Life insurance options with Parkinson's disease

Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

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 with Parkinson's disease in New Zealand depends on your age and the route. We found no insurer that publishes its terms for Parkinson's, so we cannot say what cover with health questions would cost or exclude. Momentum Life's Quick Life accepts ages 18 to 65 and Funeral Insurance accepts ages 40 to 75, both with no health questions, but each restricts the first two years.

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition in which nerve cells that make dopamine degenerate, causing movement problems such as tremor, stiffness and slowness. There is no cure. About 1 in 500 people in Aotearoa New Zealand have it, it frequently starts between ages 55 and 65 (the same page says it most often starts in the 70s or 80s), and early-onset Parkinson's, before age 50, accounts for about 10% of cases (Healthify, reviewed 6 October 2025 by Professor Tim Anderson). Age matters for insurance here because Quick Life stops accepting applicants after 65 and Funeral Insurance after 75. Total premiums on guaranteed-acceptance cover can end up larger than the benefit, and a funeral benefit may not meet the whole funeral.

Start with your age, not the diagnosis

Momentum's two products open and close at different ages. Over 75, neither accepts a new applicant. Quick Life's wording says a policy where the true age at the start is over 65 is void, with premiums refunded.

Your age when you apply Quick Life ($50,000 to $300,000) Funeral Insurance ($3,000 to $30,000)
18 to 39 Open Not open
40 to 65 Open Open
66 to 75 Not open Open
Over 75 Not open Not open

Source: Momentum Life policy wordings. If you are over 75, read life insurance over 75, because Momentum has nothing to offer you and a licensed adviser can say what other insurers publish. For ages 66 to 75 the only Momentum route is Funeral Insurance, and its age limits are on the Momentum age page.

What cover with health questions does

Fully underwritten cover is decided on your records. Asteron Life describes how an insurer can respond to an existing condition: it may add a stand-down period, charge a higher premium, or exclude the condition permanently or for a set time, and it says cover can usually still be offered (Asteron Life: insurance options for pre-existing conditions). That is general guidance, not specific to Parkinson's. Any page that quotes a loading range for Parkinson's has no published source behind it that we could find, and we do not offer one.

What helps is a clear record and a licensed adviser. Healthify notes that there is no single test for Parkinson's, that diagnosis rests on symptoms, history and examination, and that people are usually referred to a neurologist or geriatrician. A diagnosis date and specialist letters are worth having ready; the insurer decides what it needs. Disclose everything asked; the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO) publishes cases where insurers reduced or avoided claims for non-disclosure (IFSO). If an insurer declines, see life insurance after a decline.

How Quick Life treats pre-existing Parkinson's

Quick Life is issued by Momentum Life Limited. In the first 2 years it covers accidental death and new medical conditions that arise after the policy starts, and it does not cover pre-existing conditions or suicide. After 2 years it covers pre-existing conditions as well, except a few specific conditions that can be permanently excluded in the policy schedule (Momentum Life: Quick Life policy wording, November 2025).

A pre-existing condition is any illness, condition or symptoms you had in the 2 years before the policy started, including anything you had treatment or advice for, or noticed symptoms of even if undiagnosed. In the claims section, Momentum will not pay for death or terminal illness in the first 2 years if it is "directly or indirectly related" to a condition you had symptoms of, were diagnosed with or sought treatment for before cover began.

For Parkinson's, that means a death or terminal illness related to Parkinson's in the first 2 years is not paid, and if no claim is payable the premiums are refunded. Be careful with the word "indirectly". Healthify lists non-motor symptoms such as trouble swallowing, and a complication linked to the condition, for example one arising from swallowing difficulty, could be argued as related. We cannot say how Momentum would decide a particular claim.

One sourced point softens the picture, and one does not. Healthify says Parkinson's gets worse slowly, progressing over about 15 years, and that most people work and take part in enjoyed activities for many years without serious disability. That means a two-year exclusion covers a short part of a long course. But it does not change the rule: nothing in the wording makes the exclusion shorter for a slow course, and the premium you pay in those years is for cover that does not yet apply to the condition.

Also note:

How Funeral Insurance treats Parkinson's

For ages 40 to 75, Funeral Insurance (benefit $3,000 to $30,000) is the only Momentum route once you pass 65. It has no health questions and no pre-existing condition clause in the wording we read. Death within 90 days of an accident pays three times the benefit at any time. In the first 24 months any other death pays nothing and the premiums paid for that person are refunded; after that, death from any cause is paid. There is no terminal illness benefit. The premium rate is fixed until the 89th birthday (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance policy wording, 17 August 2023). An adult child can own a policy on a parent, which some families consider; the same early rules apply. See Funeral Cover.

Choosing between them

If cognitive changes are part of your situation, our page on life insurance with dementia covers a separate condition.

Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. 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. General information, not advice. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Start from the guaranteed acceptance hub or the Quick Life page.

Adviser's view

Parkinson's is a progressive condition, and no New Zealand insurer we found publishes terms for it. Guaranteed acceptance takes an eligible application without health questions, but Quick Life stops accepting people at 65 and excludes anything related to a pre-existing condition for two years. Funeral Insurance, open to 75, pays only for accidental death for 24 months. Age decides which one you can still use, so check that first.
, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Life Insurance With Parkinson's NZ: Age and Options. www.quotehub.co.nz/guaranteed-acceptance/life-insurance-with-parkinsons-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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