Author
Bowtie Team
Updated on
2025-11-24
Key Takeaways
- Whether cancer survivors can successfully get insured depends on various factors, with the cancer stage and time since completing treatment being the most crucial.
- Those who have unfortunately had cancer may find it harder to get medical or critical illness insurance. For life insurance, it depends on the type of cancer the insured had.
- A cancer history won’t affect getting Touch Wood Protector (accident insurance). Cancer survivors can get it at standard premiums, just like those who’ve never had cancer!
- Bowtie is now offering a limited-time promo—click the link below to grab your discount code.
Can Cancer Survivors Get Insured?
For clients with a history of cancer, insurance companies focus on underwriting points like:
- Their risk of cancer recurrence
- The organ affected by cancer Cancer stage
- Cancer’s pathological classification
- Treatment duration
So, whether cancer survivors can successfully get medical insurance isn’t straightforward—every case is unique.
Generally, cancer stage and treatment time most impact policy approval. Take breast cancer as an example:
Stage 1 breast cancer
patients, after completing treatment for a while, might still have their medical and critical illness insurance applications considered.
But Stage 4 breast cancer patients, even after treatment, often struggle to get various types of insurance1:
- If the insured had carcinoma in situ within the past 2 years, coverage might be possible after adding exclusions
- If the insured received cancer treatment within 5 years, their medical insurance application is harder to approve
- If more than 5 years have passed since cancer treatment, some insurers may consider the application based on medical reports. However, that cancer and related conditions are likely to be listed as exclusions, and there might be a need for “loading”
- 1 If diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer for over 10 years, VHIS may provide coverage, but there’s a high chance it will require adding “exclusions”.
What Documents Should Cancer Survivors Submit When Buying Insurance?
Cancer survivors must provide the following information (including but not limited to) when applying for insurance:
- Date of diagnosis
- Type of cancer and its stage at the time
- Whether the cancer has recurred or metastasized
- Treatment methods and duration
- Hospital and attending doctor’s name
- Current condition and attending doctor’s assessment of treatment outcomes
- Relevant pathology reports
What Insurance Can You Buy After Getting Diagnosed With Cancer?
If you’ve unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer, buying
medical insurance1 or critical illness insurance2 can be quite challenging. Even if approved, there’s a high chance of added
exclusions or “loading“.
As for whether you can buy term life insurance3, it depends on the type of cancer you’ve had. Indeed, patients with
thyroid cancer or prostate cancer have a lower mortality risk than those with lung cancer, giving them a better chance of successfully purchasing life insurance.
However, policyholders might still face “loading” situations. As for accident insurance4, it may not require health or medical underwriting, so applications aren’t affected by cancer history. Take Bowtie Touch Wood Protector (accident insurance) as an example—all cancer survivors can apply at the “standard premium” just like those who’ve never had cancer!
- 1 Covers eligible medical expenses for hospitalization, day surgery, and prescribed diagnostic imaging tests
- 2 Covers living expenses after a serious illness
- 3 Provides death benefit
- 4 Covers eligible medical expenses arising from accidents
How to Boost Post-Cancer Insurance Approval Rate?
After cancer or recovery, whether you’re eyeing any
medical insurance, the key is to communicate openly, honestly, and clearly about your health with the insurer.
Take Bowtie as an example: Applicants can proactively reach out to our customer service team to inquire and explain their case, getting a detailed rundown on underwriting requirements and which plans accept applications from cancer patients or survivors.
Or, simply hit the “Get Insured Now” button in the top right, go through our health/medical underwriting system, and you’ll get your application result. If we need more medical documents or info to decide, we’ll contact you.
Plus, to up your approval odds, cancer patients or survivors should keep up moderate exercise (as advised by doctors), eat balanced meals, and steer clear of smoking or drinking to stay in top shape.
Buy Insurance When Healthy for The Best Coverage
Don’t underestimate cancer risks!
In fact, in 2019 alone, Hong Kong saw over 35,000 new cancer cases—the highest on record.
