Blood tests can be an important part of your life insurance application as they allow your insurance company to have a clear idea of your health and potential health risks. Blood tests are part of a life insurance health check. Many life insurance policies require a short medical checkup, but if you are eligible you can find insurance that is not. Bankrate’s insurance team can help you understand what happens during your blood test and how to best prepare your process to be stress-free.
Why do life insurance companies use blood tests?
Life insurance companies use blood tests to help underwriters determine the applicant’s risk class. This ultimately affects policy costs. Blood test results, along with other health data collected during the trial, provide an insurer with a clearer understanding of overall health, lifestyle factors and potential medical risks. By evaluating these results, insurers will be a risk category that will help them assess life expectancy more accurately and help them determine policy premiums. Healthier individuals generally receive lower premiums, while those at higher health risks may face higher costs or limited options.
For applicants considering fully underwriting policies such as traditional period living, universal life, and life insurance, health checkups with blood tests are often a standard requirement. These types of policies provide more comprehensive coverage and allow insurers to carefully assess risks, allowing them to have a lower premium, especially for healthy people. In contrast, insurance such as guaranteed and simplified issues often avoid the need for medical check-ups and blood tests, but lower underwriting may limit higher premiums and death benefits.
What happens during the life insurance health check?
Life insurance health checks are designed to be convenient and allow applicants to choose whether to take place at home, at work, or at a designated exam center. The entire process usually lasts about 15-30 minutes, with several important steps involved.
- Information verification: The examiner will ask questions to confirm your identity and confirm the answers you provided in your application.
- measurement: Your height and weight will be recorded.
- Urine and blood samples: Samples are taken to assess various health markers.
- Blood pressure and pulse: Vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse rate are measured.
- EKG (if applicable): EKG may be required for older applicants or those seeking high compensation to confirm their heart health.
These results allow the underwriter to more accurately assess your health, assign appropriate risk classes, and ensure a premium that reflects your individual profile.
Life Insurance Blood Test Test
Life insurance blood tests have several purposes. They may provide specific information about your health and validate what you said in your application. For example, if you are not a smoker in the application, but the blood test states that the presence of nicotine in your blood, it may raise the company’s red flag.
Insurance companies can use blood tests to find:
- HIV or AIDS: HIV and AIDS are healthier than ever before that is much easier to manage, but they can pay a higher premium.
- cholesterol: People with a high cholesterol ratio may be charged higher premiums due to increased risk of health problems.
- Kidney and liver disease: As with all chronic illnesses, if you have kidney or liver disease, you are likely to be turned down due to policy and you may likely pay more for compensation.
- Diabetes: Diabetes can make getting life insurance even more difficult. However, even if diabetes is actively managed, you may still be eligible for compensation.
- Recreational or illegal drugs: Testing for substances such as marijuana, cocaine and other drugs can help insurers measure risk. The presence of recreational drugs may affect underwriting decisions or even disqualify applicants, depending on policy guidelines.
- Prescription drugs: Insurance companies can check for the presence of medication in your blood to see what treatment you are receiving. Disclosing the application’s prescription will help you avoid misunderstandings during the underwriting process.
- nicotine: Signs of nicotine or cotinine in the system can lead to a higher rate. If you are wearing a patch, try to inhale nicotine vapours and chew on nicotine gum. It is recommended that you show this to your application, as blood tests cannot tell you how nicotine entered the system.
How to prepare for a life insurance blood test
A life insurance company or inspector may give instructions on how to prepare for the exam and blood test. Additionally, these steps may help you prepare for your blood test.
1. Schedule your exam carefully
Morning schedules can help you get results from a natural fasting without too long without meals, as you may need to fast before the blood is drawn. It also helps you schedule your exams during calm times when you don’t feel like you’re in a hurry. This will prevent your blood pressure from being too high.
2. I drink plenty of water and eat well
Drinking large amounts of water and avoiding alcohol can help you stay hydrated, so sucking blood and getting a clean urine sample is easier. Try eating nutritious foods all the way to your test. For example, you can avoid eating salty, fried or processed foods that can affect your blood sugar.
3. Get a proper sleep before the exam
Sleep is essential for many reasons, but overnight sleep for 7-8 hours can help stabilize blood pressure and stress levels. This can help you feel more prepared for your lab work and lead to more accurate lab measurements.
4. Provide relevant medical information and ID
The exam will ask you to display a government-issued ID to verify your identity. If you are taking medication, you may want to have a list of them along with the points of the relevant medical history you want to raise. Again, having all the information you need can help you feel more prepared and relaxed to do your blood tests.
5. Avoid intense activities before the exam
It is OK to be physically active before a blood test, but avoid intense training 24 hours before your appointment. Intensive physical activity can affect renal function in urine tests, increasing blood pressure and heart rate, and can distort normal results.
6. Wear comfortable and lightweight clothes
Bloody people should have easy access to your arms, so wear loose clothes that can be adjusted. You also need to feel comfortable so that it’s easier to get through your health checkup without feeling stressed or worried.
Can I skip my life insurance blood test?
Health checkup ideas can be nerve-wracking, but they are not as scary as they look. For those who prefer to avoid exams altogether, there are life insurance options you may be able to skip it. Some companies offer accelerated underwriting when eligible applicants may be eligible for traditional compensation without exams based on factors such as their health history and age. If unguaranteed EXAM options are suitable for you, such as simplified issues or guaranteed problem policies, keep in mind that there is a tendency to reduce higher premiums and coverage amounts due to limited health information needed.
If you are not a needle fan, you are not alone. Please let the examiner know. They can be aware of your concerns and understanding this may help make the process smoother and more comfortable.
Don’t forget that life insurance health checks are designed to be simple and inconspicuous. It’s a simple check that can mean lifelong security. And even if there are health challenges, you still have to ensure the care of your loved ones, wherever your health stands.
