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No Medical Exam Life Insurance: What Is It, and How Does It Work?
For some, getting traditional life insurance can feel like entering a medical maze filled with needles, invasive questions, and paperwork. But no medical exam life insurance can take the hassle of getting coverage.
Many life insurance policies involve visiting a doctor, digging through your past medical records, and answering a lot of questions. There’s also the possibility of getting rejected because of your health. So, no medical exam life insurance (or guaranteed issue life insurance) helps you skip the stress and make sure your beneficiaries have the protection they need.
However, there are drawbacks to these guaranteed policies. Let’s look at the features of no medical exam life insurance.
What is No Medical Exam Life Insurance?
Life insurance provides financial support for your survivors (like your spouse and children) in case of your death. Some policies cover you for the rest of your life (whole life insurance), and others only last for a certain amount of time (term life insurance). These policies can cover a wide range of scenarios and provide different amounts of paid benefits along with many exclusions, so it’s important to study the details of your policy to make sure you are properly protected.
No-exam insurance policies guarantee approval, with no doctor’s appointments needed to get coverage. Some policies ask you to answer a few simple health questions on your application, others don’t ask any questions at all.
However, there are trade-offs that you have to make compared to life insurance plans that require a medical exam. This includes higher costs, less generous payouts, and a waiting period to be eligible for death benefits.
Benefits of No Medical Exam Life Insurance
No doctor visits. The biggest selling point of guaranteed issue life insurance policies is there are no medical barriers. That means no medical exams, no needles, and no or few health questions. Traditional life insurance policies can require blood and urine samples, height, weight, and blood pressure measurements, and even EKGs.
Easy sign-up. Applying for no exam life insurance can be refreshingly straightforward. Depending on the policy, you may just have to answer questions about your age, sex, and whether you smoke. Other policies don’t include any questions at all, and you just choose the coverage you want.
Traditional life insurance can ask for a lot of invasive medical information, requiring a big time burden on you when applying. Underwriters may collect information including your medical history, past and current prescriptions, family medical history, driving record, dangerous hobbies you may engage in, or international travel plans.
Everyone is accepted. Depending on your health, medical past, or age, you may be rejected from other life insurance policies. So, it’s nice to have options for guaranteed coverage even if you have a pre-existing condition.
Quick coverage. Since insurers don’t have to evaluate your health, you can secure coverage without a lengthy underwriting process. It also means you don’t have to take time out of your schedule to get a medical checkup or hunt down all the medical information required.
Drawbacks of Guaranteed Coverage
Extra cost. Premiums are typically higher with insurance policies with no medical exam. With guaranteed acceptance, insurance companies take on risker applicants and have to charge more to protect themselves financially.
2-3 year waiting period. Many guaranteed issue policies have a waiting period of 2 – 3 years. Meaning if you die during this period, your beneficiaries will not get death benefits from your policy, depending on the circumstances.
If this unfortunate event does occur, your beneficiaries will get back the money you paid for premiums for the policy with interest, usually 10%.
Lower coverage amounts. No exam policies also have limits on the death benefits they pay out as well and can be lower than insurance that does require medical exams. They are typically capped at $25,000 but some insurance can offer up to $50,000 worth of coverage.
Who Benefits from Skipping Medical Exams to Get Covered?
Individuals with poor health. If you have a pre-existing condition or you are a high health risk (such as being a smoker), guaranteed issue life insurance can provide you benefits without the risk of rejection.
Those who need quick and easy coverage. Getting life insurance can be a lengthy process. If you don’t have time to apply for this coverage, or you don’t want to answer a lot of invasive questions, no exam coverage can help you skip all the paperwork.
Is Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Worth It?
No medical exam life insurance is most beneficial for those who would struggle to get traditional life insurance. If you have pre-existing health problems, guaranteed coverage can be a great way to secure financial protection for your family in case anything happens to you.
While it’s a more accessible option for some, it may not be the best fit for everyone. If you are planning to keep this coverage for a long time, you may receive less money in benefits than you paid in premiums over the course of the coverage. This means it may be worth it to get a medical exam to save on costs.
If you’re interested in exploring no medical exam health insurance options, check out Greater Nevada Insurance. They offer a range of insurance solutions to meet your needs. To learn more, visit their website: Greater Nevada Insurance. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to secure the coverage you need quickly and easily!
