You may have heard that a life insurance company can require a medical exam to get a policy. Whether the exam is required depends on a range of factors, but even if it is, it’s typically a quick and easy process. 1 Here, we’ll cover what typically happens during a life insurance medical exam, why it can be an important part of obtaining life insurance, and how you can confidently prepare for it.
A life insurance medical exam is designed to help your insurance company understand your risk, so they can price your premium (what you pay for life insurance) fairly and accurately.
Many companies may require a medical exam as part of the process to get a life insurance policy. If an exam is required, a health professional usually visits your home or workplace—whatever is most convenient for you. Or you may be able to get an exam at a clinic or health center. 1
The medical exam is free and may take only about 30 minutes. During the exam, a health professional may: 1
In addition to the medical exam, insurers will also use nonmedical data, such as age, gender, occupation, tobacco use, driving record, hobbies and more to determine your premium.
Why do insurers ask for this information? It helps their underwriters accurately and fairly evaluate you for life insurance, and ensures that you receive an accurate premium rate.
If you’ve been shopping around for insurance and already completed a medical exam, you may not need another one to get a policy with a different company. According to the Lead Life Underwriter at Amica, “In situations where applicants have recently applied with other insurance companies, and a similar exam has been done, we’re often willing to obtain those results to use in our underwriting process.”
A medical exam can be an important part of getting an accurate and fairly priced policy. An exam helps insurance underwriters understand your health and life expectancy, so that your premium is based on accurate information. 3
According to a Lead Life Underwriter at Amica, “The medical exam is helpful in placing the applicant in the best possible risk class based on age and coverage amount criteria. With favorable lab and exam results, we’re sometimes able to place applicants in a better risk class than they were initially quoted for.”
When insurers base your premium on information from a comprehensive health questionnaire and/or a medical exam, your premium is often less than a policy application that only asks limited health questions. This is because when insurers don’t have much health information, premiums are higher to account for unknown risks.
Here are a few tips to prepare for your life insurance medical exam to make your appointment go smoothly.
Life insurance medical exams are usually quick and last about 30 minutes.
Typically, the results of the medical exam are sent to the life insurance company within a few days. But it can take a few weeks to get a final decision on your policy from the underwriters. 1 This is normal, as insurance companies take time to fully evaluate your risk so they can offer you coverage at the best possible price.
You may be able to get life insurance without a medical exam. Remember that, even without a medical exam, you’ll likely still be asked about your medical history. There are three situations in which life insurance is offered without a medical exam : 2,4
Above all, concern about a life insurance medical exam shouldn’t be a reason to avoid getting coverage. At Amica, we offer a simple, fast and convenient process designed to help you get the right amount of life insurance at the best price. Sometimes, this may involve an exam, but in other situations, no exam will be requested. Give us a call today , and one of our insurance representatives can help you determine how much coverage is right for you, and answer any questions you have about the life insurance application process.
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1 What to Expect in a Life Insurance Medical Exam, Forbes.com, May 2022.
2 Facts + Statistics: Life Insurance, Insurance Information Institute, 2022.
3 Should You Get No Medical Exam Life Insurance Even if You’re Healthy?, CNN.com, February 2022.
4 No Medical Exam Life Insurance Explained, NerdWallet, April 2022.
5 No medical exam will be required if you meet specific underwriting criteria based on the amount applied for, the responses provided in the application and the results of our underwriting review. However, Amica reserves the right to require a medical exam, possibly with blood and/or urine testing at our expense, if we deem it necessary to have such additional information as part of our full underwriting process.
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