Life insurance medical exams

What Is No-Exam Life Insurance?

There’s a lot to consider when you’re buying life insurance, not to mention the hassle of getting a medical exam, which most policies require. If you’re looking for a simpler, quicker alternative, no-exam life insurance may be a good fit.

A traditional life insurance policy typically involves a battery of tests and may take more than a month to come into place. If you’re one of the 6 in 10 Americans that have a

By contrast, no-exam policies can be done online usually in just a few days. “Medical exams can be off putting,” says Mark Scafaro, co-founder of Afficiency, an insurance technology company. “No-exam life insurance is a great alternative for customers who aren’t interested in completing a medical exam—or waiting weeks for an underwriting decision.”

To be sure, no-exam policies have their drawbacks. While it’s generally easier to get approved, there is no certain you will be. Coverage limits also tend to be far lower. And because the insurance company has less insight into your health, you will almost certainly pay more. 

Still it’s no secret these have become more popular. Here is what you need to know.

No-exam life insurance is usually a term policy, which means you typically pay a premium to be covered for a specific term such as 10, 20 or 30 years. Afterward the insurance ends. But there are whole life policies, which stay in place as long as you maintain premiums, available as well.

Here are several common types:

You can be approved for this type of life insurance policy with minimal medical questions and no exams. Coverage starts as soon as your application is submitted and you’ve selected a premium.  

As its name suggests, guaranteed issue life insurance is a type of whole life policy that guarantees you won’t get denied when you apply. You’ll skip all the health-related questions as well as a medical exam. However, these policies tend to have a long waiting period of around two to three years and a lower death benefit ranging from $2,000 to $25,000. 

Accelerated underwriting relates to the process underwriters use to approve your application for insurance quicker. This is commonly used with no-exam life insurance and involves using third-party data and algorithms to determine a person’s approval rate and premium. Accelerated underwriting policies tend to have a coverage limit of $1 million and for anything higher, you’d need a medical exam. 

No-exam life insurance may be a good choice if you are:

Traditional life insurance typically requires an in-person medical test that involves drawing blood and collecting other samples, along with a review of your body-mass index, medical conditions and whether you smoke or drink alcohol. “It can be a rigorous process,” says Susana Zinn, an independent life insurance agent based in Miami. “Even an inch or two in your height could impact your BMI and premium rate during the medical exam,” she adds.

With no-exam life insurance you’ll still need to answer a few basic questions and disclose any medical conditions you have. No-exam life insurance doesn’t certain coverage, but it’s more forgiving. “Having some major health issues or risk factors in your history such as nicotine use, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, can make you a strong candidate for no-exam,” says Zinn.

No-exam life insurance can also make sense if you are young and healthy–and simply looking for a hassle-free way to get insured quickly. While you may pay slightly more, your premiums are likely to be low regardless of what kind of insurance you pick, so the convenience may be worth the trade off. Keep in mind no-exam life insurance policies tend to have smaller coverage limits than traditional policies, so the option works best if you are looking for a policy that pays less than $500,000.

With a term insurance policy—which is far more common for no-exam life insurance, your premium is often lower and fixed for the duration of the term length. With a permanent or whole life insurance policy, your premiums will be higher but stay the same so long as you keep the policy. 

The cost of life insurance depends on several factors including your:

Because life insurance pricing is based on so many individual factors, it’s difficult to find data about average prices. However, here are some representative quotes provided by Quotacy through Bestow Life Insurance.

Quotacy through Bestow Life Insurance

There are a few ways to shop for individual no-exam life insurance:

Online is a great place to start, and you can quickly find quotes from well-known national brands, as well as startups like Bestow, Haven Life and Fabric, which are usually backed by major insurance companies. If you want guidance you can find Buy Side from WSJ’s picks for Best Life Insurance companies here.

Most of what you find online will be term life insurance options, but some major companies like Nationwide or Progressive will offer whole life insurance options as well. To get a quote, you’ll have to submit a form that includes some basic information about yourself including your name, ZIP Code, height and weight, and gender.

Experts recommend gathering at least three quotes to determine how much no-exam life insurance would cost based on your demographic. “No two life insurance companies are alike, meaning one company may rate someone a smoker if they use smokeless tobacco while another won’t,” says Brian Carden, a Brentwood, Tenn., insurance and financial advisor.  

After receiving a quote, a representative from the insurer’s site may call you or you’ll be directed to continue completing an application form online. 

If you work with a financial advisor, your advisor should be able to consider all aspects of your financial life to pick a policy that works for you. But remember some financial advisors earn commissions for selling insurance so they will have an incentive to recommend certain insurers and policies. 

Working with a fee-only and fiduciary advisor means they won’t earn a commission and are more inclined to prioritize acting in your best interest. It’s always wise to ask a financial advisor if they have specific partners or earn commissions for making certain recommendations early on. 

A life insurance agent sells policies for a living, so they can be some of the most knowledgeable professionals out there. While insurance agents traditionally work in person, there are also online brokers like Sproutt, if you prefer a digital experience.

Like many financial advisors, insurance agents typically work on commission which means they might have an incentive to recommend products that pay the highest commissions. They earn a commission that can range from 40% to 100% of the first year’s annual premium, along with a 2% to 5% commission each additional year when the policy renews. 

In addition, some life insurance agents work with only one insurer or a handful of insurers, meaning they may only present you with a narrow slate of options. Other agents are “independent” meaning they have a broader reach and can help you get a policy with any life insurance company. 

You may already have free no-exam life insurance through your employer. Check with your human resource department to see if life insurance is an employee benefit and what your coverage is. 

Usually, your policy amount is equivalent to one year’s salary and your policy is only active so long as you remain an employee of the company. So keep in mind, if you need a higher coverage amount or don’t plan to stay at your job forever, this is when you should consider a policy from a private company. 

Once you pick a company and policy that you’re happy with, it’s time to move forward and sign up for life insurance. All in all, signing up for a no-exam life insurance policy should take one to three days at most. Here is how the process works in four steps.

The advice, recommendations or rankings expressed in this article are those of the Buy Side from WSJ editorial team, and have not been reviewed or endorsed by their commercial partners.

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