I was declined life insurance because of my arthritis. Can I apply again?

Yes. A decline is one insurer's decision under its own rules, not an industry ban. Insurers assess inflammatory arthritis very differently from each other, so a different insurer, or the same one at a settled point in your condition, can reach a different answer. The key is to approach the next one deliberately rather than by trial and error.

Does being declined go on a record other insurers can see?

Formal applications and their outcomes can be recorded and shared between insurers through industry systems, and future applications usually ask directly whether you have been declined or offered special terms. You must answer honestly. That is why we make discreet enquiries before anything formal is submitted.

What is the difference between a decline and a postponement?

A postponement means the insurer wants to revisit the decision later, usually once your condition or treatment has settled. A decline means that insurer will not offer cover on its current rules. Postponements are common after a recent flare, a treatment change or recent surgery, and they often turn into an offer later.

Should I just apply somewhere else straight away?

We would advise against it. Repeated applications build a pattern that later underwriters can see, and each one narrows your options. A single well-placed application, made after checking quietly with the right insurers, gives you a much better chance.

I was declined years ago. Is it different now?

Often, yes. Rheumatology treatment has changed a great deal and underwriting has followed, particularly for people who are stable on modern treatment. A refusal from several years ago tells you very little about the answer you would get today.

Declined life insurance because of arthritis

Being turned down feels final. It usually is not. Insurers differ from each other more than most people realise, and a decline from one is not a verdict from the industry. The important thing now is that the next application is made carefully, to the right insurer, rather than repeated hopefully to the wrong ones.

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Why you were probably declined or postponed

Declines for arthritis alone are rare. Far more often, something in the picture triggered a rule rather than a judgement: an application made during an active flare, a recent change of treatment, a recent course of steroids, a rheumatology review that had not happened yet, or another health issue sitting alongside the arthritis.

Postponements are different from declines, and people often confuse the two. A postponement means the insurer wants to see how things settle before deciding. A decline means this insurer, on its current rules, will not offer cover. Neither one stops a different insurer looking at you properly.

Automated online systems account for a lot of it. Answer a question in a way that trips a rule, and the system stops without anybody reading the rest of your story. That is exactly the situation where an adviser who knows the underwriters can change the outcome.

What to do next

Find out what actually happened: a decline, a postponement, or a price you simply could not accept. They lead to different routes.
Do not fire off more applications. Each formal application and each decision can be recorded, and a pattern of declines makes the next insurer more cautious.
Get the detail together: your diagnosis, current treatment, your last flare, any recent steroids, and any rheumatology letters.
Let us make discreet enquiries first, so insurers can indicate their likely view before anything formal goes on your record.
Consider timing. If a short wait until things settle would materially improve the answer, we will say so.
Consider the whole picture, including smoking, weight and blood pressure, because those often move the outcome more than the arthritis does.

If you were declined years ago, it is often worth looking again. Treatment has moved on and underwriting has moved with it.

The decline footprint, and how we work around it

When you apply formally, the application and its outcome can be recorded and shared between insurers through industry systems. Later applications commonly ask whether you have ever been declined or offered special terms, and you must answer honestly. That is why repeated speculative applications make things harder rather than better.

We work the other way round. Before anything formal is submitted, we can approach underwriters with an anonymised summary of your situation and ask how they would view it. Nothing lands on your record, and you find out where the realistic route is before you commit to an application.

We will also be honest if the answer is not yet. Sometimes the right advice is to wait a few months, or to look at a different type of cover, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a disappointment.

How it works

Tell us what happened in the health check, including who declined you and when if you know. A specialist adviser goes through the detail with you, identifies why the answer came back the way it did, and approaches insurers discreetly where that helps. If cover is available, we handle the application and keep you updated.

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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 29 August 2026. This page is general information about insurance, not medical advice or a personal recommendation. More about us.

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Cover for a specific condition: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, gout or fibromyalgia.