Chances are, you know you need life insurance if you have loved ones who depend on you for financial support. A payout from a policy would help them pay the bills and keep them going if something happens to them. In addition, it saves them from going through all that added pressure and stress over financial worries while grieving.

We know that many people don’t like going to the doctor, so we want to explain what the exam generally involves so you’re not worried about being ‘prodded and poked.’ There’s the bonus of the exams not taking up half of your day, so you won’t have to worry about taking a lot of time off from work, which we all know can be a battle and a half at the best of times.

What Is A Paramedical Exam?

A paramedical exam is an exam done by a medical professional. It gathers information about your medical history, current medical status, and a brief life insurance medical exam.

They may take measurements, like height, weight, blood pressure, blood test, urine sample, and saliva test. Sometimes, A resting EKG, X-rays, and a treadmill test may be carried out.

The latter is generally done for seniors applying for life insurance, but from time to time, it may be required for other applicants. If these tests are needed, they are usually done in radiology or a similar practice. 

If you’re 70 or older, you might have to take an additional cognitive ability test, but you will be advised beforehand.

What Is The Insurer Testing For?

• High cholesterol levels
• HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections
• Glucose levels, which are a potential indicator of diabetes
• Urine acidity, which may indicate an issue with your kidneys

There are many more issues that the insurer checks for besides these. They will also compare these results against the answers provided in your application form. The insurer may deny your application if these checks don’t match your answers.

Why Does The Insurance Company Require A Medical Exam?

Depending on the results of your paramedical, the insurance company could accept your life insurance application at the rate you were quoted, with the coverage you requested. Unfortunately, if the life insurance company finds your health is poor, they may still offer you a policy at a higher price than initially quoted.

Insurance companies do this as a form of risk protection. They want to ensure that all of the facts are available before they decide to offer you a policy.

Some insurance policies don’t require a paramedical exam. These may be pretty basic policies or for a low amount of money if they don’t have to pay out. If you would instead go down that route, you’ll still be asked some medical questions about these policies, but you’ll find out then and there if you’re going to get accepted or rejected.

Will Insurers Gather Any Further Information On Me?

Insurers may gather additional information in a variety of ways. They get information about your health by:

• Reviewing your medical records
• Using a third-party company to check your prescription history
• Utilizing the MIB Group database to verify information on your application

How Can I Qualify For The Best Rates?

• Be in good health with no smoking in the past three to five years
• Have a clean driving record
• No history of drug or alcohol treatment
• No family history of heart disease or cancer before age 60

Are You A Smoker?

Smoking is one of the most significant factors affecting your life insurance rate. You may be required to take a thorough medical exam that tests your lungs and heart’s health. Nicotine can be detected in body fluid samples, so even if you smoke irregularly, it will show up on your test. If this does happen, you may be asked to pay a higher rate.

So while you may not like to take medical exams, this is vital to have if you want to get approved for life insurance. We all know that life can be very unpredictable, and if we have family or loved ones that we support or would like to see that they’re looked after once we’re gone, then half an hour out of our day is worth it.

Call us today to schedule an appointment for a paramedical exam.