What do I have to do for a life insurance exam?

Most life insurance policies require a brief, free (paid for by the insurer) medical exam.  Some plans don’t require the exam—but when it’s not required—you can usually expect to pay more life insurance premium.  If you’re in good health, you earn the right to sew up the best rates when you give the prospective insurer a chance to look you over before they approve your application.  Here are some things you can expect the insurer to look for when they send a nurse out to your home to meet with you…

The nurse will:

Complete part B of the application with you.  He or she will gather information about your family history and your personal medical history.  The insurance company will want to flesh out some details to give them a picture of your current health and your potential future health—or unhealth—whatever the case may be.

Take measurements.  The nurse will measure height and weight and report it to the insurer.
 
Take blood pressure readings.  They’ll usually take three readings and use that to ensure you have good control with or without medication.

Take fluid samples—blood and urine.  This is the most difficult part of the exam as you can imagine.  The samples are sent to an independent laboratory and tested for things like cholesterol, liver enzymes, triglycerides, and the presence of other substances like nicotine, cocaine, marijuana etc.  These are all indicators of where you stand in terms of your health.

Electrocardiogram. (EKG or ECG)  This isn’t a universally necessary part of the exam.  It’s usually required when higher face amounts of life insurance are at stake and/or when the applicant is older.  Any irregularities could cause a postponement, a second EKG, a decline—or an approval based on a less favorable health class.
 
An exam is mostly painless and since it’s free—it’s a process well worth carrying out.  You have the right to receive your results and, hopefully, the underwriting outcome will be the best possible life insurance rate for years to come.