Life insurance medical exams can be very daunting, especially if you’ve never had one before. A life insurance exam will typically be arranged and handled by a third-party service. Once you’ve applied for life insurance, the third-party service will reach out to you and arrange a date for your exam. Ordinarily, the exam would take place at your work or in your home. Because of the pandemic, you will probably have to attend an exam center, where social distancing can be observed.
This article will tell you what you can expect to happen at your life insurance exam:
Identity Check
The first check you’ll undergo after your arrival at the exam center isn’t a health test, but an identity check. This is to make sure that you aren’t sending somebody in your place, who is in better health. Surprisingly, this used to happen quite a lot. At the identity check, you will have to present a driver’s license or a passport. You might also have to answer some questions about yourself, such as your phone number, birth date, email address, and home address. It might be worth attending a free life insurance practice test to familiarize yourself with the process. The organization arranging your exam will notify you of which documents are required when they invite you for your exam.
Blood Sample
The organization responsible for handling your life insurance exam will want to take a blood sample so that they can test for any infections, illnesses, deficiencies, or indicators of disease. Your blood sample results won’t come back instantly. They generally take a week or so to process. They will also check your cholesterol levels and your blood sugar levels. If you have high blood sugar levels, it could indicate diabetes, which means that you might not be able to get life insurance. The blood test will also check how your liver and kidneys are functioning.
Urine Sample
Urine tests are performed to check for infections (like urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases). They’re also used to check for protein in your urine, which could be a consequence of kidney damage. If proteins are present in your urine, the organization will likely refer you to another healthcare provider for further tests. When you arrive, the receptionist will probably give you the sample jar and a brown bag. It’s good to get this done before you see the doctor so that you don’t waste time. Make sure you drink plenty of water beforehand.
Height Measurement
The doctor seeing you will measure your height. Your height is used in combination with your weight to calculate your body mass index (BMI). If your BMI is too high, you might still be able to get life insurance. This is because BMI doesn’t take fat distribution into account, which is the most important factor. High fat doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re unhealthy, because not all body fat is the same. Additionally, BMI doesn’t take sex and age into account. BMI also doesn’t differentiate between fat and muscle.
Weight Check
As we mentioned a moment ago, they will check your height and your weight to calculate your BMI. If you are overweight, you might struggle to get life insurance. This is because being overweight leads to health problems, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (which can be caused by stress), high cholesterol and atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, asthma, and strokes. If you’re overweight, it’s worth getting out and exercising before your exam. Bringing your weight down before your exam can help you to pass it, and ultimately get life insurance.
Pulse Check
The doctor will also check your pulse, usually using a pulse oximeter. If they don’t have a working pulse oximeter (which is unlikely) then they might do it by hand with a stopwatch. Your pulse is checked to see how your heart is working. Your pulse rate indicates how well your heart is pumping blood around your body. If you have an irregular, rapid, or slow heartbeat, then the doctor could forward you on for further checks. All of these things can indicate some kind of problem with your heart.
Blood Pressure
A blood pressure check is a standard part of a life insurance exam. It’s very simple and will probably be the first thing that the doctor will do when you walk into the room. A blood pressure test will measure the pressure in your arteries, as your heart pumps. If your blood pressure is too high, it can put a strain on your blood vessels and organs like your heart, kidney, eyes, and brain. Constant high blood pressure can contribute to a multitude of health problems and lead to heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks. If you have persistent high blood pressure, you will probably not be able to get life insurance.
ECG
An ECG (electrocardiogram) is a test that’s conducted to check your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. If your heart rate is too high (or too low) the doctor might do this. It’s not performed on everybody. Primarily, the test will be performed on seniors and people that want a large payout after their death. An ECG is when sensors are attached to your chest. The sensors detect electrical signals that are produced by your heart every single time that it beats. You should go to your appointment accepting that you might have to have an ECG performed, so dress appropriately.
Health Questions
After all of the aforementioned checks, the doctor will ask you a series of health questions. These health questions might not make sense or seem irrelevant, but they are designed to screen your risk for health problems. If you’re uncomfortable with the questions that the doctor is asking you, then you must bring this up with them at the time. Try to answer as many questions as you can, however. The quicker you answer the doctor’s questions, the quicker you will get a response about your life insurance.
If you’re wondering about what to expect from your life insurance test, then we don’t blame you. It can be very stressful preparing for one of these exams, which is why you should practice beforehand.
