Ulcerative colitis life insurance
Living with ulcerative colitis doesn't mean living without life insurance. Many people with UC can get cover, sometimes at better terms than they'd ever have guessed, especially with long remission or after successful surgery. The key is approaching the right insurer, in the right way, at the right time.
UC is not Crohn's, and insurers know it
Ulcerative colitis is confined to the colon, and insurers assess it in its own right rather than lumping all bowel conditions together. How much of the colon is affected, how often you flare, and how well your treatment is working all shape the outcome. Long remission is your strongest card.
There's one thing about UC that surprises almost everyone: for some people, surgery effectively ends the disease. If you've had your colon removed and recovered well, whether you live with a stoma or a J-pouch, the condition that caused all the trouble may essentially be gone, and the right insurers recognise exactly that.
Life insurance with a stoma
If you live with a stoma, you may have assumed insurance was off the table. It isn't. Insurers will ask about the operation, when it was, why it was done, and how you've been since.
Someone living well after surgery, back at work and back in life, can be a strong applicant.
We'll never pretend a stoma is invisible to insurers, but it is very far from a no.
What insurers look at with ulcerative colitis
- When you were diagnosed and how much of the colon is affected
- When your last flare was
- Your treatment, from maintenance tablets like mesalazine through to biologics, and any recent steroids
- Any surgery, how you recovered, and life since
- Recent hospital admissions
- Your general health and lifestyle
How it works
A quick, private health check online. A call with a specialist adviser. Discreet enquiries with the right insurers before anything formal goes on your record. Then we handle the paperwork and keep you updated. Straightforward cases can often proceed without a GP report.
Start your free quoteWritten and reviewed by Andy Stevens, Co-Founder and Impaired Risk Life Insurance Specialist
CMap · 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. Advice is given by More Than Money Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register number 1047044. More about us.
This page is general information about insurance, not medical advice and not a personal recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
Living with Crohn's disease instead? Read our Crohn's disease page.