High blood pressure alone should not rule you out of life insurance, Legal & General (L&G) says, and Aviva's guidance puts it plainly: "You can still get life insurance if you have high blood pressure". Whether a particular insurer accepts you, and on what terms, depends on your readings, how well they are controlled and the rest of your health.

Those readings, medicines and dates are what an insurer weighs, and an adviser firm can go through them with you first: the form here costs nothing, and a broker rings you back.

What is considered high blood pressure for life insurance?

The NHS says you are "usually considered to have high blood pressure" if your reading is "140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional" or "135/85 or higher when checked at home". It adds that the condition does not usually cause any symptoms and that many people have it without realising. After a high reading, it says, you may be asked to check your pressure at home over the next few days, come back to the GP surgery for another check, or wear a portable monitor that takes readings over 24 hours.

Insurers' own pages use the clinic figure. Aviva (last updated 5 August 2026) says a reading of 140/90mmHg or more at a GP or clinic would usually lead a provider to consider you to have high blood pressure, "although this can vary depending on your age". L&G (3 December 2025) gives the same 140/90mmHg line and notes that home readings sometimes come out lower than those taken at a surgery or clinic.

Vitality's underwriting entry on hypertension, written for financial advisers (undated, read 20 October 2026), sets out the clinical background: readings below 160/100 but over 140/90 are "of concern and require monitoring by a GP", so "a client could be rated for high blood pressure even if they have not been put on treatment by their GP". For Vitality at least, a rating does not wait for a prescription.

How much does high blood pressure affect life insurance?

The consumer pages give a direction, not a size. L&G says the risk to health "could increase the cost of life insurance or stop you from getting a policy". Aviva says the effect on premiums "will vary depending on your insurer", and that insurers consider related conditions such as diabetes or heart disease too.

Adviser literature says more, though each document speaks only for its own insurer and describes an approach, not what any one applicant will be offered. Vitality's entry begins its ratings from the reading itself. Where that is normal, treatment and follow-up are kept to and there are no other risk factors, "all benefits can be accepted at standard rates". Where the pressure is unacceptably high, uncontrolled or comes with other risk factors, "the most likely outcome is to postpone the cover for six months"; in some cases, where the history shows control is unlikely, it says cover will be declined. Conditions such as diabetes, obesity or heart disease alongside hypertension have, in its words, a "cumulative rather than an additive effect".

Royal London's Measuring Risk guide (June 2026, P8G0011/15, for financial adviser use only) says it "only provides an indication of the terms that may be offered", and that for raised blood pressure the decision is subject to cumulative risk factors such as increased BMI, family history, associated medical conditions and smoking. L&G's leaflet Underwriting explained (W10188 09/25) names raised blood pressure among conditions that carry a greater risk to health, and says a decision may rest on a single factor or on a combination. The range of decisions that leaflet describes is set out on life insurance with a heart condition, and the other inputs have their own pages: BMI, high cholesterol and smoking.

None of this says what you would pay; that comes from a quote on your own details. To have one prepared from your readings, leave them in the form here at no cost, and an adviser firm will phone you.

Which details about your blood pressure will insurers want?

Royal London's Personal Menu Plan application form (July 2025, P1A0023/24), used through advisers, asks whether in the last 5 years you have had "Raised blood pressure, raised cholesterol, chest pain or pre-diabetes?" A yes leads to an additional medical details section asking, among other things, when symptoms first occurred, what treatment has been prescribed and whether it is continuing. Royal London's medical conditions tool for advisers (undated) lists what would help: the date of diagnosis, the date and result of the latest reading, any treatment, and any complications or associated health problems.

Vitality's adviser entry wants much the same, adding how often the GP checks the pressure, whether treatment has been changed, and whether tests such as an ECG or kidney tests have been done. Not every client knows these details, it notes, and checking with the GP before applying may avoid a request to attend a medical examination. A direct application may word its questions differently; medical questions for life insurance shows the wider set.

Whatever the wording, the answers need care. Aviva warns that without accurate answers a policy could be cancelled and claims denied, and Royal London's form says: "If you’re not sure about including any information, then you should include it." The legal duty is explained in what you must disclose, and what a wrong answer can mean for a claim in can a life insurance company refuse to pay.

Could you be asked for a GP report or a nurse check?

Sometimes. Vitality says that where there is any sign the pressure has not been controlled, or the client cannot give the full information, it will ask for a report from the client's doctor or a health screening by one of its nurses. Royal London's guide describes its GP report as a document the doctor completes from your medical records, and a paramed visit as a basic screen that includes blood pressure. Aviva's page adds that you may be asked to test your pressure at home as well as at the doctor's.

Royal London's application form says the doctor's report asks for "Any blood pressure readings in the last three years". It also explains that you can choose to see the report before it is sent, with 21 days to arrange that with your doctor, and that if you withhold consent it may not be able to continue with your application. Life insurance without a medical and non-medical limits explain when evidence is asked for at all.

Frequently asked questions

Will I be refused life insurance for high blood pressure?

Not necessarily. L&G says high blood pressure alone should not rule you out, though Vitality's adviser entry describes postponing cover where the pressure is uncontrolled and, in some cases, declining it where control is unlikely. If an insurer postpones or declines you, what to do if you are declined and life insurance with medical conditions set out next steps; a broker can approach other insurers, though none can promise an offer.

Can lowering my blood pressure lower my premium?

Before you buy, possibly: Aviva says "you can potentially lower your life insurance premiums by improving and managing your blood pressure prior to purchasing" a policy. Once you hold one, L&G says premiums are set for the length of the policy term unless you make changes to the policy, so healthier habits on their own will not lower what you pay for it.

Does having a heart condition as well change this?

It can. Vitality's adviser entry says conditions that complicate, or are complicated by, hypertension, heart disease among them, make its terms more severe than for those conditions in isolation. The heart page linked above covers that side.

When you want your own readings and medication put to insurers, the form here takes a few minutes, and an adviser firm calls you back. More health questions are in health and underwriting.

Sources

  • NHS, High blood pressure (hypertension) (page last reviewed 19 July 2024), read 20 October 2026. nhs.uk
  • Aviva, Life insurance and high blood pressure (last updated 5 August 2026), read 20 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Legal & General, Life insurance and high blood pressure (3 December 2025), read 20 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Legal & General, Underwriting explained (W10188 09/25), read 20 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Vitality, Conditions Covered, hypertension entry (adviser literature, for UK financial advisers only; undated page), read 20 October 2026. adviser.vitality.co.uk
  • Royal London, Personal Menu Plan application form (July 2025, P1A0023/24; adviser literature), read 20 October 2026. adviser.royallondon.com
  • Royal London, Medical conditions tool (adviser site, for financial advisers only; undated page), read 20 October 2026. adviser.royallondon.com
  • Royal London, Measuring Risk underwriting guide (June 2026, P8G0011/15; for financial adviser use only), read 20 October 2026. adviser.royallondon.com