Last Updated on January 15, 2026
In order to be fully prepared for your life insurance application, you need to know what questions a life insurance underwriter could ask you about your diabetic history.
An underwriter is not going to look at what your blood sugar level is on the day you apply for coverage. They will be looking at the overall big picture to see how well you manage your condition.
When applying for life insurance, you will fill out a life insurance application that is either a paper or online application online. If you are diabetic, most companies will give you an additional questionnaire asking more specific questions about your diabetes history and overall health.
Questions An Underwriter Will Ask About Your Diabetes
This list of questions below will give you an idea of what you can expect when you apply for life insurance with diabetes. It also will better prepare you to answer the questions so you know more about your diabetes history or easily have access to the information requested.
Questions About Your Diabetes History
- What was your date of diagnosis?
- What was your age at onset?
- What is your current height and weight?
- What was your weight one year ago? If there is any change, why?
- What are your current glucose / blood sugar level readings?
- What was the date of that reading?
- What type of diabetes do you have (Type 1 or Type 2)?
- How often do you visit your doctor for a diabetic checkup?
- How do you control your blood sugar? Diet / exercise, insulin, or oral meds?
- If you take insulin, how many units per day?
- If you take an oral medication, which one(s)?
- What is your average fasting blood sugar?
- What is your blood pressure?
The underwriter will also want to know if you have a history of health complications stemming from your diabetes. Including:
- Stroke
- Neuropathy
- Retinopathy
- Elevated lipids
- Kidney disease
- Coronary artery disease
- Protein in your urine
If you answer yes to any questions above pertaining to your health, it will not be possible to get traditional life insurance policy. However, there are other options that fall under the category of impaired risk to help you obtain the insurance coverage you or your loved ones need.
You will still be able to purchase a no exam life insurance policy or a guaranteed issue policy. Both of these policies will allow you to get life insurance coverage without being required to take the medical exam. With a guaranteed issue policy, you can get insurance protection, regardless of what your health or diabetic history is like.
What Exactly Does An Insurance Underwriter Do?
- Reviews specific information within your application to determine what the risks are
- Determines what type of insurance policy coverage will be given and under what conditions
- May prevent or change insurance coverage by endorsement
- Looks for proactive solutions that may decrease or eliminate risks for future insurance claims
- Negotiates with your agent or broker to find ways to insure you
Insurance underwriters are trained insurance professionals who understand risks and how to prevent them. They have specialized knowledge in risk assessment and use this knowledge to determine whether they will insure something or someone, and at what cost to the insured.
Underwriting decisions for applicants with diabetes are dependent on a lot of different factors so they look at the overall picture to determine your risk to the company. The biggest things an underwriter looks at is the type of diabetes you have, your age of diagnosis and, of course, how well you control your blood sugar levels.
Work With An Independent Agent To Find You The Best Policy
There’s no question that the standards set for life insurance underwriters are all over the board when it comes to someone applying for an insurance policy, especially a life insurance policy for diabetics. If you are type 1 diabetic with excellent control and you apply to five companies, you are likely to get different rates and coverage from each company. You may be approved by two and turned down by three. Or you may be offered standard rates by one and substandard rates by four. The same goes with type 2 diabetic applicants.
That ‘s why it takes planning and know-how when you apply for an affordable life insurance for diabetics policy. An experienced independent agent will have access to dozens of companies and will know what the underwriting standards for them are, so they can steer you to the sweet spot – the company that has the most favorable rates for your unique needs. The bottom line – work with an independent agent and compare rates from multiple companies in order to get the most affordable policy today.
Choose Diabetes Life Solutions To Get The Protection You Deserve!
You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, which means that you shouldn’t wait any longer to get the life insurance protection that your family deserves. If something tragic were to happen to you or a loved one, your family would be responsible for a massive amount of debt and other expenses, but that’s where your life insurance plan comes in.
If you have any questions about getting diabetes life insurance, please contact one of our independent agents today at Diabetes Life Solutions. We would love to help answer any questions you may have and are committed to working with you in helping to find the best life insurance plan that meets your needs. We have years of experience helping our applicants with diabetes get the best life insurance for diabetics at an affordable price.
Not having life insurance for diabetics is one of the worst things that you can do for your loved ones. Contact us today to get the process underway so you can get the protection you and your family deserves!
