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So you just applied for life insurance. Now what? Chances are, you will need to go through a life insurance medical exam.
What does it test for? More importantly, how can you ace it and save thousands over the life of your insurance policy?
Keep reading for 21 actionable tips to ace your life insurance medical exam.
What Does The Life Insurance Medical Exam Test For?
The life insurance medical exam serves a couple of purposes for the insurance company:
1. It confirms the information on the application.
2. The test results and measurements give the underwriter a snapshot of your health indicators and conditions.
Both of these are important for the underwriter to assess your risk. Poor test results mean that you will be viewed more negatively by the insurance company. This could mean you might not qualify for insurance or if you do, you could be charged a much higher premium!
On the other hand, positive results could mean you get preferred rates and save up to 30% on your policy. This could end up saving you thousands of dollars over the life of the policy!
Here is a list of the tests and measurements done at the medical exam:
- Blood and urine sample
- Blood pressure
- Weight and height measurement
The blood and urine samples tests for biomarkers that can be a sign of disease. Your height and weight are used to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which is a measure of obesity.
Let’s go over the details of the blood test first.
Blood test
Blood sugar level: Blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels are tested to screen for diabetes.
Lipid profile: Elevated levels of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increase the risk of heart disease.
HIV-1/HIV-2: Antibodies for these show up in the blood 4-6 weeks after HIV infection.
Blood proteins: Abnormal levels of blood proteins like albumin and globulin may be a sign of kidney or liver disease, inflammation or malnutrition.
Liver enzymes: Elevated levels of some liver enzymes could indicate liver disease or damage.
Waste products: Creatinine and urea are byproducts of metabolism found in the blood and removed through urination. High levels of them may be a sign of kidney disease since the kidneys can’t filter them out of the blood.
Urine test
Glucose: Like the blood test, glucose is used as a screening test for diabetes.
Protein and microalbumin: Elevated levels may indicate kidney disease.
Red and white blood cells: Elevated levels are seen in kidney disease, kidney stones, urinary tract infections or inflammation.
HIV-1: Like with the blood test, antibodies for HIV-1 can show up in the urine.
Cotinine: As the metabolized form of nicotine, cotinine will show up in smokers and other tobacco users. It will even appear if you use nicotine replacement products like patches and gums.
Cocaine: The urine test will screen for the metabolized form of cocaine, benzoylecgonine.
Results that are out of the normal range don’t necessarily mean you have a specific disease. Sometimes there are other factors that cause the biomarkers to fall out of range. Other tests need to be done to confirm the presence of disease.
How To Pass The Life Insurance Medical Exam (And Pay Thousands Less In Premium)
Let’s face it, you can’t drastically change your health in the time between the application and the exam. But there are some things you can do to improve your test results.
Assuming you are in good health, applying these tips may bump you up from a standard rate to a preferred rate. Just to give you an example of how much you could end up saving, consider this:
A 45-year-old male non-smoker pays $148.5/month for $1,000,000 of term-20 coverage at a standard rating.
His premium drops to $106.2/month if he qualifies for preferred plus rates.
That’s a saving of almost 30% or more than $10,000 over the life of the policy!
One of the factors that go into determining your rating is your blood pressure. For example, with one insurance company, the maximum blood pressure for a 45-year-old is 130/80. If he is bordering on that measurement, there are some things he can do to temporarily lower it (more on those tips below).
Different insurance companies have different limits, so you should ask your agent for a few choices.
In other cases, it might turn a decline into an approval. But hey, even if you end up paying a higher rate, at least it’s better than getting not having any coverage, right?
Let’s get to the list of tips.
21 tips to prepare for the medical exam
You can use some of these tips ahead of time, but some are implemented during the exam. Either way, your odds of acing the life insurance medical exam increase dramatically if you follow these tips.
1. Schedule the paramedical examination at home for the most comfort. You don’t want your blood pressure to go up if you’re in an unfamiliar place.
2. If you have a need for an oversized cuff for blood pressure reading (over 300 lbs), inform the nurse in advance.
3. Wear a loose-fitting shirt without sleeves or rollable sleeves for the blood test.
4. Stand up straight when measuring your height. This will help your BMI measurement.
5. Wear light clothing and remove your shoes when weighing yourself. Like the tip above, this will also help your BMI measurement.
6. Avoid alcohol for 48 hours before the exam. Alcohol affects your blood test results and increases your blood pressure.
7. Avoid caffeine for 48 hours before the exam. Caffeine increases your blood pressure.
8. Avoid tobacco use for 3 days before the exam. Tobacco constricts your blood vessels, increasing your blood pressure, although withdrawal also has the same effect. Try wearing the patch during the 3 days before the exam.
