Getting life insurance after cancer treatment and remission
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Life insurance after cancer is sometimes possible in New Zealand, and time since treatment is the main driver. Asteron Life says remission and otherwise good health open up options, but a stand-down can apply, and depending on severity it may run from a year to ten years. Momentum's Quick Life takes no health questions, yet excludes pre-existing conditions for the first two years.
Getting life insurance after cancer treatment means passing through one of two doors. The first is cover with health questions, sold through a licensed adviser or direct, where an underwriter reads your medical records and decides whether to accept you, postpone, add a loading or exclude the cancer. The second is guaranteed acceptance, where you are accepted without health questions but the policy limits what it pays in its first two years. Remission is not a pass or fail on either door. It is one input, alongside the cancer type, stage and treatment, your current health and the amount you want. This page explains how the two doors treat a cancer history and what to prepare. For the version of this question that is about dying of cancer while insured, see life insurance with cancer.
What one insurer publishes about remission
No New Zealand insurer publishes a table of waiting times by cancer type, and QuoteHub has not found one, so this page does not offer one. What is published is general. Asteron Life says its terms will likely depend on the date of diagnosis, the type of cancer and its severity, and that you may be asked about the stage, the size and location of the cancer, whether it spread, and your treatment (Asteron Life). It says your medical records will be reviewed, and that you might be asked to show you are keeping up ongoing treatment, including medication and follow-up appointments.
On time, Asteron calls it "one of the key qualifiers": the longer you have been in remission and out of treatment, the more options open up. Stand-down (postponement) periods often apply, a person in remission for less than a year is more likely to face one, and depending on severity you "might need to wait anywhere between a year to ten years" before an application can be accepted. That is one insurer's guidance, not a rule across the market. Other health issues can also affect the cover you can get and any exclusions.
| Factor | What Asteron's published guidance says |
|---|---|
| Time in remission and out of treatment | The longer it is, the more options become available |
| Less than a year in remission | A stand-down is more likely |
| Length of a stand-down | Depending on the severity of the cancer, anywhere between a year and ten years |
| Ongoing care | You may be asked to show you are following any treatment plan, including medication and follow-up appointments |
Individual outcomes vary, and nobody can tell you in advance whether an insurer will accept you. If an offer is made, Asteron says terms can include a stand-down, a higher premium, or excluding the condition permanently or for a set time (Asteron Life).
How Quick Life treats a cancer history
Momentum's Quick Life is guaranteed acceptance life cover for ages 18 to 65, with cover of $50,000 to $300,000, and no health questions or medical exam. Its first two years are restricted. In that time Quick Life does not pay for death, or a terminal illness diagnosis, related to a pre-existing medical condition or to suicide. If the person dies from a pre-existing condition in the first 24 months and no claim is payable, the premiums are refunded (Momentum Life: Quick Life policy wording, November 2025).
The wording's definition of a pre-existing medical condition is any illness, condition or symptoms you had during the 2 years before the policy started, including anything you had treatment or advice for. Other pages of the same wording describe it without naming a look-back period. So the wording does not settle whether a cancer treated and cleared years ago, with no follow-up care in the last two years, counts. Do not assume it does not. If your cancer, its surveillance scans or its medication fall within or near that period, plan as though a cancer-related death in the first two years would pay nothing. If you are unsure, ask Momentum before you apply.
After the first two years the policy covers pre-existing conditions too, except a few specific conditions that can be permanently excluded and are listed in your policy schedule. Quick Life pays on accidental death, on death from any cause after the early period, and on terminal illness (an illness expected to lead to death within 12 months). Momentum's website says Quick Life is not available to someone diagnosed with a terminal illness or in palliative or hospice care. It has no cancer or trauma benefit of its own.
Three routes compared
| Cover with health questions | Quick Life | Funeral Insurance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry ages | Set by each insurer | 18 to 65 | 40 to 75 |
| Cancer history | Assessed individually; may be postponed, loaded or excluded | Not asked; falls inside the 2-year rule if pre-existing | Not asked |
| Early period | Per the policy | Pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded for 2 years | Accidental death only for 24 months |
| Cancer-related death early on | Per the terms offered | No benefit; premiums refunded | No benefit; all premiums for that person refunded |
| Amounts | Much higher available | $50,000 to $300,000 to start | $3,000 to $30,000 |
Funeral Insurance has no pre-existing-condition clause, but in its first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident. After 24 months it pays on death from any cause, including cancer (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance policy wording, 17 August 2023). It is a fixed benefit towards funeral costs, total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. See funeral insurance after cancer and Momentum's Funeral Cover.
What to have ready
A complete answer matters more than a fast one. Under today's law, you have a duty to disclose all material information, and IFSO case notes show insurers reducing or avoiding claims for non-disclosure (IFSO). Gather before you speak to an adviser:
- the date, type and stage of the cancer, and where it was;
- the treatments you had and the date the last one finished;
- your follow-up schedule and the dates of recent scans or checks;
- current medication, and any other health conditions;
- your GP's name, since records can be requested.
Our guide to cancer and disclosure covers what counts as material, and pre-existing conditions explains the term across insurers. If you already hold a policy, keep it running until any new cover is in force (FMA).
Which door suits whom
Cover with health questions suits you if you are well, years from treatment and want a larger amount. Guaranteed acceptance suits you if you have been declined or postponed (after a decline), want modest cover in place soon and accept the early period. For the full comparison, read guaranteed acceptance versus full medical. Quick Life premiums are stepped, so they rise each year until 75, and total premiums can add up to more than the benefit. Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), which Momentum's financial strength page places in its "Vulnerable" range.
Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through the buttons on this page; see how we are paid. This page is general information, not advice on your situation.
Adviser's view
If you are in remission and otherwise well, ask a licensed adviser about cover with health questions first, because the published guidance says time since treatment opens up options and a healthy applicant can usually get more cover for less that way. Guaranteed acceptance is the fallback when a wait is long or you want cover now, but a recent cancer history is likely to sit inside its two-year early period: a death related to a pre-existing cancer in that time pays nothing and premiums are refunded.
Compare life cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Life Insurance After Cancer NZ: Remission Options. www.quotehub.co.nz/guaranteed-acceptance/life-insurance-with-cancer-in-remission-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.
References
- Asteron Life: If I had cancer, can I still get life insurance?
- Asteron Life: Insurance options for pre-existing conditions
- Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025)
- Momentum Life: Quick Life insurance
- Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording (17 August 2023)
- Momentum Life: Financial strength
- IFSO: Non-disclosure case
- Financial Markets Authority: Insurance
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Referral.