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Many of the best life insurance companies offer no-exam life insurance, which has the obvious appeal of skipping medical exams. But don't conflate no medical exam with no medical history.
Best No Exam Life Insurance Policies
- Haven Life: Best Online Resources
- AARP Life Insurance: Best for Seniors
- USAA Life Insurance: Best for Military Members
- Prudential Life Insurance: Best for Higher Policy Limits
- Ethos Life: Best Term Life Policy
- Mutual of Omaha Life Insurance: Best for Guaranteed Acceptance
- AAA Life Insurance: Best for Waiting Period
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No Medical Exam Life Insurance FAQs
A no medical exam life insurance policy could be right for you if you're able to qualify and don't need special coverage. These policies are the easiest to get for young applicants with no significant health issues. Older applicants can buy with some companies, but acceptance is not guaranteed. No medical exam policies offer less coverage with higher premiums in most cases. If you do not qualify for the no medical exam policy you want, insurance agents can help you explore alternatives.
No medical exam means life insurance companies will not check your blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. However, companies have access to prescription history and other personal records, and underwriters base decisions partly on this history.
You'll have to decide whether you prefer a whole or term policy based on your situation if you're getting no medical life insurance. A term policy has an expiration date, and extensions or conversions to a whole life policy are not guaranteed. If anything, your rate may be higher if you try to convert your policy. The insurer looks at you just as it would any other applicant of your age, health, etc. A whole life policy locks in premiums and payouts.
There are alternatives to a new medical exam life insurance policy. Insurance agents can quote you medical exam policies if you're denied a no medical exam option. An experienced agent may be able to assess your application before starting the process to avoid official denials. If you're concerned about premium limits, you can explore options like IUL (indexed universal life) for permanent life insurance that increases your benefit as long as you make premium payments.
A no medical exam life insurance policy may hold a certain appeal for older applicants and those in failing health. However, the life insurance market is the opposite of what you might expect. These policies are best for young people (typically under 50 years old) in good health. The no medical exam process is often more efficient, streamlining your approval, and life insurance companies can only do this with low-risk applicants.
If a provider sees red flags that might disqualify you, it won't necessarily prevent you from getting coverage. Instead, the agent would most likely offer to run more conventional life insurance quotes for you.
Guaranteed issue life insurance policies do not require a medical exam. This type of life insurance is typically limited to people ages 50 or older, and the tradeoff is that policies are usually more expensive than ones that do require a medical exam. That said, if your health conditions would otherwise prevent you from getting a life insurance policy, guaranteed issue insurance is a useful option, and it's offered by a variety of insurers including AIG, AAA, New York Life, and Gerber Life.
Yes, you can really get life insurance without a medical exam, but your options will be different. That's because you'll need to choose a guaranteed issue policy — a specific type of insurance that lets you bypass the medical exam requirement — and it will probably cost more than a regular policy including a medical exam.
The highest amount of life insurance you can get without a medical exam is lower than what you could get with a medical exam. Guaranteed issue policies that don't require medical exams typically top out at $25,000 or $50,000 in coverage, while standard life insurance policies can offer millions in coverage.
No Medical Exam Life Insurance Reviews
Haven Life No Medical Exam Life Insurance
Haven Life offers term policies for healthy adults with limits as high as $3 million. For those who prefer to avoid a medical exam, the limit is $500,000. The Haven Simple no medical exam policy is available in all states except California, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota, and New York. All applications are filed online. Accelerated death benefits are available with this policy if you become disabled, and riders can be added to eliminate future payment obligations if you become disabled.
Haven Life exclusively sells online policies with limited payouts. So if you're looking for larger benefits, extensive financial planning, or agent support, it may not meet the mark. However, its quick online application and ease of use has significant appeal for many people.
- Health questions: Yes
- Coverage limits: Up to $500,000
- Age: 20-55
- Waiting period: Two years
- Unique feature: Accelerated death benefits available with paperless processing
AARP No Medical Exam Life Insurance
AARP Life Insurance caters to senior clients for insurance and many other financial products. Older adults between 50 and 74 may qualify as long as they are AARP members. Term policies are available with limits up to $150,000 in most states. Montana and New York residents may be eligible for up to $100,000. Whole life policy limits max out at $25,000.
Whole life policies can be issued without any health exams or medical questions. The term policies, on the other hand, may ask some health questions.
