Diabetes Awareness Week – Over 1 Million Australians Diagnosed
Running from the 8th to 14th of July, Diabetes Awareness Week is dedicated to creating awareness of the over 1 million Australians currently diagnosed with diabetes.According to Diabetes Australia, it is currently estimated that over 1.8 million Australians are currently living with diabetes, with half of these people believed to be living with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
Nearly a quarter of Australians over the age of 25 are believed to either have diabetes or pre-diabetes, and it is estimated that by 2031, 3.3 million Australians will have Type 2 diabetes (1).
How Life Insurance Companies view Diabetes
With diabetes such a prevalent and growing disease in Australia, many of those with diabetes have chosen to seek life insurance as a form of protection.If you have diabetes and are looking for life insurance cover, there are generally four main risk factors that insurance companies will assess to determine what level of insurance cover they will grant you, including:
- If the diabetes is Type 1 or Type 2
- Your age
- How long you have had diabetes for
- How well controlled your diabetes is. This can be ascertained by assessing the results of your HbA1c test and other relevant test results.
What is the HbA1c test?
Administered by an appropriate medical professional, a HbA1c test can measure the level of your blood glucose levels over the last 8 – 12 weeks, that is, your HbA1c levels.Assessing how well controlled your diabetes is
Along with HbA1c levels, in order to properly assess how controlled your diabetes is, insurance companies will also generally require test results that measure:- Fructosamine – your blood glucose levels over the last 2 – 3 weeks
- FBS (Fasting Blood Sugar) – your blood glucose levels after you have not eaten for at least 8 hours
- RBS (Random Blood Sugar) – your blood glucose levels regardless of when you last ate.
- Glycosuria – the excretion of glucose into the urine.
The following table details the levels of the aforementioned tests that generally correspond to the level of control you are deemed to have of your diabetes by the insurance company.
| Level of Control | Test Results |
|---|---|
| Excellent | • HbA1c ≤6.0 (42 mmol/mol) • Fructosamine ≤2.1 mmol/L • FBS <6.7 mmol/L (<120 mg/dL) • RBS <8.4 mmol/L (<150 mg/dL) • Diligent compliance with treatment noted |
| Good | • HbA1c 6.1-8.0 (43-64 mmol/mol) • Fructosamine 2.2-2.6 mmol/L • FBS 6.7-8.0 mmol/L (120-144 mg/dL) • RBS 8.5-10.6 mmol/L (151-190 mg/dL) • Compliant with treatment • No glycosuria |
| Fair | • HbA1c 8.1-9.5 (65-80 mmol/mol) • Fructosamine 2.7-3.1 mmol/L • FBS 8.1-11.0 mmol/L (145-199 mg/dL) • RBS 10.7-15.2 mmol/L (191-275 mg/dL) • Occarional Lapse with treatment • Moderate glycosuria on exam |
| Poor | • HbA1c 9.6-11.0 (81-97 mmol/mol) • Fructosamine 3.2-3.8 mmol/L • FBS 11.1-16.8 mmol/L (200-300 mg/dL) • RBS 15.3-22.0 mmol/L (276-400 mg/dL) • Occarional Lapse with treatment • Heavy glycosuria on exam |
| Uncontrolled | • HbA1c >11.0 (97 mmol/mol) • Fructosamine >3.8 mmol/L • FBS >16.8 mmol/L (>300 mg/dL) • RBS >22.0 mmol/L (>400 mg/dL) • Frequent lapse in therapy • Heavy glycosuria on exam |
How will my Level of Control determine my cover?
Those with diabetes seeking life insurance cover will generally be required to pay a loading on their premium to help account for the risk taken on by the life insurance company.Generally, the better your level of control over diabetes, as determined by the criteria outlined in the above tables, the less or more loading you will have to pay.
Be Aware
While the criteria outlined in the above tables will have a direct effect on how much loading you will have to pay on your life insurance premiums, it’s important to remember that the insurance company will also generally take into account your age, and how long you have had diabetes for as key factors that affect your premium loading.
We specialise in obtaining cost effective life insurance cover for diabetics. Please call us on 1300 135 205 for a comprehensive quote comparison of the major insurance companies to help you find affordable cover.
References:
June 2012
