What happens at a life insurance medical exam?
What the examiner measures, what the lab checks, and what to do if one reading on one day comes back worse than your own history.
- The exam usually takes twenty to thirty minutes, at your home or office, and you pay nothing for it.
- The examiner checks height, weight and blood pressure, then takes a blood and a urine sample.
- One reading you did not expect is not final, because companies often look again at a repeat lab.
If the company asks for an exam, someone usually comes to your home or office at a time you pick. They take a few measurements, draw blood, collect a urine sample and ask about your health history. It runs twenty to thirty minutes in most cases and costs you nothing.
One reading on one day can follow you into twenty years of higher premiums. A premium is the bill for the policy.
What the examiner does
- Height, weight and blood pressure.
- A blood draw.
- A urine sample.
- A short health history, including your medicines, your doctors and any recent treatment.
- Sometimes an EKG, a tracing of the heartbeat, for larger face amounts (the amount the policy pays) or older applicants.
What the lab is looking for
The samples go to a lab. It reads cholesterol and a lipid panel, blood sugar and A1C, and liver and kidney function. It checks for nicotine, and for cotinine, the trace that nicotine leaves in the body. The lab also picks up markers for conditions you may not know you have.
The urine sample screens for nicotine as well. So an occasional smoker should not write down nonsmoker on the application.
How to prepare
Some of this is what the examiner asks of you, and the rest can move a number on the day.
- Ask whether the company wants you to fast for eight to twelve hours. If it does, set the exam for early morning, since a fasting lipid and glucose panel usually reads better.
- Drink water the night before and that morning. It makes the blood draw easier and improves the urine sample.
- Skip alcohol for 48 hours and hard exercise for 24, because both can move liver enzymes and blood pressure.
- No salt, heavy meals or caffeine that morning.
- Your prescriptions stay as they are. Have the list ready, with dosages.
- Sleep. A blood pressure reading taken after four hours of sleep does not reflect your usual blood pressure.
If a reading comes back bad
It happens, and it is not final. Companies will often reconsider on a repeat lab, especially for blood pressure or a glucose reading that does not match your history.
Your rate class is the price tier the company puts you in. If it comes back worse than you expected, ask what drove it before you accept the offer. The answer sometimes points to a company that weighs that finding less heavily.
You get the results
You can ask for a copy of your lab work. More than one client has learned about a treatable condition this way.
Or skip it
Plenty of policies are issued with no exam. Here is when going without one is the better route, and when taking the exam saves you real money.
We will schedule it around you
Tell us the time of day that suits you, and we will set the exam at your kitchen table if that is easiest. Call our McAllen office at (956) 687 3334, or use the ZIP form on this page. Se habla español.
Common follow-up questions
Do I pay for the exam?
No. The company pays for it as part of underwriting, the review of your health history before it decides what to offer.
Can I use a recent physical from my doctor instead?
Sometimes a company will take an attending physician statement, a report from the doctor who treats you, in place of some testing. That is more common with older applicants. It is worth asking, though it usually takes longer than the exam.
What if I am nervous about needles?
Say so when you schedule it. Examiners do this all day. If it is a real barrier, we will look at companies that issue with no exam.
How much should it pay?
The death benefit is what your family receives. Most final expense policies here run between $5,000 and $25,000.
What kind of coverage?
Not sure is a fine answer. Your agent will walk you through the difference.
Male or female?
Rates are set separately for each, so this one changes the number.
When were you born?
Age is the single biggest thing that moves a final expense premium.
Any nicotine in the last year?
Cigarettes, cigars, chew or vape. Answering honestly keeps the quote accurate.
Who are we quoting?
So your agent knows who they are calling.
Where should we call you?
One call with your prices. No robocalls, no list selling.
Want a copy by email?
Optional. It means you have the numbers in writing after the call.
By pressing “Get my quote” you agree a licensed McAllen Insurance Group agent may contact you by phone, text or email at the details you provide, including by automated dialing. Consent is not required to buy. This is a request for a quote, not an application, and not an offer of coverage.
Getting your request to an agent
We have your request
An agent will call you with the prices. If you would rather not wait, call us now.
Call (956) 687 3334Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM. Se habla español.
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Gerino Alejos
Licensed insurance agent · License 3128710 · NPN 18243381
Owner of McAllen Insurance Group, an independent agency on North 10th Street in McAllen. Works with clients across Hidalgo, Cameron and Starr counties on Medicare, Marketplace health, life and auto coverage. Se habla español.