Medicals

Despite the importance of life insurance, not all applicants have to take a medical examination, life insurance medicals are NOT mandatory.

However sometimes insurers may require you to undergo a medical examination and/or blood test in order to finalise their assessment of your application for life insurance.

Applying for life insurance is perhaps the most important step when planning your financial security , so it's not surprising that the assessment of your life insurance application involves a high degree of careful consideration.

Here we discuss some of the things you can expect when getting a life insurance medical examination.

If a medical examination is required, what can I expect?

You can expect the medical examination to take approximately 30-40 minutes.

For the best results

• you will need your passport, driver's license or other certified photo identification to verify your identity
• you will have fasted for 8-10 hours prior to the examination if a blood test is required (unless you have been instructed by a physician not to fast for medical reasons). If you are an insulin dependant diabetic you may need to inform the life insurance company beforehand
• have a glass or two of water one hour prior to the visit as you may need to provide a urine specimen
• you should avoid alcohol ideally 72 hours before a blood test as this can impact your liver function results
• you should avoid fatty foods 24 hours prior to a blood test as this can elevate your cholesterol levels
• you should avoid using medication that contains paracetamol, such as Panadol or Panadeine, for 24-48 hours before your examination
• you should wear loose clothing.

Once the life insurance company has all the information required to make an assessment, they will advise you in writing of the outcome. In many cases they will accept the application and send you a Policy Schedule outlining the details of your cover.

If the life insurance company does not immediately accept your application, they will try to offer you an alternative offer of insurance so that you can still obtain some cover.

If a previously unknown medical situation presents itself, insurera are only authorized to inform you of how it affects your life insurance application. In such circumstances they would send a copy of the medical evidence to your family doctor upon your request.

The life insurance company would then recommend that you consult your doctor to discuss the findings of your tests in more detail.

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September 2009