In short
Yes. Most people with controlled type 2 diabetes qualify for Nectar Term. An A1C under 7 with no complications typically reaches a standard plus or standard class, which at 45 is an estimated $85 to $105 a month for $500,000 over 20 years. An A1C between 7 and 8 is usually standard, and over 9 is often postponed until control improves. Your final price is set during underwriting.
Key takeaways
- Your most recent A1C does most of the talking. Under 7 is the line most underwriters use for the best diabetic classes, 7 to 8 is usually standard, and over 9 is often postponed.
- Plan on standard rates, about 40 to 50 percent above the preferred prices on our rates page. That is the cost of the diagnosis, and it is smaller than most people expect.
- Insulin by itself is not a decline. Insulin plus complications, tobacco or a high BMI is what pushes an application into table ratings.
- No-exam coverage up to $1,000,000 is still possible when the health questions are answered cleanly.
- Have your latest A1C, medication list, doctor's name and date of diagnosis ready. Missing records are the usual reason a decision drags.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common conditions underwriters see, and it is far from an automatic decline. The price depends on one number more than any other: your most recent A1C. Good control gets an ordinary price. Poor control gets a higher one, or a postponement until a later reading improves.
This guide shows the A1C ranges underwriters typically use, what each range costs for a 45-year-old buying $500,000 of Nectar Term over 20 years, what makes a diabetic application harder, and what to have ready so the decision does not drag.
Can you get term life insurance with type 2 diabetes?
Yes, for most people. Insurers price risk, and controlled type 2 diabetes is a risk they understand well. What they want to see is a condition that is diagnosed, treated and stable: regular doctor visits, an A1C that has been in range for a while, and no damage to the kidneys, eyes, nerves or heart.
What you will usually not get is the preferred class on our pricing by age table. A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes typically caps you at standard plus or standard, and our issuing partners do not all draw that line in the same place. One may hold every diabetic at standard; another has room above it for an applicant with a clean file. We place your application with the partner that rates controlled diabetes best, and the issuing company is named on your quote before you apply.
What A1C do life insurance companies look for?
A1C is your average blood sugar over the past two to three months, and it is the number underwriters trust most because it cannot be fixed with a good week. Most insurers group it like this:
- Under 7.0. Treated as controlled. This is where the best diabetic classes live, usually standard plus or standard, and at a few insurers something close to preferred for an applicant with nothing else in the file. The line is no accident: under 7 is the general target the American Diabetes Association describes for many adults, so underwriters read it as a condition under control.
- 7.0 to 8.0. Usually standard. Underwriters see this as managed with room to improve, and they look harder at the rest of the file: blood pressure, weight, cholesterol and kidney function.
- 8.1 to 9.0. Often a table rating. Each table step adds roughly 25 percent to the standard price, a typical industry convention, and one to three steps is common in this range.
- Over 9.0. Frequently postponed until a later A1C shows improvement, and sometimes declined, especially alongside complications.
These are typical guidelines, not rules. Insurers differ, and the same A1C reads differently at 35 and at 60: most underwriters are stricter with younger diabetics because the condition has more years to do damage.
An A1C from the last six months is the single most useful number on your application. Without it, the underwriter has to request records or order a lab draw, and the decision waits on that.
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How much does term life insurance cost with type 2 diabetes?
Start from our rate table. A 45-year-old man in the preferred class pays an estimated $70 a month for $500,000 of Nectar Term over 20 years. Standard runs 40 to 50 percent more, so about $100. Each table step above standard adds roughly 25 percent to that, so Table 2 is about $150 and Table 4 about $200. Here is how that maps onto A1C.
| Most recent A1C | Likely rate class | Estimated Nectar Term price, male, 45, $500,000, 20 years |
|---|---|---|
| Under 7.0, no complications | Standard plus or standard | $85 to $105/mo |
| 7.0 to 8.0 | Standard | About $100/mo |
| 8.1 to 9.0 | Table 1 to Table 3 | $125 to $175/mo |
| Over 9.0 | Postponed, sometimes declined | No price until control improves |
Women pay about 18 percent less at every row, and tobacco multiplies any row by roughly 2 to 2.5. Every figure is an estimate. Your rate class and price are set during underwriting, and the issuing partner's own table may land a little above or below these.
