Osteoarthritis life insurance
Here's some genuinely good news: for most people with osteoarthritis, life insurance is more straightforward than they expect, often at or close to standard rates. The questions insurers ask are simple ones, and our job is making sure yours get answered properly rather than lumped in with conditions that have nothing to do with yours.
Wear-and-tear is not an immune condition, and good insurers know it
Osteoarthritis is mechanical: joints wearing over time. It isn't the same as rheumatoid or the other immune-driven types, and it shouldn't be priced as if it were. Where things need a little more care is around surgery: a joint replacement that's done and recovered usually reads well, while surgery that's planned but not yet done can pause an application until afterwards. Timing is something we'll advise on honestly.
What insurers look at with osteoarthritis
- Which joints are affected and how severely
- How it affects your mobility, daily life and work
- Pain medication, and anything stronger than the usual
- Any joint replacement or surgery, done or planned, with dates and recovery
- Your weight and general health, which insurers consider alongside joint conditions
How it works
A quick, private health check online. A call with a friendly UK adviser. Then we approach the right insurers, handle the paperwork, and keep you updated. Straightforward cases can often proceed without a GP report.
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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 . This page is general information about insurance, not medical advice or a personal recommendation. More about us.
Frequently asked questions
Living with a different condition? Read about rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout or fibromyalgia.
You may also want to read about declined life insurance with arthritis, critical illness cover with arthritis or income protection with arthritis.