What is “No Medical Exam” Life Insurance?

When you purchase a life insurance policy, the insurance company does not plan to pay out money soon or even pay money that will immediately exceed your premiums.

As a result, most companies require you to undergo a medical exam and answer health questions to determine that you will be in good health for a long time before you can buy life insurance.

Naturally, this means that you may struggle to acquire life insurance if you have some form of health condition or anything that may shorten your life expectancy.

Or, like some individuals, you may fear that the insurance company will find a condition you are unaware of during the exam and turn you away.

No exam life insurance is available for these situations. You may still have to answer medical questions without going through an exam, but this depends on the insurance type.

No medical exam life insurance will be more expensive than typical life insurance. In fact, it may be significantly more expensive. The reason behind the increase in costs is that the insurance company takes on considerable risk by not submitting you to an exam, so it must work harder to recoup its money.

You will have high premiums. Also, the death benefit will be significantly smaller since someone who does not want to undergo a medical exam may be more likely to die soon.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that the trade-off you make with no exam life insurance is that your family likely won’t receive enough money to be financially secure like they would from typical life insurance.

Several different types of life insurance may not require you to undergo a medical exam. Each one differs in how you can be eligible for it and its potential premiums and death benefits.

A common option is guaranteed issue life insurance. This type of insurance may interest older individuals who may not be healthy enough to pass a medical exam but still want some money put aside for their families when they die.

The premiums will still be high, and the death benefit will also be small. According to CNN, it is typically enough for your family to handle your final expenses.

Another path you could take is to get simplified issue life insurance. This type of life insurance is basic and easy to get because the underwriting process is significantly simplified. You will have to answer some health-related questions but do not have to undergo a medical exam. This option can be very pricey.

According to Forbes, simplified issue life insurance can be twice as expensive as a fully underwritten policy.

You also could get life insurance without a medical exam through a group life policy, usually offered through an employer. This type provides life insurance to a group of people but under a single contract. No one in that group must undergo an exam or answer health questions.

As with other forms of no medical exam life insurance, the death benefit will likely be small.

Depending on the type you are looking for, many different companies can offer no exam life insurance.
According to Forbes, some of your best options include Lincoln Financial, Ethos and Jenny Life.

If you are interested in no medical exam life insurance, consider the trade-offs that you will make. Expect to pay higher premiums than usual and for the death benefit to be significantly smaller than a standard policy. Also, you may still have to answer some medical questions.