UnderwriteMe says up to 84% of diabetes cases get instant decisions
The share of diabetes cases getting an immediate life cover decision rose from 71% in 2024, the Pulse Report shows.
Up to 84% of applicants disclosing diabetes received an immediate life cover decision on UnderwriteMe's Protection Platform in 2025 and the first half of 2026, up from 71% in 2024, the company's Protection Platform Pulse Report 2026 shows.
Immediate decision rates rose to up to 95% for raised blood pressure, from 87%, and to up to 91% for raised cholesterol, from 80%. Applicants disclosing depression, anxiety or stress saw rates of up to 99%, from 90%.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by UnderwriteMe found only 21% knew people with common physical or mental health conditions could get an immediate decision online. Some 68% were not aware of this at all. A further 38% thought a diagnosis such as diabetes would make a decline more likely, and 21% were unsure. Almost a quarter (24%) said they would be more likely to consider applying if insurers had improved their approach to common health conditions.
"Many people still assume a health condition will make protection difficult to obtain when the reality is often very different," said Andrew Doran, chief executive of UnderwriteMe.
Income protection made up 12% of applications on the platform, up from 10% in 2024, and its straight-through processing rate rose from 62% in 2024 to 66% in the first half of 2026. Life cover held at 65% of submissions and critical illness fell to 23%, from 25%. Across the latest 18 months, critical illness had the highest straight-through processing rate at 84%, against 83% for life cover and 64% for income protection.
The data covers anonymised, aggregated applications from insurers on the platform including Beagle Street, Guardian, Holloway, LV=, Royal London, Scottish Widows, The Exeter, Virgin Money and Vitality. The rates are "up to" figures across those insurers, so individual insurers' acceptance rates will differ.
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Sources
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