The short answer
Non medical life insurance isn't a separate product. It's a term life policy, and for you the difference is mainly how carriers review the application and set the rate. Rules vary by carrier, so comparing several through an independent agent is the simplest way to find a good fit.
This guide answers the most common questions about no exam non medical life insurance.
Term life insurance with no medical exam has become common. Many carriers can now approve eligible applicants using their answers and records instead of a nurse visit.
This guide explains how it works, what you give up, and how to decide.
Part of our complete guide: Term Life Insurance: The Complete Guide.
Quick answer
You still answer health questions; the insurer checks records. Decisions can be fast; amounts may be capped. Healthy applicants should compare exam and no-exam quotes.
MarketView Agency is an independent insurance agency (National Producer Number 18345705).
On this page
- No exam non medical life insurance: no-exam and simplified options
- Choosing the type
- How to apply
- Do you need a medical exam?
- How no-exam decisions are made
- No exam life insurance quotes: what happens after you apply: underwriting
- Who gets the money: naming beneficiaries
- 10, 20 or 30 years: choosing a term length
- Is term life right for you?
- Frequently asked questions
No exam non medical life insurance: no-exam and simplified options
Underwriting is how a carrier decides whether to offer coverage and at what rate. Some policies skip the medical exam and rely on application answers and records checks instead.
No-exam and simplified options can be faster, but they may cost more or offer lower amounts than fully underwritten coverage.
- Fully underwritten: the most questions, sometimes an exam, often the widest choice of amounts.
- Simplified issue: health questions and records checks, no exam.
- Smaller permanent policies: fewer questions, lower amounts.
Choosing the type
Term coverage costs less for a set number of years; permanent coverage lasts for life and builds cash value. Many people combine them.
Compare rates from several carriers in about two minutes. Free, no obligation.
How to apply
- Decide how much coverage you want and for how long.
- Compare several carriers with an independent agent; underwriting rules differ more than most people expect.
- Answer every application question honestly and completely.
- Review the policy when it arrives. Every state gives you a free-look period to cancel for a refund.
Do you need a medical exam?
Many carriers now offer policies that can be approved without a medical exam. Instead of needles and a nurse visit, the insurer uses your answers, prescription history and other records.
- Faster. Decisions can come in days, sometimes the same day.
- Easier. No appointment and no lab work.
- Trade-offs. No-exam policies may cap the coverage amount, and some cost more than fully underwritten policies for healthy people.
Whether you qualify for a no-exam decision depends on your age, health history and the amount you want. Some applicants are moved to an exam partway through. An agent can tell you which carriers are likely to approve you without one.
How no-exam decisions are made
Many carriers use what they call accelerated underwriting. Your application answers are checked against records the insurer can pull in minutes: prescription history, the shared industry database of past applications, driving records and, with some carriers, medical claims data.
If everything lines up, you can be approved without an exam. If something needs a closer look, such as a recent diagnosis or a larger amount than the program allows, the carrier may ask for an exam or records. That isn't a decline; it's just the full process.
How to get covered in 3 steps
- Check your rate. Pick your state and answer a few quick questions about the coverage you want.
- Compare carriers. A licensed agent compares term life insurance options from several insurers and explains the trade-offs.
- Apply and get covered. Many applications take one phone call. Coverage starts once the policy is issued and the first premium is paid.
No exam life insurance quotes: what happens after you apply: underwriting
Every life insurance application goes through underwriting. That is the insurer's review of who you are, how healthy you are and how much risk the policy carries. The result is your rate class, which sets your price.
- Your answers. Health history, medications, tobacco or nicotine use, family history, travel and hobbies.
- Records. Prescription history, a shared database of prior insurance applications, and often your driving record.
- Sometimes an exam. A short visit from a paramedical examiner to check height, weight, blood pressure and lab samples.
- Sometimes medical records. For larger amounts or certain conditions, the insurer may ask your doctor's office for notes.
Insurers do not all weigh these things the same way. One carrier may treat a managed condition, like controlled blood pressure, more favorably than another. That is a big reason to compare several carriers rather than accept the first offer.
Be complete and honest on the application. Policies have a contestability period, usually the first two years, when the insurer can review a claim against what you said when you applied.
Who gets the money: naming beneficiaries
Your beneficiary is the person, people or trust that receives the death benefit. Name a primary beneficiary and at least one contingent beneficiary, who receives the money if the primary beneficiary has already passed away.
- Use full names. "My children" can cause delays. Full names and relationships are clearer.
- Split it if you like. You can divide the benefit among several people in shares you choose.
- Think about minors. Insurers generally will not pay a large sum straight to a child. A trust or a custodian named under your state's rules avoids a court-appointed guardian.
- Review after life events. Marriage, divorce, a new baby or a loss in the family are all reasons to check your choices.
Beneficiary designations usually override your will. If your will says one thing and your policy says another, the policy form generally controls. Keep them in sync, and ask an attorney if your situation is complex.
10, 20 or 30 years: choosing a term length
Choose a term that lasts as long as the need it protects. A few common matches:
| Need | Typical term |
|---|---|
| Young children at home | 20 to 30 years, until they're on their own |
| 30-year mortgage | 30 years |
| Mortgage with fewer years left | A term that covers the remaining years |
| Business loan or short-term debt | 10 to 15 years |
| Income until retirement | The years until you plan to retire |
Longer terms cost more per year because the insurer covers you into older ages. Even so, many people prefer one longer term to buying again later at an older age.
Is term life right for you?
Often a good fit
- Parents with children at home. Homeowners with a mortgage. Anyone whose income supports others. People who want a lot of coverage at a lower price.
Maybe not the right fit
- People who need coverage for life, such as for final costs or estate planning. People who want cash value they can use later. In those cases, permanent coverage may fit better.