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

Cancer diagnosis and disclosure to your life insurer

A cancer diagnosis after your life cover has started does not, in the wordings we read, have to be reported to the insurer. Disclosure is required when you apply, increase cover or reinstate a lapsed policy. Cancer you had, or symptoms and tests you had, before the start must have been disclosed when asked. Check your own policy, because wordings differ.

In short

Do you have to tell your insurer you have developed cancer?

Whether you have to tell them depends on what your policy says, and on whether the diagnosis came before or after the policy started.

After the policy started. We read AIA's Living umbrella wording as an example of a published life policy. It says the duty to disclose material information applies "prior to inception of this policy" and before any "variation or reinstatement", and that the premium "will not be affected by any change in health of a life assured which has occurred since the benefits were first added" (AIA: Living umbrella policy wording, effective 12 May 2026). That reads as: a new diagnosis during the life of an in-force policy is not something you must report, and it does not by itself change your premium. We have not read every insurer's wording, and we cannot promise the position for yours. Look for the "duty of disclosure" or "non-disclosure" clause in your policy.

Before the policy started. Anything asked about at application had to be answered fully. That includes symptoms and tests as well as diagnoses. In one Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO) case, the insurer sought to avoid cover over a childhood colonoscopy and an earlier anaemia diagnosis, the anaemia was found material, and the matter settled at half the life benefit (IFSO: colon cancer non-disclosure). If you had symptoms, a scan or a biopsy before you applied, that is the territory the insurer will look at after a claim.

When does disclosure apply during the life of a policy?

Three moments matter, because each one is like a fresh application for the part that changes:

  1. A new policy. Your cancer, past or present, is health information you must disclose when asked.
  2. An increase in the sum insured. AIA's wording says acceptance of an increase "will depend on a number of factors, including the state of health of the life assured". Momentum's Quick Life applies its 2-year rule again to the increased portion; the exception is the automatic 3% increase.
  3. Reinstatement after the policy lapsed. AIA's duty applies before any reinstatement. Under Quick Life, the 2-year period for pre-existing conditions starts again from the date the policy is reinstated.

Some policies allow increases on life events without fresh health information. For example, Fidelity Life's LifeProtect wording allows a "special events increase" before age 55 without additional health information, on listed events, but not where a claim has been paid or is payable (Fidelity Life: LifeProtect Life Cover wording, effective 22 September 2026). Whether your policy has something like it is in the schedule. If you are thinking of changing insurer after a diagnosis, the new insurer will see your history, and the FMA says to keep your old cover running until a new policy is in force (FMA: Insurance).

What about Quick Life and Funeral Insurance?

Momentum Life's Quick Life accepts people aged 18 to 65 with no health questions, so there is nothing to disclose about cancer at the start. The trade-off is that in the first 2 years, a death or terminal illness directly or indirectly related to a pre-existing medical condition is not paid. The wording defines this as an illness, condition or symptoms in the 2 years before cover started, including anything you had treatment or advice for, or noticed symptoms of even if undiagnosed (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording, November 2025). A cancer you already have, or had symptoms of, is therefore within the 2-year exclusion. A premium refund applies where a pre-existing-condition death falls in the first 24 months and no claim is payable. After 2 years, pre-existing conditions are covered except any specific conditions permanently excluded in your policy schedule.

If you are diagnosed after a Quick Life policy has started, that is a new condition, and accidental death and new conditions are covered during the first 2 years. Quick Life's premium is reset each year using age, gender and smoking status, not a diagnosis. Momentum's site also says Quick Life is not available to applicants already diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care. That rule is on the site, not in the wording. A healthy person can usually get more cover for less through fully underwritten cover; Quick Life mainly suits people who would be declined or heavily loaded elsewhere. See Quick Life.

Momentum's Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75) also asks no health questions and has no pre-existing condition clause. For the first 24 months it pays only for death caused by an accident, and any other death in that window pays nothing but refunds all premiums for that person. 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.

Can a cancer diagnosis trigger a payout?

A life policy normally pays when the insured person dies. Many also have a terminal illness benefit. Quick Life pays on terminal illness, defined as an illness expected to lead to death within 12 months, confirmed by a medical practitioner that Momentum accepts for the purpose (it can ask for a specialist second opinion), and paying it ends cover for that person. Fidelity's LifeProtect wording has a terminal illness benefit, an advance of the sum insured when the person is likely to die within 12 months, and a partial benefit of up to the lesser of 30% of the sum insured or $250,000 for certain listed diagnoses at defined stages.

A cancer diagnosis by itself is generally not a trigger under life cover. Trauma cover pays on defined conditions. The IFSO says it "will only cover certain specified life-threatening health conditions" (IFSO: Life insurance). Skin cancers and early-stage cancers are where definitions often become the question, so read the trauma definitions. Our guides explain the difference between life and trauma insurance, trauma definitions and cancer insurance. If you are looking for health insurance that pays for cancer treatment later in life, that is a different product again; start with the cancer insurance guide.

What if you want new cover after cancer?

Asteron Life says that if you are in remission and otherwise healthy, "in most cases you will be able to find life cover that works for you", though terms depend on the diagnosis date, type and severity. It says people in remission for less than a year are more likely to face a stand-down (postponement) period, with waits of anywhere from a year to ten years depending on the cancer (Asteron Life: If I had cancer, can I still get life insurance?). No insurer promises acceptance in advance. For specific pages see life insurance with cancer in remission and insurance with skin cancer or melanoma. We do not publish a view on melanoma in situ or any other single diagnosis, because no insurer publishes terms for it.

What should you check in your wording?

From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 changes disclosure to a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation (FMA: Contracts of Insurance Act 2024). Until then, the existing rules and your wording apply. Our non-disclosure guide goes further.

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, and over 75 so is Funeral Insurance. The buttons on this page lead to Momentum's own application.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to tell my life insurer if I get cancer after my policy starts?

In the AIA wording we read, no: the duty applies before the policy starts and before any variation or reinstatement. Check your own policy.

Do I have to disclose cancer if I increase my cover?

Under underwritten cover, yes if you are asked about your health; the AIA wording we read says acceptance of an increase depends on health. Quick Life asks no health questions, but its 2-year rule applies again to the increase.

Will my premium go up after a cancer diagnosis?

In the wordings we read, premiums depend on age, smoking status, amount and the insurer's rates, not on a new diagnosis. Check your policy's premium clause.

Does life insurance pay out for skin cancer?

Life cover pays on death and, in many policies, terminal illness. A skin cancer is only a trigger under trauma cover if the policy's definition includes it.

References

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Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Free Will.