No Doctors! No Needles! No Exam!

No exam life insurance is a policy you can sign up for without a full medical exam. Instead, you answer a questionnaire that covers your medical history and lifestyle factors.

What does a no exam life insurance policy entail?

A traditional life insurance policy may require an application process that includes submitting to a full medical exam, which typically includes a blood test and a urine sample as well as a check of your weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol, the whole deal. This process can take some time—as much as six weeks. If you’re like a lot of people, that might push you away from buying life insurance until you’re a bit older and (maybe) more patient, but remember, as you get older, you’ll face higher premiums.

Fortunately, there’s an alternative.

What's the application process like for no exam life insurance?

No exam life insurance policies allow you to skip the medical exam in favor of a simpler application process, in which you simply answer some health questions using an online form or via a phone call. Life insurance companies then use your responses to decide whether they can cover you and to come up with an estimate of what your policy will cost (a ‘quote’), meaning you can be approved or denied immediately. Then you just e-sign the papers and make your first payment to your insurer and presto, you’ve got life insurance and peace of mind!

Is no exam life insurance right for me?

In the Covid-19 era, you may need a life insurance policy promptly but also need to follow social distancing guidelines… and thus not want a doctor all up in your face during a medical exam.

If you’re in your early 50s, in good health, and want to quickly and simply get a life insurance policy that would cover burial expenses, while also leaving money to carry your family into the future, no exam life insurance might be right for you. If you need to be covered quickly for any reason, and you don’t want to wait around for an intrusive health exam, you should look for an insurer that offers this option.

Know though that most no-exam life policies typically have lower limits and offer less coverage, dollar for dollar, when compared to their fully underwritten counterparts.

If there's no exam, what information will I need to provide?

Life insurance companies offering life insurance without a medical exam will for sure want to know a few key things about your medical history, like whether anyone in your family has died from medical conditions like cancer or heart disease before a certain age. Be sure to have that information handy, even if it means an awkward conversation with a family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. As always, if you don’t give your insurer 100% accurate information when it comes to health questions about your medical history and medical conditions (and, of course, make all your payments on time), life insurance companies won’t pay your loved ones the death benefit.

What about guaranteed issue life insurance?

Guaranteed issue is what it sounds like: Everyone who applies will be accepted, and no medical exam is required. In fact, the applicant doesn’t even need to answer any questions about their personal medical background! While that might sound nice and easy, it’s not so simple. Premiums tends to be quite a bit higher than other policy options, since the insurance company—not knowing much about your health or lifestyle situation—is taking more of a risk. Also, the death benefit for guaranteed issue insurance is quite modest, and a series of waiting periods apply as well, meaning it’s not active immediately and won’t cover you if you pass away during those periods.