Put in plain terms, the gap between the best diabetic outcome and the preferred price is about $15 to $35 a month at 45. That is real money, but it is a long way from the "diabetics cannot get life insurance" story most people arrive with. For how age and term length move the rest of the price, see our guide to how much term life insurance costs.
What makes type 2 diabetes harder to insure?
Underwriters are not grading your effort. They are looking for signs the condition is doing damage, or is paired with something that compounds it. The combinations that push an application from standard toward a table rating or a postponement:
- Insulin plus complications. Insulin on its own is not a decline; plenty of well-controlled type 2 diabetics use it. Insulin alongside neuropathy, retinopathy, kidney disease or a heart history is the combination that gets rated hardest.
- Tobacco. Nicotine already costs 2 to 2.5 times the non-tobacco rate. With diabetes in the file, most insurers also tighten the A1C and BMI they will accept for each class.
- High BMI. Most insurers run a build chart alongside the A1C. A BMI well into the 30s, with diabetes, often costs a table step on its own.
- Blood pressure or cholesterol out of range. Both are rated separately, and both are rated harder when diabetes is present. Our guide to life insurance with high blood pressure covers the reading ranges.
- A recent diagnosis. Some insurers want six to twelve months of treatment history before they will set a class, because a single A1C does not show a trend.
- Age at diagnosis. A diagnosis before 40 typically draws a closer look than one at 55.
None of this is advice about your treatment. It is a description of what the underwriter is scoring, so you can see where your file stands before you apply.
Can you skip the medical exam with diabetes?
Often, yes. Nectar Term's no-exam limits depend on the issuing partner, and for a diabetic application the realistic ceiling is usually $1,000,000 rather than the $2,000,000 a healthy applicant can reach. The path works when the health questions are answered cleanly and completely: diagnosis date, current medications, most recent A1C, no complications. The underwriter then confirms your answers against your prescription history and a medical information bureau report instead of ordering a lab draw.
An exam gets ordered when the A1C is missing or old, when the medication list does not match the pharmacy records, or when there are complications to explain. If we think one is likely, your quote says so before you apply. Our guide to the life insurance medical exam explains what the exam checks and why it is sometimes the route to a better class.
What to have ready before you apply
Five items cover almost everything an underwriter asks a type 2 diabetic for:
- Your most recent A1C, with the date. Within six months is ideal.
- A medication list with doses: metformin, a GLP-1 or SGLT2 drug, insulin, plus anything for blood pressure or cholesterol.
- Your doctor's name and practice, so records can be requested without a second round of questions.
- The date of diagnosis, even if approximate.
- Any complication history, or a note that there is none. A recent eye exam and kidney function test in the records answer the question before it is asked.
With those in hand, the Nectar Term application shows your estimated approval odds and expected decision time before you submit anything, so you know whether you are looking at a same-day decision or a one-to-two-week records review. A licensed agent is available by chat or phone if a question on the form is unclear, and we do not make outbound calls unless you ask.
See what Nectar Term would cost you
Two minutes to a price, with your approval odds up front. No calls unless you ask.
Frequently asked questions
Can a type 2 diabetic get term life insurance?
Yes, in most cases. Controlled type 2 diabetes with an A1C under 8 and no complications typically qualifies for standard or standard plus rates. Higher readings are rated or postponed, and no one can promise an outcome in advance, which is why your Nectar quote shows approval odds first.
What A1C level is needed for life insurance?
There is no single cutoff. A common guideline is under 7 for the best diabetic classes, 7 to 8 for standard, and over 9 for a postponement until a later reading improves. Insurers differ, and the rest of your file matters too.
Does insulin affect life insurance rates?
Insulin alone usually does not change the class when the A1C is in range. Insulin combined with complications such as kidney disease, neuropathy or retinopathy typically leads to a table rating or a postponement.
Do I need a medical exam for life insurance if I have diabetes?
Not always. Nectar Term can issue up to $1,000,000 without an exam when the health questions are answered cleanly and your records match. An exam is more likely if your A1C is missing or old, or if there are complications to explain.
Does metformin affect life insurance?
Metformin by itself is typically not a rating factor. It tells the underwriter you have type 2 diabetes, and from there the A1C, your other health markers and any complications set the class.
Nectar Term policies are issued by Nectar's partner insurers, each rated A or better by A.M. Best, and serviced by Nectar. Prices in this article are estimates calibrated to published 2026 averages and are not an offer of coverage. Final rates are set during underwriting.
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