Your policy may require you to undergo a life insurance medical exam, which typically entails answering health-related questionnaires, taking height and weight measurements, blood testing, as well as urine analysis.
Exams may be completed either at home, work or an accredited testing lab; you can prepare by drinking lots of water and forgoing alcohol consumption prior to sitting the exam.
Health Questionnaire
Life insurance applicants go through numerous tests over their lives. From taking SATs and GPA tests for college admission, professional certification exams to advance our careers and drug and alcohol screening before employment to periodic breathalyzer testing when renewing driver’s licenses; to the life insurance medical exam itself. For many individuals applying for life insurance policies, this test determines their eligibility for coverage as well as how much premium will be due on a policy.
Paramedical examinations (also referred to as paramedical exams), part of the life insurance application process, typically last less than an hour and can take place anywhere – including home, work or a medical office. A medical professional visits you to ask questions about your current and family medical histories before conducting a physical examination and collecting blood and urine samples for testing purposes. It’s important to be honest during this examination about any health conditions you may have as well as follow instructions given by insurers (which could include fasting beforehand in order to prevent abnormal cholesterol/blood sugar tests results).
Underwriters rely heavily on physical and urine samples for underwriters to assess an applicant’s risk level and detect possible instances of fraud. Furthermore, cross-referencing test results with medical records provided by applicants is an invaluable way to combat potential scams.
Blood tests are commonly conducted to screen for signs of serious diseases like HIV and hepatitis. Sometimes an EKG, chest x-ray or treadmill stress test will also be conducted as additional methods of detection.
Dependent upon the type and history of life insurance policy purchased, some insurers may set stringent eligibility standards that necessitate medical examination before approval. On the other hand, life insurers sometimes offer guaranteed issue policies without medical exams or with lower coverage limits that don’t require physicals for approval. When exploring your options and selecting suitable coverage solutions with independent agents it is always essential.
Physical Exam
Life insurance medical exams are an integral component of the underwriting process and play an essential role in determining approvals, rate classes, and other policy terms. While you cannot completely change your health status in the short period between applying for life insurance and taking the physical, there are steps you can take to prepare yourself for the medical examination – drinking plenty of water in the days leading up to it can help flush out toxins from your system while dilatant veins allow technicians to draw blood more easily; also limiting salty and high-cholesterol foods while restricting over-the-counter medication like antihistamines or nasal decongestants can help optimize results and ensure maximum performance from these exams.
Once you submit your application, either an insurer or paramedical testing company will reach out to arrange the date and time for your exam. Most exams take less than an hour and can take place anywhere – your home, workplace or any other convenient place. Before commencing with any test they will discuss all details with you prior to beginning; in some instances they may ask to collect urine and blood samples as part of this examination process.
At your physical, your examiner will ask questions about your medical history, assess your weight and height, take pulse and blood pressure readings, as well as check for signs of serious diseases like diabetes and heart disease. In certain instances, fasting before life insurance exams may also help ensure accurate results regarding blood sugar and cholesterol.
Be truthful and comprehensive when answering the health questions on your application for life insurance; failing to do so could result in your coverage being denied or reduced, or any death benefits you receive decreased. Some companies provide life policies without medical exams but these typically come with lower coverage limits and additional restrictions.
If you’re in search of life insurance policies with high coverage limits that don’t require medical exams, we suggest reviewing our list of the Best No Exam Life Insurance Policies.
Blood Test
At various points throughout our lives, we must undergo numerous exams. From college entrance exams and professional license tests to driving exams and life insurance medical exams – among many others – are all part of life. Although exams may seem tedious at times, they’re essential in making sure you can protect those closest to you should anything happen to you.
After providing your medical history and answering the medical questionnaire, an independent paramedical examiner from your life insurance company will conduct your life insurance medical exam. Most often this will involve a licensed phlebotomist or nurse coming directly to your home, office, or another convenient location of your choosing – usually drawing blood, doing an EKG test, measuring your height and weight as well as collecting a urine sample for you.
Life insurance medical exams will be sent to an underwriting department and used to determine your eligibility and set premium rates. Sometimes insurers might request additional medical assessments from doctors such as more recent blood work or an examination of kidneys.
At its core, a life insurance medical exam will help verify that no misrepresentations was made on your application. For instance, if you state you do not smoke but nicotine is detected in your system during the medical exam, then you could be considered a smoker and may have to pay higher premiums or even be denied coverage.
Key components of a life insurance medical exam also involve screening for serious diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, etc. Even though these illnesses have become more manageable than ever, certain insurers still may refuse coverage if you have them.
Note that non-medical or simplified issue life insurance offers can enable you to bypass a medical exam entirely; however, their policies typically have lower coverage limits and require longer waiting periods before your full death benefit will be paid out.
Urine Test
Urine analysis or “urinalysis”, is an integral component of life insurance exams. A urine analysis or “urinalysis”, can help examine kidney function and signs of infection as well as detect drugs including alcohol, illicit and prescribed medication as well as sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.
An Urine Analysis can be completed using simple dipsticks that will detect specific substances present in your urine. Abnormal results indicate further testing; for instance if there’s blood (hematuria) present it could indicate issues in either your kidneys or bladder while white blood cells could indicate infection or inflammation within these organs. Additionally, an UA can look for protein, glucose and ketones present as well as specific gravity.
Your results from urinalysis should become available within hours or days depending on its type, and your physician will share them with you and explain their significance.
Simple urine analysis tests (UA tests) may be completed at home, a sports facility or the examiner’s office; more complex ones must be sent off to a laboratory for further analysis. Common UA tests include specific gravity testing, urea nitrogen testing, creatinine kinase assaying and leukocyte esterase assaying.
Before going in for any medical examination, make sure you consume enough water to flush out your system and reduce stress levels. Try to cut back on caffeine and alcohol consumption if possible and aim to sleep for eight hours prior to any exam if possible; vigorous physical activity such as running should be limited 24 hours beforehand as this may raise heart rates, potentially altering test results.
Before attending your life insurance exam, it is advisable to fast for several hours prior to eating anything, as eating can impact cholesterol and glucose levels that require further testing. If unsure, contact your examiner ahead of time for their instructions; additionally it would help if wearing short sleeves made drawing blood easier as well as checking pulse and blood pressure easier.