Insurance-buying post-cancer often comes with premium loadings / exclusions, so coverage isn’t as comprehensive as for others. That’s why Bowtie recommends getting insured while you’re healthy and symptom-free! Buying VHIS when fit ensures guaranteed lifetime renewability, with standard premiums and no exclusions for full protection.
What Insurance Options Are Available at Bowtie?
1. Medical Insurance: Bowtie Pink VHIS Plan
Bowtie Pink VHIS is a high-end medical insurance with deductible options and full reimbursement for eligible medical expenses (including cancer treatment). It comes in Semi-Private and Private room levels, offering HK$10 million annually and HK$50 million lifetime coverage, with monthly premiums as low as HK$197*.
- *The above price is the monthly standard premium for a 30-year-old non-smoker insuring Bowtie Pink (Ward) VHIS (with deductible option of HK$80,000).
After getting VHIS coverage, if you want to boost your cancer protection—especially for post-surgery outpatient care, rehab treatments, and monitoring—you might want to add on Bowtie Cancer Fighter, with monthly premiums as low as HK$57*!
- *The above price is the monthly standard premium for a 30-year-old non-smoking male insuring Bowtie Cancer Fighter 3M with HK$3,000,000 coverage.
2. Term Life Insurance: Bowtie Term Life
Bowtie Term Life is a “pure life” product. For the same premium, Bowtie offers coverage up to 40 times higher^ than typical savings life products. If the insured unfortunately passes away^ during the coverage period, the policy beneficiary will receive a lump-sum payout, providing protection for your loved ones.
Bowtie Term Life offers up to HK$8,000,000 in life coverage, with monthly premiums as low as HK$38* per HK$1,000,000.
- ^Calculated based on the standard premium for a 35-year-old non-smoking female with HK$1,000,000 coverage; Term life insurance: Data is the average standard premium for term life policies (20-year coverage period) in the market as of July 1, 2020 (including online term life policies and another 8 term life products); Savings life insurance: Data is the average premium for 8 savings life insurance products (20-year premium payment period) in the market as of July 1, 2020.
- *The above price is the monthly standard premium for a 30-year-old non-smoking male insuring Bowtie Term Life with HK$1,000,000 coverage.
3. Term Critical Illness: Bowtie Term CI
Bowtie Term CI offers coverage up to HK$4,000,000. If the insured is diagnosed with cancer, stroke, heart disease, or other severe illnesses, it provides a lump-sum payout with no restrictions on usage.
Bowtie Term CI features a unique market design, with its “Multiple Cover” option providing up to 5 payouts for cancer, each at 100% of the sum insured, with monthly premiums as low as HK$118*.
- *The above price is the monthly standard premium for a 30-year-old non-smoking male insured under Bowtie Term CI Multiple Cover with HK$1,000,000 coverage.
4. Accidental Medical Insurance: Bowtie Touch Wood Protector
Bowtie Touch Wood Protector provides coverage for eligible medical expenses arising from accidents big or small, with monthly premiums as low as HK$48*. This includes outpatient consultations,physiotherapy,bone-setting,chiropractic,
prescribed diagnostic imaging tests,
hospitalisation and surgery, etc.
When applying, the policyholder does not need to disclose any medical history; simply provide birth date, gender, and occupation.
- *The above prices are based on the monthly standard premium for a 30-year-old female insured under Touch Wood Protector.
FAQs on Buying Insurance After Cancer
1. Does Family Cancer History Affect My Insurance Application?
If a family member has had cancer, it falls under family medical history, and you need to declare it truthfully when applying for insurance.
How insurance companies handle applications with a family history of cancer depends on whether the family member is a direct relative, the cancer incidence rate, and the company’s underwriting policies. The outcome could be no impact on your application, or it might lead to exclusions, loading fees, or even rejection.
2. Can I Buy Insurance After Recovering from Cancer?
After completing cancer treatment, you generally need to wait 5 years before submitting an insurance application to have a better chance of approval. After all, there’s still a risk of recurrence post-treatment. So, it’s best to get the coverage you need while you’re healthy to avoid potential rejections due to cancer later on.
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