Getting Life Insurance with No Medical Exam

Most people realize they need a life insurance policy, but the thought of going through blood tests and the overall hassle of the approval process not only makes them cringe but provides an excuse for putting off getting a policy. While this is the easier choice it is not the choice that will keep your family in the best position if something were to happen to you.   For so many people we have seen great success at getting a no medical exam life insurance policy that meets their immediate needs for coverage without the hassle of the long approval process.

What is a No Exam Policy?

The answer to this question is quite simple; it is a life insurance policy that does not require a medical exam. The most common policies do require that you fill out a medical questionnaire that you must answer honestly or risk the life insurance company not paying out the full death benefit, were something to happen to you. This sounds like a great option to avoiding the drag of the normal approval process but there are some drawbacks.

Disadvantages

Just in case you though this was too good to be true here are the disadvantages to a no exam policy:

• Cost – since you are not going through the normal tests the life insurance company does take on some added risk. For this reason the policies tend to be more expensive than a “normal” life insurance policy.
• Coverage – there are limits to how much the life insurance companies are willing to insure for life insurance without a medical exam. The most any company will currently insure on a policy is $400,000. So if you need more than this for coverage you will want to either take out multiple policies or go ahead and go through the process of standard life insurance.

These two disadvantages are bit and push many people to go through the process of trying to get standard rates, but you should consider the benefits of getting this type of policy.

Reasons To Purchase a Policy

With the two disadvantages above it would seem that most people would want to avoid on of the no medical exam police, but there are several reasons to really consider this type of life insurance. Those reasons include:

• You need coverage fast – No exam policies can take less than 24 hours to be approved. This depends on what is in your medical questionnaire, but even if you have something the underwriters want to look into you are looking at no more than two weeks to get the policy in force.
• You don’t like examinations – Some people do not like needles or doctors and I am with you on that one. If the thought of either of these sends you into a dizzy spell then you are a good candidate for one of these policies.
• You have not been to the doctor in a while – Many people put off getting a physical for years. The big disadvantage for that is not knowing if you do have a medical condition. Before applying for a more traditional life insurance policy we have many people, who have not been to the doctor in years, get a no exam life insurance policy in place so that they have that coverage. Then if anything comes back on the blood work or examination that would cause them to no longer be eligible for coverage they have a policy in place at a much lower rate than what they would have to pay, now that they have that information in hand.
• You have a condition that prevents standard coverage – Some people cannot get approved for a standard policy but their condition is not so dire that they can still qualify for no exam policies.
• You are purchasing on a family member – In some situations it is necessary to protect yourself by purchasing life insurance on a family member for whom you will be responsible for the financial obligations. The problem arises in that many times those same loved ones are stubborn and will not go in for a medical exam. In this instance a no medical exam policy is ideal since you can just fill out the questionnaire without having to deal with the headache of getting them in for the testing.

With any of these reasons you should really consider getting a no medical exam policy. The next question you need to look at is which company will give you the best rates.

Company Ratings

Finding the right company to provide life insurance can seem like a daunting task. We help you by knowing the best companies for your particular needs. We also will shop over 50 companies to help you get the right policy, because each company offers different advantages for the right person. Currently the most used companies for no exam life insurance are:

No Medical Exam Life Insurance Companies Comparison

Company	Time for Approval	Cost	Underwriting Guidelines	Best Known For	Term Length	Coverage Limit
	Up to 30 Days	Low	Flexible	Great for high risk life insurance appicants	10-20 year term	$250k
	Usually less than week but can take longer	low	Moderate	The best rates for smokers	10-30 year term	$350k
	Up to 48 Hours	High	Strict	Best reputation for all the no medical exam carriers	10-30 year term	$250k
	Up to 30 Days	Moderate	Moderate	Best reputation for applicants over 50	10-30 year term	$250k
	Up to 2 Weeks	High	Strict	Best for Guaranteed Issue	10-20 year term	$250k
	Can be immediate	High	Strict	Very Quick Coverage	10-20 year term	$250k
	Can be 24 hours	High	Strict	No medical files from doctor needed	10-20 year term	$250k
	Up to 72 hours	Moderate	Low	Offers preffered rates	10-20 year term	$399k
	Undefined	Moderate	Flexible	Living benefits option and liver disease applicants	1-30 year term	$249k

We only work with companies that receive the a financial rating of “A” or better and with whom we have had good customer service experience. Since we are an independent agent we are not tied to any one company. This means that our agents will match you up with the best life insurance company and policy to meet your needs, not an agent who tries to fit your needs into the offerings of one single company.

Types of No Physical life Insurance

Just like traditional policies you have options when it comes to a no medical exam policy. The main types of no exam policies are:

• Term Life Insurance – Most people who are getting a policy without a medical exam will be looking at getting a term policy. This type of life insurance has a specific number of years for which the policy is in effect. Most people will choose 10, 20, or 30 year term life insurance. You will pay the same premiums throughout the life of the policy and when the term is up you no longer have coverage. The reason people choose term so much is that it is very simple to understand and much less expensive than the alternative.
• Universal or Whole Life insurance – A universal life insurance policy is good for the life of the person applying for coverage. You will pay significantly higher premiums but a portion of those premiums is put into an investment account which builds over time. This account is called the cash value of the life insurance. The account is managed by the life insurance company and accrues interest. As the cash value increases the amount of coverage or death benefit decreases. Once the account is larger than the death benefit you no longer have to pay premiums since your cash value will cover your family in the event of your death.

