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What does a life insurance medical exam involve?
Last updated: 22/05/2025 | Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
Some life insurance companies may require you to undergo a medical examination before providing you with cover. While these may seem intrusive to some people and make them feel uncomfortable, they typically consist of very basic health checks, and unless you're extremely unhealthy, they can help you to get cheaper cover.
In This Guide:
- The life insurance medical underwriting process
- What is a medical exam for life insurance & what do they test for?
- Health questionnaire and medical history
- What to expect in a medical exam
- How to prepare for a life insurance medical exam?
- Why life insurance companies require medical exams
- Do I need to have a medical to get life insurance?
- Should I take a life insurance medical exam?
The life insurance medical underwriting process
When you apply for a life insurance policy, insurance companies will ask for information about your health. This is part of their underwriting process, where they assess your overall health, lifestyle habits, and medical history to determine how risky you are to insure.
It sounds morbid, but life insurers are forecasting your life expectancy, trying to determine how likely it is that you’ll die within the policy’s term and they’ll have to pay out to your survivors.
While accidents and sudden illnesses can happen to anyone, your current health can provide a great insight into your future health and how long you’ll live. That’s why insurers will ask for your weight, if you smoke or drink, any pre-existing medical conditions you have and any conditions that run in your family. To gather even more information, insurers may ask for a health report from your GP.
Life insurance providers can also ask you to undergo a medical exam. They’ll direct you to a medical professional who can run basic checks on your health such as your weight and blood pressure, and reviewing your medical questionnaire. Typically, you won’t have to pay for these tests.
This information can determine whether the insurer offers you cover and how much they charge you for it.
What is a medical exam for life insurance & what do they test for?
A life insurance medical exam is a health check carried out by a healthcare professional as part of the life insurance application process. The results of the exam, along with your medical information, help the life insurance company determine whether to offer life insurance coverage, and at what price.
This kind of physical evaluation, sometimes called a ‘life insurance test’, includes reviewing your vital signs and requesting a sample or two for analysis.
You may not always need to take one. Some policies, like simplified issue life insurance, don’t require a medical, though they often come with higher premiums or lower levels of cover. Life insurance companies may also only request a medical exam based on your age, health condition, or the size of the cover you’re applying for.
The exam itself typically involves straightforward health checks and can take place in a medical office, or even at your home or workplace.
During the exam, you may be assessed for:
- height and weight to calculate your BMI
- pulse and blood pressure
- cholesterol levels (with a blood test)
- blood sugar levels (with a blood test)
- drug or nicotine use (with urine samples)
- conditions such as diabetes, HIV, hepatitis, HIV and immune disorders, and kidney and liver disorders
- heart health with an electrocardiogram (ECG)
In some cases, additional bloodwork is performed as part of your official life insurance blood tests to check for liver and kidney function.
Different insurers may require slightly different tests. They may also not require you to undergo all the tests unless you are above a certain age, have been diagnosed with certain conditions, or are taking out a very large amount of cover.
For example, insurers will often only require you have an ECG if you’re over 50 when taking out the policy or applying for a very high amount of cover (£500,000+).
Health questionnaire and medical history
Alongside physical exams, applicants will usually complete a medical questionnaire. This covers your medical history, any pre-existing conditions, current health status, and family medical history. These health-related questions also help life insurance companies gain a clearer understanding of your overall health and lifestyle habits, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise routine.
Your family's medical history can be especially important, as hereditary conditions could impact your life expectancy and the insurer’s risk calculation. Insurers use your honest and accurate application answers in combination with your test results to make final underwriting decisions.
What to expect in a medical exam
If the insurer decides they want you to undergo a medical exam, they’ll arrange the screening for you. This might involve a nurse coming to your home or workplace, or you visiting a clinic near you.
The exam will usually be conducted by a nurse or another medical professional selected by the insurer, and should last between 15 minutes and 45 minutes. You won’t be asked to pay for the exam.
During the exam, you will be asked questions about your health and that of your family members. You will then typically have your height and weight measured, have a blood pressure reading done, and have blood drawn. You may also be asked to produce a urine sample.
If you’re undergoing an ECG, electrodes will be placed on your body to record the electrical activity of your heart. You won’t have to entirely undress, but may be asked to pull your shirt up or down, so you should wear loose, comfortable clothing.
How to prepare for a life insurance medical exam?
While you can’t make dramatic changes to your health overnight, you can take a few steps to produce the best results on the day of the exam.
Hydrate well the day before your test to help with blood and urine sample collection. You should avoid eating salty and high-cholesterol foods like red meat in the 24 hours before the exam. You should also refrain from drinking alcohol and doing strenuous exercise, both of which might increase your blood pressure.
However, you should never try to deceive the medical examiner. While you shouldn’t drink alcohol on the day of the test in order to not unnecessarily raise your blood pressure, you shouldn’t lie to the examiner and say you never drink alcohol when you enjoy a few beers on the weekends.
If you misrepresent your health and your insurer discovers this, they can refuse to pay out on the policy after your death, depriving your family of vital support.
Why life insurance companies require medical exams
Medical exams allow insurers to fairly assess risk. Life insurance companies use these results to offer accurate premiums that reflect your current health, medical conditions, and potential future risks. A medically underwritten policy is often cheaper than one without any health checks, especially if you're in good health.
These checks also protect both you and your family. If your insurer has full medical information, there’s less chance they’ll deny a claim for misrepresentation. Additionally, medical exams can uncover health conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes that you might not have been aware of.
Do I need to have a medical to get life insurance?
Medical exams are not mandatory for all life insurance policies. Some insurers as a rule don’t require medical exams for life insurance applicants. Others only require medical exams if you’re applying for life insurance above a certain age or with certain health conditions, or for policies with very large potential pay-outs.
However, life insurance policies without medicals may charge you higher premiums than you might be charged if you’re in tip-top shape and undergo an exam to prove this. Your choice of insurance products will also be more limited if you’re not prepared to undergo an exam.
Should I take a life insurance medical exam?
Some people looking for insurance are wary about having a medical exam, afraid it might hurt, cost a lot, or reveal unpleasant facts about their health. But there are no drawbacks to having a medical check-up for a life insurance policy, even if you have health issues. The tests are easy, largely pain-free, and won’t cost you a thing.
If you’re very healthy, these medical checks can reduce the amount you pay for life insurance and ensure you’re not subsidising cover for people who are less healthy. If you’re applying for life insurance at an older age, a medical exam may be the difference between you being accepted or rejected cover.
A medical exam can also ensure your insurer knows all relevant information about your health. This can mean it’s less likely that the insurer will decide you misrepresented your health, and on that basis deny pay-outs to your loved ones after your death.
A medical check-up can also identify issues such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels that you can address to improve your health in the future. The NHS says that its medical check-ups, similar to those required by life insurance providers, helped patients prevent 2,500 strokes or heart attacks in just five years.
Undergoing a thorough physical exam now could save you thousands over the life of your policy by helping you lock in lower premiums.
In short, if you want access to the most competitive life insurance policies at the best prices, being open to a medical exam can work in your favour.