- Health questions: For term life policies, but not whole
- Coverage limits: Up to $150,000
- Age: 50-74
- Unique feature: No medical exam policy caters to older adults
USAA No Medical Exam Life Insurance
USAA Life Insurance is typically associated with military members and their immediate family members, but its insurance products are available to anyone. Pricing is lower, payouts are higher, and customer service is strong. Of course, these services are only available to military and qualifying family members. For the children of a deceased military member to use any USAA products, the military member would need to be signed up before their death.
Guaranteed whole life policies are available in 49 states, excluding Montana. USAA life insurance coverage is available from $2,000 to $25,000 with no medical exam or questions. Applicants who want higher coverage limits can explore medical exam policy options with a licensed agent.
- Health questions: No
- Coverage limits: Up to $25,000
- Age: 45-85
- Waiting period: Two years
- Unique feature: Below-market product costs available for military members and qualifying family
Prudential No Medical Exam Life Insurance
Prudential Life Insurance offers up to $3 million in coverage for term life policies. Adults up to 60 years old are eligible for coverage with a short application involving some medical questions. For younger applicants, conversion options may also be available later to make term policies into whole life policies. However, due to the higher limits, Prudential's application process may also be longer.
- Health questions: Yes
- Coverage limits: Up to $3 million
- Age: 20-60
- Waiting period: Two years
- Unique feature: High expert and customer rankings with a trusted provider
Prudential Life Insurance Review
Ethos No Medical Exam Life Insurance
Ethos Life accepts applicants up to age 65 with a 100% online application process, and limits are as high as $2 million.
Ethos Life asks a few basic medical questions, but coverage is effective immediately once approved. In addition, every customer buying policies like this from Ethos Life is eligible for a 30-day look period, which is another way to say you can cancel and get your money back in the first 30 days with no penalties.
- Health questions: Yes
- Coverage limits: Up to $2 million
- Age: 20-65
- Waiting period: May apply
- Unique feature: Instant quotes available with a streamlined online application
Mutual of Omaha No Medical Exam Life Insurance
Mutual of Omaha Life Insurance has high financial stability and customer satisfaction ratings across different types of insurance. Guaranteed life policies are available for adults between the ages of 45 and 85. In New York state, the age range is 50-75. Policies can be as small as $2,000 in most states and as large as $25,000 with no health questions or medical exams.
Mutual of Omaha's no medical exam policies have a graded death benefit. If you die within two years of the policy start date, the company will not pay the full policy. Instead, it delivers 110% of the premiums paid. The Mutual of Omaha website boasts same-day payouts on most policies. Policies for children are also available.
- Health questions: No
- Coverage limits: Up to $25,000
- Age: 45-85 (50-75 in New York State)
- Waiting period: Two years
- Unique feature: Company website lists same-day payment on most claims
Mutual of Omaha Life Insurance Review
AAA No Medical Exam Life Insurance
AAA Life Insurance offers immediate death benefits for qualified applicants between 18 and 75. In other words, once your policy starts, you are eligible for the full policy benefit. Policies are available with limits as low as $25,000 and as high as $500,000. While a medical exam is not required, health questions are.
AAA offers term policies with limits as high as $500,000. For a whole life policy, the limit is $25,000. But applicants can add a rider doubling the payout for accidental death coverage. Younger people have no waiting period for benefits. For applicants over age 45, AAA pays out 130% of the premiums paid up to the date of death for the first two years.
- Health questions: Yes
- Coverage limits: Up to $500,000 term/$25,000 whole
- Age: 18-75
- Waiting period: Applies after age 45
- Unique feature: Death benefit available regardless of the cause of death
How to Pick the Best No Medical Exam Life Insurance Policy for You
Particularly when choosing life insurance, customization is critical. Buyers don't need to add every rider, but a little research goes a long way in selecting the right company. Some applicants will not qualify for a no medical exam life insurance policy. A life insurance agent can help you run quotes that make sense for you. Then agents can offer realistic insurance policy options and review the costs and benefits of each.
Asking friends and family which insurance agent they use could be your first step to finding the right life policy. Factors like age, medical history, and financial goals play key roles in your decision. So we do not recommend asking loved ones about individual policies. Instead, let a qualified insurance professional find the best policies for you.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best No Exam Life Insurance
The coverage and riders offered are vital parts of our evaluation. We also look at the speed of payouts, customer satisfaction, and financial strength ratings. All of these factor into the immediate and long-term performance of the life insurance companies we review.
If you're looking for more information about a specific life insurer, our individual reviews offer a deep dive into individual policies, riders, and more. The same considerations are used for all competitors to ensure readers have the edge to make informed decisions in an ever-changing market.
See our insurance rating methodology for more details.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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