With no-exam life insurance, you answer health questions instead of taking a blood or urine test. Client Benefit Insurance Services, Inc. (CBIS) compares no-exam options from many carriers for people in San Diego and across California.
We’re a family-owned independent agency, so we aren’t tied to one insurance company. A licensed agent can go over your choices with you by phone or video and help you get a quote.
The carrier still reviews your health and makes the decision. We help you find the options that fit.
What Does No-Exam Life Insurance Mean?
It means you skip the medical exam. There are no needles and no nurse visit. You answer a set of health questions, and the carrier decides from your answers and the records it can check.
The carrier still underwrites the policy. That means it still looks at your health and history to decide whether to offer coverage and at what price. The difference is how it gathers that information.
Who Is a No-Exam Policy Good For?
This kind of policy often fits people who want a simpler way to apply. It may suit:
- People who’d rather skip the exam, the needles and the medical visits
- Parents, newlyweds, homeowners and anyone with someone who counts on their income
- People who want coverage in place sooner
- Self-employed people with no coverage through work
- People replacing or adding to the coverage they have through work
- People whose health is mostly good
What Do Insurance Companies Check Instead of an Exam?
The carrier still wants a clear picture of your health. Instead of an exam, it usually looks at:
- Your answers to health questions
- Your prescription history
- Your driving record
- Your height and weight
- Sometimes, your medical records
Answer every question truthfully. Carriers can check, and a mismatch can slow your application or cause a problem with your policy later.
Types of No-Exam Life Insurance
Several kinds of life insurance can be offered without an exam. Which ones are open to you depends on your health and the carrier.
No-Exam Term Life
Term life covers you for a set number of years. If you pass away during that time, it pays the people you name. It’s often the lower-cost way to cover the years when others count on your income.
See how term life insurance works.
Whole Life Without an Exam
Whole life is lifelong coverage with a set payment and a cash value that builds slowly. Some carriers offer whole life policies based on health questions alone.
See how whole life insurance works.
Final Expense Insurance
Final expense is a smaller lifelong policy meant to help with funeral costs and final bills. Many of these policies use health questions instead of an exam.
See how final expense insurance works.
Indexed Universal Life (IUL)
IUL is life insurance with cash value that can grow. It offers lifelong coverage and flexible payments. Growth is linked to an index, within limits the carrier sets.
See how indexed universal life (IUL) works.
Apply online on your own, or let us compare carriers for you first.
When Might You Still Need a Medical Exam?
Sometimes the carrier asks for an exam. This is more likely when:
- You want a larger amount of coverage
- Your health history is something the questions can’t settle
- Your records don’t match your answers
In that case, the carrier may offer a policy with an exam, offer a different price, or decline. The carrier makes that decision.
A no from one carrier is not a no from all of them. Each carrier looks at health in its own way, and we can look at other carriers for you.
What Affects the Price of a No-Exam Policy?
Each carrier sets its own prices, so the same person can get different offers. The main factors are:
- Your age when you apply
- Your health and medical history
- Nicotine use, including vaping
- Your height and weight
- Your driving record
- The coverage amount you choose
- The policy type and term length
A no-exam policy may cost more than an exam policy, or about the same, depending on your health and the carrier.
No-Exam vs. Medical Exam Life Insurance
A regular policy with an exam is called fully underwritten. Here’s how the two compare.
- What you do: With no exam, you answer health questions. With a fully underwritten policy, you answer questions and also have an exam.
- How long it can take: A no-exam policy is often faster, but not always. Some decisions need records first.
- Coverage amounts: Higher amounts are more likely to need an exam.
- Price: It depends on your health and the carrier. Sometimes an exam leads to a better price, and sometimes it doesn’t.
We can price both ways so you can compare.
How to Apply for No-Exam Life Insurance
No payment required to apply. There are two ways to apply.
- Online: Use the Apply Online button below to answer the health questions yourself.
- With a licensed agent: Go through the application by phone or video, and we’ll compare carriers for you first.
Either way, the steps look like this:
- Start your application. Request a quote, or apply online.
- Answer health questions. Online on your own, or with a licensed agent.
- The carrier reviews and makes an offer. It looks at your answers and the records it can check.
- Accept, then pay. You pay only after you accept the offer.
Ready to start? Request a no-exam life insurance quote, or call (858) 283-7575 to talk with a licensed agent.
No-Exam Life Insurance Questions
Qualifying and Getting Approved
Can I get life insurance without a medical exam?
