Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Applying for life insurance while awaiting surgery

If you apply for underwritten life insurance while surgery is planned or being investigated, you must tell the insurer, and it may add a stand-down period, raise the premium, exclude the condition, or ask you to wait. No New Zealand insurer we found publishes waiting times by type of surgery. Momentum's Quick Life asks no health questions, but a condition you already have, including the one needing surgery, is excluded for 2 years.

In short

Can you get life insurance while waiting for surgery?

It depends on the type of cover, not only on the surgery.

With underwritten cover, an insurer assesses your health before it agrees to anything. A pending operation is health information. So are the symptoms behind it, a specialist referral, and test results you are waiting for. The insurer may accept the application on standard terms, accept it with a higher premium or an exclusion, ask you to apply again later, or decline. Which one happens is the insurer's decision and depends on the condition, your age, the amount of cover and the information it gets from your doctors. We cannot tell you the outcome for your case, and no page can.

With guaranteed acceptance cover, you are not assessed on your health at all. The catch is in the policy's early period, covered below.

What do underwritten insurers say they can do?

Asteron Life, which underwrites AA Life, says that with an existing condition it may offer cover by adding a stand-down period, increasing premiums, or excluding the condition permanently or for a set time (Asteron Life: Insurance options for pre-existing conditions). It also says that if you are unsure whether something counts you should tell it ("If in doubt, leave it in"), and that not telling it "could have serious consequences when you need to claim".

On postponement, the clearest published guidance we found is about cancer, not surgery. Asteron says people who have been in remission for less than a year are more likely to face a stand-down (also called postponement) period, and that you might have to wait "anywhere between a year to ten years" before an application is accepted, depending on the cancer (Asteron Life: If I had cancer, can I still get life insurance?). We found no insurer that publishes a postponement period for joint replacement, cardiac surgery, biopsies or other procedures. Any table of "typical deferral periods by surgery" that does not name its source should be treated with caution. Where we found none, we have left it out.

Our general guide to life insurance with pre-existing conditions explains the usual outcomes: standard terms, loading, exclusion, postponement and decline.

What happens if you do not disclose planned surgery?

Insurers rely on what you tell them. The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme has published a case where an insurer applied loadings retrospectively and paid a reduced claim after earlier conditions had not been disclosed (IFSO, 10 July 2025), and another where a life benefit was settled at half after a past diagnosis went undisclosed (IFSO: colon cancer non-disclosure case). Our guide to non-disclosure covers what insurers can do.

A rule of thumb: if a doctor has referred you, ordered a test or booked you in, it is worth mentioning. From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 changes the disclosure duty to one of reasonable care, but today's rules apply to an application you make now.

How does Quick Life treat a condition that needs surgery?

Momentum Life's Quick Life accepts people aged 18 to 65 with no health questions and no medical exam, for $50,000 to $300,000 per person. It is not an underwritten product, and it does not wait for surgery to be done. Cover starts straight away.

What it does not do is cover the thing you already have. In the first 2 years, Momentum will not pay if the life insured dies or is diagnosed with a terminal illness and the cause is "directly or indirectly related to" a pre-existing medical condition. The wording defines that as an illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before cover started, including anything you had treatment or advice for, noticed symptoms of even if undiagnosed, or would reasonably have been aware of. It names examples: very high blood pressure, cholesterol over 7.0, a BMI over 40, or complications related to diabetes (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording, November 2025).

So if you have a condition that needs surgery, that condition is a pre-existing condition for Quick Life, even though acceptance itself is guaranteed. The same 2-year window excludes suicide. During those 2 years, accidental death and new conditions that arise after the start are covered. A pre-existing-condition death in the first 24 months with no claim payable brings a premium refund. After 2 years, pre-existing conditions are covered except some specific conditions that can be excluded permanently and are listed in your policy schedule.

Whether a death after an operation would count as "related to" the condition behind it is a claims question we cannot answer for you. Read the clause, and expect Momentum to look at the medical records.

Two further points. First, if you increase your cover, the 2-year rule applies again to the increased portion (automatic 3% increases are the exception). Second, Momentum's Quick Life page says it is not available to applicants diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care; that rule is on the site, not in the wording (Momentum Life: Quick Life).

What about Funeral Insurance?

Momentum's Funeral Insurance accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions. It has no pre-existing condition clause. The early restriction is different: for the first 24 months it pays a benefit only if death is the direct result of an accident and occurs within 90 days of it. Any other death in that window pays no benefit, and all premiums for that person are refunded. After 24 months it pays for death from any cause, between $3,000 and $30,000. It has no terminal illness benefit, total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. See Funeral Insurance on Momentum Life.

Which route makes sense while you wait?

Route What happens Trade-off
Wait until after recovery, then apply for underwritten cover The insurer sees the surgery and recovery in your records Cover is not in place meanwhile; terms depend on outcome
Apply underwritten now, with surgery disclosed The insurer may offer terms, add a stand-down, exclude or postpone Slower; the answer may be no for now
Take Quick Life now Cover in place with no health questions The condition behind the surgery is excluded for 2 years; a healthy person may get more cover for less underwritten
Do both Quick Life as a stopgap, then apply underwritten later Keep the old policy running until the new one is in force; the FMA warns to watch for new exclusions and waiting periods

If your existing cover is in force, do not cancel it to switch while a health event is pending. The FMA says to keep an old policy running until the new one is in force (FMA: Insurance). Quick Life's 2-year rule also applies again from the date a cancelled policy is reinstated.

A healthy person can usually get more cover for less through fully underwritten cover. Guaranteed acceptance suits people who would be declined or heavily loaded elsewhere, or who want cover in place without questions. Momentum Life Limited is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best; see Momentum's financial strength page. Over 65, Quick Life is closed to new applicants; over 75, so is Funeral Insurance. The eligibility checker tests age limits, and the buttons on this page lead to Momentum's own application. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link.

Frequently asked questions

Will an insurer postpone my application until after surgery?

It may. Insurers can postpone, load, exclude or decline. We found no published postponement periods by type of surgery, so ask a licensed adviser to check with insurers.

Does Quick Life cover the condition I am having surgery for?

Not for the first 2 years if death or terminal illness is directly or indirectly related to it. Accidental death and new conditions are covered from the start.

How long might I wait for surgery?

Waiting times are separate from insurance and vary by procedure and hospital. Our pages on the public surgery waiting list and private surgery costs cover those.

Should I tell the insurer about tests that are still pending?

Answer the questions asked honestly, and mention referrals, tests or symptoms if you are unsure whether they count. Asteron says to tell it when in doubt.

References

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