote
Written and reviewed by
Andy Stevens CMap
Co-Founder and Protection Specialist
Andy has spent more than thirty years placing life insurance for people insurers find difficult, including inflammatory arthritis, and he still speaks to clients himself. He co-founded Arthritis Life so that people living with arthritis get an adviser who understands modern rheumatology rather than a form that treats every type the same.
- Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning (CII)
- Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute
- Over 30 years in impaired risk life insurance
Last reviewed . This page is general information about insurance, not medical advice or a personal recommendation. More about us.
Ready for a proper answer?
No pressure, no judgement, no obligation, and nothing on your record. Tell us about your condition and we'll tell you honestly what's possible.
Want to know more about us first? Meet the family.