Guide
No-exam life insurance
When underwriting happens without a physical, how it gets done, and what happens if you don't qualify.
Today, lots of carriers provide accelerated underwriting: for applicants in a certain age and amount bracket, they make decisions using the form, rx history, driving records and databases rather than ordering a medical check. Many decisions arrive the same day. This website shows for each quote whether an exam is required, possibly, or not.
What it changes
Going without a physical exam isn't the same as no underwriting—your responses still get verified, and a policy issued on false information can be contested for two years. Carriers sometimes request exams or tests after checking their records; you'll know and can choose to continue or not.
Who tends to qualify
Usually those under approximately age 60, buying amounts within the carrier's accelerated limit, with clean health and no nicotine use within the past year. Carriers may accept recent lab results from your doctor's visits instead of a new exam.
When needed, an exam typically takes 20 to 30 minutes with a nurse at your home or workplace in the Oceanside region, at no charge to you. Strong health can actually result in a better rate class after an exam, so it's not necessarily bad news.