Guide
No-exam life insurance
Which applicants qualify for an expedited underwriting path, the steps it follows, and what the slower path looks like.
Most carriers today provide accelerated underwriting: for applicants fitting certain age and coverage limits, the carrier makes a decision from your application, prescription records, driving history, and other data without a medical exam. Approvals can arrive within hours. Every quote you see on this site indicates whether an exam is mandatory, might be needed, or is not required for that specific product.
What it changes
No exam does not mean no underwriting. Your application is still checked, and a policy given based on false or incomplete information can be challenged for the first two years. If the carrier uncovers something concerning through databases and reports, they may still request an exam or blood work; at that stage, you get to decide if you want to proceed.
Who tends to qualify
Generally, candidates who are younger than sixty, applying for coverage amounts within the carrier's expedited window, with no significant health issues and at least a year without tobacco. Some carriers will use your recent doctor's blood work instead of requiring a new exam.
If you need one, an exam is typically a brief 20 to 30 minute appointment at your house or workplace in the San Diego area, completely free. For healthy applicants, test results often result in a better rate class, so an exam isn't necessarily bad news.