What You Can Expect from Your Life Insurance Medical Exam

October 1, 2018

When asked about why they’ve hesitated to get life insurance, apprehension about the medical exam often top’s people’s lists. Whether they mistakenly believe that their medical results would disqualify them from obtaining coverage or they are anxious about what the exam experience will be like, this relatively simple process can complicate many attempts to obtain coverage.

No matter how uneasy you may be about life insurance medical exams, having stable life insurance coverage to provide a death benefit and a legacy to your loved ones is far too important to forego. Here, we’d like to ease your concerns and answer some common questions about the process.

Will You Need One?

For those anxious about undergoing the exam, here’s some peace of mind: the medical exam is not always required. A paramedical or full medical exam is only necessary if you are applying for higher amounts of insurance coverage, or if you are above a certain age.

Preparing for the Exam

There’s only so much that you can do to prepare for the exam. If you haven’t been consistently exercising, have a poor diet, or have any pre-existing health problems, there’s nothing you can do to get rid of those issues or hide them from a medical examination. Instead of trying to drastically alter your results, you should instead work on taking actions to reduce your anxieties and make the experience as smooth as possible.

For a comparatively easier medical exam, we recommend:

Scheduling your exam in the morning. One necessary preparatory measure is fasting for at least eight hours before the exam, since consuming anything could affect your glucose level and blood sugar readings. Rather than forcing yourself to fast all day, scheduling the exam for the morning and fasting overnight will make the experience easier for you.
Avoiding alcohol, drugs, caffeine, cholesterol-high or salty and fatty foods, and exercise. As mentioned in the previous point, there are some things that can affect your test results, and these are among those. Even though exercise is healthy for you, exercising excessively prior to your exam could result in higher pulse or blood pressure readings.
Sleeping well and relaxing. Getting a good night’s sleep and spending some time before the exam in a calming environment will help to reduce your anxieties before the exam and provide better test results.
Talking to your examiner about your anxieties. If you have a phobia of or aversion to needles or medical examinations, communicating this before the exam is highly recommended. Your examiner will know to keep an eye out for potential incorrect results, and they may be able to help to make the process easier.

The Exam

There are two parts to the exam: the written questionnaire, and the physical exam. The written questionnaire is a very straightforward list of questions about your health and other information that would be relevant to your coverage. Some of the questions they may ask include:

What is your medical history (hospitalizations, major surgeries, medications, conditions)?
What is your family’s medical history?
What is the contact information for your physician?
What is your lifestyle like?
How much coverage are you trying to purchase?

The only way you can mess up on the questionnaire is by lying. Don’t be dishonest. Certain medical problems or lifestyle habits might result in slightly higher costs, but submitting dishonest information will only result in you being denied coverage.

To supplement the questionnaire, you will also receive a physical exam. In the physical exam, the medical examiner will draw your blood, take urine samples, check your blood pressure, and measure your height and weight. As long as you are honest with your examiner and take the right steps to prepare, your examination should run smoothly and you will get the coverage that you need.

About National Catholic Society of Foresters

At National Catholic Society of Foresters, we pride ourselves on giving back to the communities that we serve by providing quality and comprehensive insurance solutions. Sales from our financial services products help fund member benefits along with social, educational, and volunteer programs designed to respond to community needs. Our portfolio is extensive, ranging from various life insurance policies to IRA’s to support your financial needs no matter what stage of life you’re in. For more information, contact our friendly experts today at (855) 804-7424.