November 18 to 24 is Diabetes NZ Awareness & Appeal Week.
So what’s the link between diabetes and life insurance you may well ask? Well... plenty!
Anyone who is unfortunate enough to have diabetes that’s tried to get life cover would know that it’s neigh on impossible to get. It is not just that the risks are high for insuring someone with diabetes, but it is almost impossible to calculate the mortality risk of someone who has diabetes.
Translating this into plain English... insurers can’t offer a price for life cover because they can’t predict how the disease is likely to affect the sufferer’s lifespan. All they know is that in all probability, a person suffering diabetes is likely to die earlier than the average of the population... not necessarily from the disease itself, but from a range of complications and side effects that can be fatal... such as heart problems and neuromuscular problems.
Diabetes is the result of the body not creating enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels in the normal range. It cannot presently be cured but it can be controlled and you can lead a full and active life.
There are three types of diabetes which you can read more about on Diabetes NZ website.
