Heart Attack Life Insurance
What is a Heart Attack?
Most people have heard of a heart attack, but not many know exactly how or what happens during one, below if a bit of information surrounding what a heart attack actually is:
A heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is blocked (usually by a blood clot). As the heart muscle needs a continuous supply of oxygen and nutrients (carried to it by the blood). When the blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is blocked, the affected muscle begins to die if blood flow is not restored quickly.
Below is an overview of the sequence of events during a heart attack:
- Blockage of a coronary artery: A coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart muscle becomes blocked by a blood clot. This can happen due to the build-up of plaque (fatty deposits) inside the artery walls, which can rupture and cause a blood clot to form.
- Reduced blood flow to the heart: The blockage reduces (or in some cases) completely stops the blood flow to the part of the heart muscle that is supplied by the blocked artery. This deprives the heart muscle of oxygen and nutrients causing the muscle to become damaged or die.
- Ischemia: The affected area of the heart muscle becomes ischemic, meaning it is not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients. The person may experience chest pain or discomfort, which can spread to the arms, neck, jaw, back, or stomach. The person may also feel short of breath, light-headed or nauseous.
- Infarction: If blood flow is not restored quickly the affected heart muscle may die, leading to a myocardial infarction (heart attack). The extent of damage depends on the location and size of the blockage and how long the blood flow is reduced.
- Arrhythmia: The heart’s electrical activity may be disrupted, causing an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
- Scar tissue formation: After a heart attack, the damaged heart muscle is replaced by scar tissue. The issue with this is the replaced heart muscle may not contract or pump blood like healthy muscle. This can affect the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively and may lead to heart failure along with other complications.
Can I get Life Insurance after a Heart Attack?
Securing Life Insurance after a Heart Attack can be tricky, but is certainly not impossible. At Your Life Protected, we have years of experience securing cover for people who have pre-existing medical conditions, including those who have suffered from previous Heart Attacks.
As a specialist, independent Insurance Broker, we take the time to understand your individual circumstances before finding you a policy. We work closely with some of the UK’s leading Life Insurance providers, meaning we understand their underwriting processes & procedures. This means we are able to identify the providers who are most likely to offer you the cover you require at the best price.
Life Insurance after a Heart Attack
In order for us to find you the most appropriate Heart Attack Life Insurance policy, we will need to find out as much as we can about you and your medical history.
We will ask you questions such as:
- When did your Heart Attack(s) occur?
- Did you require surgery?
- Did you have any Stents fitted?
- How many and which vessels were affected?
- Have you experienced any ongoing symptoms or problems since your Heart Attack?
At Your Life Protected, we really do care about all our customers and it is our aim to ensure that they are always paying the minimum possible premiums for the most appropriate cover. As part of our commitment to you, we will happily review your case regularly and look at alternative cover if your circumstances change, or if a better option becomes available, free of charge.
Our friendly team are experts in helping people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as heart conditions secure Life Insurance, so if you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.
To get a better understanding of our process and to obtain a Heart Attack Life Insurance quotation, simply go to our Get a Quote page or give our expert team a call on 01275 404268.
- Does it matter how long ago my heart attack happened?
-
Generally, the time since your heart attack occurred doesn’t have a huge impact on your cover. However, you may need to allow 3 months to pass before being able to secure any Life Insurance. If you did have a heart attack within the past 3 months, you can still get in touch and we can discuss your options with the aim of finding appropriate cover to begin as soon as possible.
- Does the age at which my heart attack occurred matter?
-
As a general rule, if you had a Heart Attack under the age of 40, many Life Insurance providers will not be willing to offer cover. However, due to our specialist relationships with some of the UK’s leading insurers, we are able to obtain quotes in almost all cases. If you have any concerns, the best thing to do is to submit a quote request or contact us so our experts can answer any questions for you.
- If I have suffered a previous heart attack, what things can I do to improve my chances of getting cover or reduce my premiums?
-
Ultimately, all insurers will want to see evidence that you are looking after yourself and in good general health. Things like cutting out smoking, making sure your BMI is in a healthy range, staying safely active as well as keeping your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol well controlled are some good places to start.
