Guide
No-exam life insurance
Which applicants can skip the exam, how the process works, and what happens if you do not qualify.
Several carriers now have express underwriting: within certain age and amount boundaries, they approve or decline based on your application, medication records, driving history, and other details—no exam needed. A few carriers decide the same day. Each rate shown here indicates whether an exam is mandatory, possible, or unnecessary for that specific policy.
What it changes
Fast underwriting is not no underwriting—your answers get checked, and any policy issued for wrong information can be challenged in the first two years. If the carrier finds something, they may ask for an exam or labs anyway; then you choose whether to proceed.
Who tends to qualify
Usually this applies to applicants below age 60 or so, applying for coverage within the carrier's express limit, with clean health and no tobacco use for a year or longer. Some carriers will use recent lab work from your doctor instead of an exam.
If an exam becomes necessary, it is typically a 20 to 30 minute appointment with a paramedic at your residence or workplace in your area, and there is no charge. For applicants in good health, the results may actually improve your rate class, so an exam can be positive news.