Life Insurance Medical Exams: What To Expect & How To Prepare

If you’re applying for a Life insurance policy, you’ll need to provide some information about your medical history, and possibly also undergo a medical assessment especially if the policy you are applying for is fully underwritten. This means that you will be asked a comprehensive set of questions about your medical history and lifestyle when you apply. This is so your insurance provider can provide coverage that’s tailored to your needs.

Here, we’ll explain what a life Insurance medical exam usually involves, so you can know what to expect. Although it might seem daunting, the reality is it’s usually just a simple health check – similar to a routine visit to your GP.

What is a life insurance medical exam?

If you’ve been asked to undergo a medical examination for insurance purposes, there’s no need to worry. It’s to help your life Insurance providers ensure they have all facts available to them so that your policy accurately reflects your situation.

In most cases, a life insurance medical exam involves a simple visit from a healthcare professional to check things such as your weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, etc. The exam is not likely to be invasive or strenuous.  However, further tests may be required.

What does the insurer test for?

A life insurance health check makes it possible for your insurer to screen for a range of health issues such as:

• High cholesterol levels
• Glucose levels, which are a potential indicator of diabetes
• Urine acidity, which may indicate an issue with your kidneys

These are just a few examples of medical conditions that your insurer may be checking for. It may be reassuring to know however, that we will never ask you to undertake a genetic test for life insurance purposes.

What’s involved in the life insurance medical exam?

Typically, the insurer will have you meet with a licensed medical professional in your home, or maybe your office. This is often a nurse, rather than a doctor. That’s because the procedures you undertake are fairly straightforward in nature. Some insurers, such as NobleOak, will pay for the costs incurred in the medical exam or tests.

You will go through two phases during your exam:

Phase one: verbal questionnaire

First, a medical professional will run through a series of questions with you. Some of these questions will relate to the answers you provided in your application.

This phase of the life Insurance medical allows the professional to get a good idea of where you believe your health stands at that point in time.

Phase two: sample collection

After the verbal questionnaire, you’ll be asked to provide various samples. These might include the following:

• Urine
• Blood

Often, you can provide these samples in your own home, under the supervision of the chosen medical professional. The insurer will notify you if a life insurance blood test is required prior to the exam itself.

You may also get your height, weight, blood pressure, and pulse measured. In some cases, the insurer will require an electrocardiogram (ECG). The latter is often reserved for seniors applying for Life Insurance but from time to time may be required in other instances. If these tests are required, they’re usually done in a radiology practice or similar.

The medical professional will then take the samples away for testing.

Do you need a medical exam for life insurance?

So, does life insurance require a medical exam in all cases?

The short answer is no. You may be asked to undertake a medical exam or testing if you have certain medical conditions or you apply for a high sum insured.

NobleOak offers fully underwritten life insurance, which means that you’ll need to provide detailed health information – and possibly also undergo a medical exam – when you apply for a policy. The advantage is that you’ll have more certainty if you ever need to make a claim.

Fully underwritten coverage may also cost less. Get more information about this in our article: What is Fully Underwritten Life Insurance?

Ultimately, the prospect of a medical exam shouldn’t dissuade you from getting Life Insurance. In fact, the exam may save you money or reveal underlying health issues, depending on your results.

How to get a medical exam

When you’re applying for life insurance with NobleOak, getting a medical is easy. First, you’ll need to complete the initial application – which will include a health questionnaire. Based on your answers, we may decide that a medical exam is required.

From here, we’ll arrange an appointment with a healthcare professional at no cost to you. They’ll contact you to schedule an appointment at a time and place that’s convenient, which could be your home or workplace.

How to prepare for the medical exam

When you’re filling out the preliminary questionnaire, make sure to answer as honestly as possible. Amongst other things, this allows all parties to go into the exam with a reasonable understanding of the results they can expect.

Once your appointment has been scheduled, follow these life insurance medical exam tips to ensure accurate results:

48 hours before

• Try to avoid caffeine, alcohol and tobacco – as these substances can raise your blood pressure and heart rate.
• Avoid all of the below, which can lead to false positives for drug use:
  • Poppy seeds
  • Tonic water
  • High-protein snack bars
  • Sleeping pills
  • Ibuprofen
  • Cold remedies

24 hours before

• Avoid engaging in heavy exercise. This can raise protein levels in your urine, which could trigger further examination.
• Drink plenty of water so your body is prepared for the blood and urine tests.

12 hours before

• If fasting is required, avoid eating for 8-12 hours before the exam.
• Ensure you rest well the night before to keep stress and blood pressure levels down.

1 hour before

• Dress comfortably to allow for easy measurements, such as blood pressure checks and weight.
• Arrive relaxed and prepared, as this helps to ensure the most accurate results.

What to bring with you

Aim to have the following ready to go on the day of your medical exam:

• A driver’s licence (or some other form of ID)
• A list of any medications you take and the dosages
• The details of any doctor that you’ve visited over the last five years
• Any other important information about your existing medical conditions

Life Insurance medical exam FAQs

Here, you’ll find answers to commonly asked questions about getting a life insurance medical.

How long will the exam take?

Assuming you don’t need to undergo an ECG, the exam should take about half an hour (this already includes the verbal questionnaire phase).

You can add 20 minutes to this time if the insurer asks for an ECG.

It’s unlikely that your medical exam will take more than one hour.

Is a medical exam a negative thing?

Not at all.

One common concern people have is that the medical exam will uncover an unknown health issue. However, this is actually a good thing, as it gives you more knowledge about your body.

Another concern people have is that the medical exam could lead to higher Life Insurance premiums. Although in some cases this might be true, it also means that you’ll have more certainty at claim time.

Can you fail a life insurance medical exam?

The word ‘fail’ in this context isn’t entirely accurate, as the purpose of the test is to provide a full picture of your health status (rather than to award a score). Certain results may lead to more tests, questions, or exclusions and loadings in the cover provided to you – and in addition to this, it will give you valuable knowledge about your own body.

If you’re wondering how to ‘pass’ a life insurance medical exam, the key is to try and provide questionnaire answers that are honest. If the information you’ve provided about your health matches up with the results from your medical exam, you’ll have a better chance of getting coverage that suits your needs.

What if you don’t feel well on the day of the exam?

If you’re unwell, it’s generally a good idea to reschedule the exam. Most insurers allow you to postpone the exam to ensure that the results accurately reflect your normal health. Communicating with the insurer and the medical professional about your situation is important to avoid unfairly skewed results.

Could you avoid the medical exam?

Some insurance providers do offer life insurance policies without a medical exam and most insurance providers don’t ask for a medical examination unless you fall within certain criteria.

You can learn more about partially underwritten life insurance in our article: Life Insurance Without a Medical Exam.

Award-winning life insurance

If you’d like to know how much life insurance you might need and how much it might cost to get life Insurance with NobleOak, you can use our Insurance Calculator or Quote Tool to get an estimate.

NobleOak provides award-winning insurance options to help Australian families cope during difficult times. To find out more, please feel free to contact us or call our friendly team on 1300 041 494.

Any financial product advice is general in nature only and does not take into account your individual circumstances, objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before acting on it, please consider the appropriateness of the information, having regard to those factors. Any third party websites or tools referred to are subject to their own terms and conditions and NobleOak Life Limited makes no representation or warranty as to any information on those websites. Persons deciding whether to acquire or continue to hold life insurance issued by NobleOak Life Limited should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination for the product. Please also consider NobleOak Life Limited’s Financial Services Guide. NobleOak Life Limited ABN 85 087 648 708 AFSL 247302.