Yes, in many cases. Some carriers approve policies from your answers to health questions and records they can check. Whether you qualify depends on your health, the coverage you want and the carrier.
Is there life insurance with no health questions?
Yes, a few whole life and final expense policies ask no health questions. They usually come with smaller coverage amounts, and many pay only part of the benefit in the first years. Many people get more coverage for their money by answering a short set of health questions, even with health problems. Carriers check prescription history either way, so honest answers are the best route. We can show you both options.
What is the difference between accelerated underwriting, simplified issue and guaranteed issue?
Accelerated underwriting uses data and your answers so some people can skip the exam, but the carrier may still ask for one. Simplified issue uses a short set of health questions with no exam. Guaranteed issue asks no health questions at all, and it often has a waiting-period benefit and a smaller coverage amount.
Do insurance companies check prescription history and medical records?
Often, yes. Many carriers check prescription history, and some ask for medical records. This is how they make a decision without an exam, so your answers should match what they find.
How fast can I get approved for no-exam life insurance?
It depends on your health and the carrier. Some decisions come quickly. Others need records first. We can tell you what to expect with the carriers you’re considering.
Can I get no-exam life insurance with health problems?
Often, yes, though it depends on the condition and the carrier. Some carriers are more flexible than others, and a no from one is not a no from all. The carrier makes the final decision. A licensed CBIS agent can look at other carriers for you.
Can you be denied no-exam life insurance?
Yes. The carrier can decline an application or offer different terms. It may also ask for an exam. If that happens, we can look at other carriers.
Can seniors get life insurance without a medical exam?
Yes. Many carriers offer no-exam policies to older applicants, often final expense or whole life. Options and prices depend on your health and the carrier. A licensed CBIS agent can show you what’s available.
Cost and How Much Coverage
Is no-exam life insurance worth it?
It can be, if you want a simpler application and your health is mostly good. It may cost more than a policy with an exam, or about the same. We can show you both so you can decide.
How much does no-exam life insurance cost?
It depends on your age, health, nicotine use, the coverage amount and the type of policy. The carrier sets the price. We can get you a quote.
Is no-exam life insurance more expensive?
Sometimes, but not always. The price depends on your health and the carrier. We can price a no-exam policy and an exam policy side by side.
How much life insurance can I get without an exam?
It depends on your health and the carrier. Higher amounts are more likely to need an exam. A licensed CBIS agent can tell you what the carriers we work with offer.
When should I buy life insurance?
Many people look when someone starts counting on their income, like a marriage, a new baby, a home or starting a business, or when someone would be left with their debts. Prices usually rise with age, and health can change, so applying earlier often helps.
Do stay-at-home parents need life insurance?
It may still make sense. The work done at home, like child care and running the house, has value, and someone would have to pay for it if you weren’t there. A policy can help cover that cost.
No-Exam Policy Types and Payouts
How long does a no-exam policy last?
It depends on the type. Term life lasts for the term you pick. Whole life, final expense and IUL are meant to last your lifetime, as long as the policy stays in force.
Can I borrow money from a no-exam policy?
Not from term life, which has no cash value. Whole life and IUL build cash value, and the policy may allow loans against it. A loan lowers the death benefit until it’s repaid. Check the policy’s rules before you borrow.
Does a no-exam policy pay out the same as a regular policy?
In most cases, yes. A policy that pays in full pays its death benefit the same way whether you took an exam or not. Some guaranteed-issue policies pay less early on. The policy tells you which applies.
Is there a waiting period on a no-exam policy?
Some guaranteed-acceptance and final expense policies have a graded or waiting-period benefit. That means they pay a smaller amount, or only a refund of payments, if death happens early in the policy. Many no-exam policies pay in full from the start. The policy spells out which kind you have, and a licensed CBIS agent can point it out when you compare.
What is a death benefit?
It’s the money the carrier pays to your beneficiaries when the insured person passes away. Your beneficiaries can use it for bills, the mortgage or final costs. Life insurance death benefits paid to a beneficiary are generally not subject to federal income tax. Every situation is different, so check with a tax professional about yours.
Have questions about term vs. whole life, beneficiaries or claims? See more life insurance questions.
Get a No-Exam Life Insurance Quote
Family-owned since 1982. Based in Santee, serving San Diego County and clients across California. (858) 283-7575 or toll-free (800) 752-2791
Other questions? Contact us.