9. Avoid eating a heavy meal before the exam. A heavy meal will cause your blood sugar level to spike right after. Better yet, fast for 12 hours before the exam.
10. An easy way to fast for 12 hours is to have an early dinner and schedule the examination first thing in the morning before breakfast.
11. Another benefit of having the paramedical examination early as opposed to the night is that you could be stressed from a full workday, which could affect your blood pressure.
12. Eat more healthy foods that increase your levels of HDL like whole grains, nuts, fatty fish and avocado.
13. Eat less deep-fried, fatty or sugary foods that raise your blood pressure and glucose.
14. Avoid over-the-counter drugs for 24 hours if possible. These may have an adverse effect on your liver profile and blood pressure.
15. Avoid heavy exercise for at least 24 hours before the exam. Exercise elevates your heart rate and protein levels in your urine.
16. Inform the nurse if anything may affect your test results such as pregnancy, anxiety due to the blood test or urinating in a cup. This can help the underwriter interpret the results.
17. If getting your blood drawn causes anxiety, do that first, then take the blood pressure reading. This will prevent a spike in your blood pressure.
18. Drink plenty of water to facilitate the urine sample and an easier blood draw.
19. Try to relax. Yoga, meditation, listening to soothing music and breathing exercises may help normalize your blood pressure. Wait until you’re completely relaxed to do the blood pressure measurement. You’ll get three readings done in total so don’t panic if the first one is higher than normal.
20. Reschedule the exam if you’re feeling unwell or tired.
21. And last but not least, get plenty of sleep! Lack of sleep contributes to higher blood sugar and blood pressure.
The entire medical exam takes around 30 minutes.
To help you be completely prepared, here are some things you should bring to the exam.
- Write down all significant illnesses, dates, names, and addresses of MD’s treatment and bring them to the exam.
- Write down any family history of cancer, heart disease, angina, stroke, bypass surgery, diabetes, and any other hereditary disease and bring it to the exam.
- Bring all current prescription medication for reference. If this is not possible, write down their names, dosages, and instructions on how to take them. Continue to take your medication even if you are fasting.
- Have your photo ID ready for identification purposes. Your driver’s license or passport will suffice.
No Medical Exam Life Insurance
How would you like to avoid the medical exam entirely when you buy life insurance?
Now you can with a type of insurance called no medical exam life insurance. You can also refer to it as simplified issue or guaranteed issue life insurance.
Compared to a fully underwritten policy, no medical exam life insurance is much quicker to get approved for. That’s because instead of scheduling an exam, waiting for test results and waiting for underwriting, everything the insurance company needs is on the application.
How this works is instead of doing the exam, your answers to the medical questions on the application are sufficient to underwrite you.
The application is usually separated into sections, where you answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to each medical question in a section. If you answer ‘No’ to all the questions within a section, you move on to the next section. The further along you progress answering ‘No’, the lower your premium. If you answer ‘Yes’, you stop and pay the premium corresponding to that section.
That’s all there is to it. No medical exam, no blood test, no urine sample. And that’s why they call it simplified issue life insurance.
But before you run out to buy a simplified issue policy, consider the drawbacks.
- It has a lower maximum limit. You can’t buy more than $500,000 in most cases.
- It is more expensive. It costs a minimum of 30% more than fully underwritten policies.
Have Questions About The Life Insurance Medical Exam?
Do you have a life insurance medical exam coming up soon? Which one of these tips are you going to implement to improve your test results?
Besides the ones on this list, our medical exam provider has extra tips to share. Contact us at info@briansoinsurance.com or 604-928-1628 to request a copy to best prepare for your life insurance medical exam. It could be the difference in saving tens of thousands of dollars.
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While we make every effort to keep our site updated, please be aware that timely information on this page, such as quote estimates, or pertinent details about companies, may only be accurate as of its last edit day. Brian So Insurance and its representatives do not give legal or tax advice. Please consult your own legal or tax adviser. This post is a brief summary for indicative purposes only. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, and other provisions of the policies described, some of which may be material to the policy selection. Please refer to the actual policy documents for complete details which can be provided upon request. In case of any discrepancy, the language in the actual policy documents will prevail. A.M. Best financial strength ratings displayed are not a warranty of a company’s financial strength and ability to meet its obligations to policyholders.
1 Comment
I appreciate you reminding me to avoid tobacco three days before a medical evaluation because this constricts your blood vessels and increases your blood pressure. It’s interesting that a good result medical exam can help you save money on your insurance plan. I think it’s also important for insurance companies to choose an independent medical evaluation clinic to help them fairly assess the condition of their client.