Guide
No-exam life insurance
Who may skip the medical exam, what the process looks like, and your options if you are not eligible for expedited approval.
A growing number of insurers provide rapid underwriting: for eligible applicants within set age and coverage limits, they use application statements, drug history, motor vehicle reports and other available records to make decisions instead of requiring an exam. Approvals can happen instantly. This site always shows whether an exam is mandatory, conditional, or not needed for any given product.
What it changes
Faster underwriting is not the same as no underwriting. Information you provide gets verified, and policies issued based on incorrect details may be denied during the first 24 months. The insurer may request an exam or lab work if their research turns up concerns—and you have the option to step back at that point.
Who tends to qualify
The typical candidate is under age 60 or so, seeking amounts within the carrier's rapid-approval threshold, with no significant past health issues, and with zero tobacco use for the past year. A few insurers will take recent blood work from your annual checkup instead of ordering their own exam.
Should the company ask for one, an exam generally involves a 20- to 30-minute appointment with a health technician in the Brentwood area, coming to you, at zero cost. For healthy people, testing can sometimes boost a rate tier, so submitting to an exam is not necessarily a negative outcome.