There are specialized policies that fall under the no exam umbrella but they are much more expensive on a cost per dollar of coverage basis. The two most common are burial insurance and guaranteed issue life insurance.  each has its benefits but they are much more expensive and should be viewed as a last resort.

Riders – Improving Your Policy

While a no exam life insurance has a cap on the size of the death benefit, there are options, also called riders, which will allow you to expand your coverage and get better benefits from your policy. The most common riders that we see added to life insurance are:

Accidental Death

This is one of the primary ways to increase the death benefit for a no physical life insurance policy. Were you to die in an accident you can get more coverage up to the face value of the policy. You may hear it called double indemnity if you were to get double the amount of your base policy. Many times you can also get some coverage for losing a limb or your eye sight. The underwriters will take into account you occupational and lifestyle hazards when determining your premiums. So a person who skydives every weekend will get higher premiums than an accountant who plays horse shoes.

Accelerated Death Benefit

This rider has become so common that you can many times get it for free or for VERY little additional premium. You can take a portion of your death benefit early in the even that you were to become critically ill with less than one year to live. You can then use these proceeds for medical bills or normal living expenses. There is usually a cap of about 50% of the policy.

Waiver of Premiums

This rider is used to protect you in the case that you were to become disabled and unable to work. If that were to happen you would no longer have to pay the premiums and the policy would still stay in place. There is usually an expiration date for this rider of age 60 or 65.

Return of Premium

ROP policies have become very popular for younger applicants. You basically pay higher premiums and, if you do not die before the end of the term policy, you get all the premiums back. People frequently see this as a way of saving money.

The downside to this rider is that you are giving up the opportunity to invest the difference in the for the ROP policy and a standard one. Your best bet is to calculate the amount you would save with a standard policy and then take that money and estimate what kind of return you could get by investing it in a mutual fund or business investment.

Family Income Benefit

If you are the primary bread winner in your family and the no physical policy does not provide enough of a benefit to make you feel comfortable about your family’s ongoing income. The family income rider will, in addition to the normal death benefit, pay your family an equivalent to your monthly income. This makes sure that your family will not feel any financial burden after losing you.

Child Protection

This is a simple additional that would cover the burial expenses in the event of the loss of a child. You only need to provide basic information about the child to qualify for this extra coverage and can usually be purchased in increments of $1,000.

Cost of Living

Keeping up with inflation is a tough task. The cost of living rider increase the amount of your death benefit in keeping with inflation. This means that if you were to get a 30 year term no exam policy with a $300,000 death benefit, and were to pass away 20 years from now, your family would get a larger payout than the base death benefit. This makes sure that inflation does not eat away at the actual value of your policy.

Funeral and Burial Insurance

Many people have been adding this as a rider to their no physical policies.   The short of it is that you add a little extra per month and get a small added benefit to pay for funeral expenses. Many of these riders allow you to designate what type of services and burial you will have. This takes the pressure off your family in the event of your death. These are also offered as independent policies for people that do not qualify for no exam or standard life insurance. You can learn more about burial insurance policies HERE.

What is the Waiting Period?

All life insurance policies have some sort of waiting period. With your standard no exam term life insurance policy you will have a suicide and contestability waiting period. This period of time is typically two years and means that if you were to commit suicide or if there were something wrong with the way you filled out the policy they could contest the validity of the policy and only pay back the premiums that you paid in. The insurance company also has the right, during this time, to conduct investigations into the validity of your policy.

Keeping Your Rates Low

With any type of life insurance it is important to take steps to lower your premiums. This is especially true with no physical exam life insurance since you are going to be paying a higher premium to avoid the medical examination. Since lying on the medical questionnaire can get your policy canceled or the death benefit greatly reduced make sure that you are filling it out correctly. Getting your weight down into a reasonable level before you apply for coverage can save you considerable amounts when it comes to your premiums. Finally, do not volunteer information that is not in the application. You don’t need to let them know that your great grandfather died of a heart attack if they only want to know about your parents and grandparents. Keeping to the questions asked will save you time and possibly money.

Overall most term life insurance policies, even the no physical exam ones, are pretty affordable. So just be honest and you should be able to get a pretty good rate for your rate class.

Is it Better to Go Through the Exam Process?

The answer to any type of question like this is going to be, “It Depends.” In general yes, you should at least try to go through the exam because you do have a good chance at getting lower rates. What makes our agency unique is that we are used to working with both traditional and no exam life insurance. This means once we start talking to you about your specific needs we can recommend a course of action that works best for you. This is where being an independent agent really pays off. Since we do not worry about whether we have a life insurance policy that is right for your needs we can just focus on your needs. Being able to shop more than 50 life insurance carriers makes us the most flexible partner in helping you get the right coverage. If you are a little concerned about whether you should go with a no physical exam poicy or a traditional one we are able to run life insurance quotes on both type of insurance and work with you to find the policy that really works best for your needs..

Online Quotes

Getting online quotes is as easy as using the form on this page. An agent who specializes in no medical exam policies will be there to give you advice, should you have any questions throughout the process.   We have had some people be skeptical of online quotes due to the fact that you are only getting a snapshot of what is available. Once our team starts the process with you we will shop over 50 different life insurance companies to find the one that will match you with the best rates.

With our dedication to getting you the lowest rates you will not be disappointed in the rates or advice you will get.   Even if a no exam life insurance policy is not the best option for you our agents will make sure you are not only getting the lowest rates but the right policy. If at any time you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with securing the best life insurance policy please contact us.

nH