- A life insurance medical exam is free, takes about 30 minutes and may include health questions, height/weight measurements, pulse, blood pressure, and urine or blood testing.
- Favorable exam results can help applicants qualify for a better rate class than initially quoted.
- To prepare, get a full night's sleep, avoid alcohol, caffeine, strenuous exercise and tobacco before the exam, and bring identification.
- Life insurance options without a medical exam options include accelerated underwriting (often for applicants under 50), simplified issue and guaranteed issue — but these may cost more than policies with an exam.
Prepare for a Life Insurance Medical Exam
What to expect and how to prepare
Key Takeaways
A life insurance company may require a medical exam to issue a policy. Here's what typically happens during a life insurance medical exam, why it's an important part of obtaining coverage and how to prepare. We’ll also look at when life insurance options without a medical exam may be available.
Quick takeaway: A life insurance medical exam is usually brief and may help insurers price coverage more accurately. In some cases, strong exam results can even support a better rate class than originally quoted.
What is a life insurance medical exam?
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 life insurance medical exam is free and may take only about 30 minutes. During the exam, a health professional may:
- Ask you general questions about your medical history, like any health conditions, past treatments or medications you take.
- Take your pulse and blood pressure.
- Measure your height and weight.
- If needed, request a urine or life insurance blood test sample.
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 recently completed a medical exam for another insurance application, that exam may be used instead of requiring a new one. According to Amy Hartman, 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.”
Here's what to expect during the exam:
| Part of the exam | What it may include | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Health questions | Medical history, medications and prior treatment | Helps insurers understand your current and past health profile |
| Basic measurements | Height, weight, pulse and blood pressure | Provides a snapshot of overall health indicators |
| Lab testing | A life insurance blood test or urine sample, if required | May help confirm health details used in underwriting |
How a life insurance medical exam affects your rate
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.
If you want more context on pricing, find out how health, age and lifestyle can affect life insurance premiums.
How to prepare for the life insurance medical exam
Here are a few tips to prepare for your life insurance medical exam to make your appointment go smoothly.
24 hours before your exam
Get a full night’s sleep so you’ll be well-rested the day of your exam.
12 hours before your exam
If possible, try to avoid things that could raise your blood pressure, like taking antihistamines or nasal decongestants, engaging in strenuous exercise, and consuming alcohol, high levels of caffeine or high-cholesterol foods. Wear a shirt with sleeves that are easy to roll up for the drawing of blood. And don’t forget to bring identification with you.
1 hour before your exam
Drink a glass of water to stay hydrated and try to avoid using tobacco.
Quick prep checklist:
- Get a full night's sleep before the exam
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and high-cholesterol foods 12 hours before
- Skip strenuous exercise and nasal decongestants
- Wear a shirt with sleeves that roll up easily
- Bring identification and drink a glass of water
Life insurance medical exams are usually quick and last about 30 minutes.
When do I get results from the medical exam?
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.
Can I get life insurance without a medical exam?
You may be able to get life insurance without a medical exam. Remember that, even without a life insurance health exam, you’ll likely still be asked about your medical history. There are three situations in which life insurance is offered without a medical exam²,⁴:
- Accelerated underwriting: Some life insurers offer accelerated underwriting to applicants that meet specific criteria, usually around age and coverage amount. Once the insurer receives an application, it decides if it can underwrite using accelerated underwriting or if a medical exam is required. You’ll still be required to answer a medical questionnaire, and coverage amounts are often capped. Accelerated underwriting offers affordable coverage with a decision on coverage usually in days. Amica Life offers accelerated underwriting to some applicants under age 50.⁵
If you’re weighing whether coverage is still worth pursuing, learning if you need life insurance can help frame that decision.
Final Words
Don't let concerns about a medical exam prevent you from getting life insurance coverage. Sometimes life insurance without a medical exam may be available. Life insurance policies can help you explore your options, and an Amica representative can help answer questions about coverage amounts and the application process.
Get a life insurance quote today
FAQs about life insurance medical exams
A life insurance medical exam may include health questions, height and weight measurements, blood pressure and pulse readings, and sometimes a urine sample or life insurance blood test.
A life insurance blood test may be used to help verify health information that affects underwriting, such as certain medical conditions or health markers.
Yes, in some cases. Depending on your age, health and the amount of coverage you want, you may qualify for accelerated underwriting, simplified issue or guaranteed issue coverage.
It can. Policies that do not require a life insurance health exam may cost more because the insurer has less medical information to use when evaluating risk.
Try to get a good night’s sleep, stay hydrated, avoid tobacco before the appointment and limit things that may raise blood pressure, such as alcohol, heavy exercise or high caffeine intake.
What to Expect in a Life Insurance Medical Exam, Forbes.com, May 2022.
Facts + Statistics: Life Insurance, Insurance Information Institute, 2022.
Should You Get No Medical Exam Life Insurance Even if You’re Healthy?, CNN.com, February 2022.
No Medical Exam Life Insurance Explained, NerdWallet, April 2022.
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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