- Traditional life insurance requires a medical exam that includes a blood and urine test.
- The tests will reveal if you use drugs or nicotine, and will detect other health issues.
- Lying on your life insurance application can prevent your beneficiary from receiving a payout.
- Policygenius can help you compare life insurance policies to find the right coverage for you, at the right price »
Whether you choose permanent life insurance or term life insurance, you will need to go through the underwriting process. This is how the insurance company decides how much of a risk you are, how much of a death benefit (payout) you qualify for, and what your premium will be.
Here is what you need to know if you're looking to get life insurance that requires a medical exam.
1. The exam includes blood and urine tests
The medical exam includes the collection of a blood and urine sample. A urine test will reveal drug or nicotine use, and other health issues.
The medical exam is paid for by the insurance company. It will send a paramedical professional to your home or business to perform the exam. It can take up to 30 minutes and usually involves taking your weight and blood pressure in addition to collecting blood and urine samples.
If you have health issues like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or a family history of cancer or heart disease, the insurance company may also request your health records from your attending or primary care physician. This will make the underwriting process longer, as the insurance company waits to receive your medical records from your doctor and review them. If your medical records indicate other health concerns, expect follow-up calls from the insurance company.
2. You should never lie on your application
It's important to answer truthfully on your life insurance application. If it's discovered that you lied on the application or failed to disclose important facts, the insurance company can invalidate the policy, and your beneficiaries will not receive your death benefit.
Remember, your blood sample and urine test will reveal whether there are drugs or nicotine in your system, and if other health problems exist. In your initial life insurance application, you are asked about your medical history and if you are a smoker, have a felony record, or mental illness. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you should expect a follow-up call or additional questionnaire about your family medical history before your medical exam is scheduled.
3. You'll need to provide a list of medications you take
Ahead of your exam or when the paraprofessional arrives for your life insurance exam, inform them of the prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are taking — including vitamins and herbal supplements that may have hemp or cannabis properties. Benadryl, Wellbutrin and other over-the-counter drugs can cause false positive test results. If you have the medicines with you, have them ready for the paraprofessional to write down the name and dosage amounts.
4. You can't 'beat' a urine test
There are several products that claim to help you flush certain drugs out of your system for urine tests. For the life insurance urine sample, you will use a cup like you would at the doctor's office during a physical. The cup has a temperature strip that helps determine if the urine is genuine and fresh – to prevent using someone else's urine or synthetic urine. If your urine sample is too diluted or has unreadable results, you will be retested.
5. Cannabis use is treated differently than nicotine and tobacco
Life insurance premium rates for smokers vary by life insurance company and based on the type of tobacco use — smoking, chewing, or vaping — as well as the length and duration of usage, according to Jackie Morales, chief insurance officer at Bestow Life. Morales noted that marijuana questions are asked separately.
She noted that ten years ago, marijuana would have prevented coverage, but now most life insurance companies accept cannabis users. However, she recommends giving accurate information about your usage — such as whether it's medical or recreational.
6. Some foods can trigger false positives
If you're a fan of poppy seed muffins, bagels, or Chicago's famous hot dog with a poppy seed bun, it is best to avoid these a few days ahead of your life insurance medical to avoid a false positive test result.
Additionally, some teas (like coca leaf tea) and snack bars may have organic ingredients (like hemp) that may trigger a false positive. Check the ingredients of some of your organic and herbal foods. Also, it's recommended that you fast before the exam.
7. You have alternatives if you're denied coverage
People with certain pre-existing health conditions may be ineligible for traditional life insurance — in which case they should consider these alternatives:
- Group life insurance: A term life policy offered by employers to employees. That means that all employees are accepted. One disadvantage of employer-provided group life insurance is that if you leave your job (resign, retire, or are terminated), you lose your coverage.
- No medical exam life insurance: A policy with a low death benefit and sometimes a two-year waiting period before paying out to beneficiaries. Check the guaranteed and simplified issue no medical exam policy mailers that might arrive in your mailbox from AARP, Colonial Penn, or Mutual of Omaha.
- Annual renewable term life insurance: Short-term coverage. A one-year policy is cheap compared to a traditional term life policy. It is renewed at the end of each year, and your premium usually increases as you age. Although your premium may increase each year based on your age, you will not have to have a medical exam every time you renew, according to Fidelity Life.
- Final expense insurance: A type of guaranteed issue policy that can be term or whole life, with a low death benefit that covers funeral and burial expenses.
- Find life insurance companies that specialize in "high risk" applicants. This will require some work and research because "high-risk" can mean you are a smoker, felon, or have health issues.
Ronda Lee is an associate editor for insurance at Personal Finance Insider covering life, auto, homeowners, and renters insurance for consumers. She is also a licensed attorney who practiced litigation and insurance defense.