No medical life insurance

Yes, you can get life insurance with no medical exam. Whether or not you’re eligible for no medical life insurance will depend on your health, your lifestyle and your family’s medical history.

If you’re relatively young and in good health, you could probably get life insurance without a medical examination. But if you’re a bit older and, say, have smoked for most of your life, an insurance provider will probably ask you to visit your doctor.

Some life insurance providers offer a type of cover called guaranteed acceptance. This means they’ll definitely offer you a policy. Unlike a standard policy, you don’t have to answer questions about your health when you apply.

This ‘no medical questions’ life insurance can be ideal for people who might otherwise struggle to get cover.

A guaranteed acceptance policy won’t pay out if you die within the initial waiting or ’moratorium’ period, which is usually one to two years of you taking out the policy.

Premiums for guaranteed acceptance life insurance can be higher than standard cover because your provider is taking more of a risk by providing you with life insurance without checking your health.

You could be asked to take a medical for life insurance by a provider if:

• You’ve disclosed a pre-existing medical condition on an application

• You’re over a certain age

• You have an unhealthy lifestyle

• There are hereditary illnesses in your family

• You’re classed as overweight with a high body mass index (BMI)

• You’ve lived overseas for extended periods of time

• You’ve been turned down for life insurance in the past.

In some cases, you may not need to undergo a full medical examination. Instead, you could be asked questions over the phone or to give permission for your GP to provide a medical report.

If you’re asked to attend a medical examination, you’ll be given a health check-up by a medical professional.

The insurance provider usually covers the cost of the medical, which should take place somewhere convenient for you. This could be at your GP surgery, home or workplace.

Checks could involve:

• Measuring your height and weight to determine BMI

• Taking your blood pressure

• A blood test

• An HIV test

• An ECG (electrocardiogram)

• A urine test.

You may also be asked about your lifestyle, including whether you smoke and how much exercise you do. You could also be questioned about your mental health.

When calculating how much you’ll pay for your no medical life insurance, providers look at your:

• Basic details – age, weight, height and gender

• Lifestyle – whether you smoke and how many units of alcohol you drink a week

• Occupation – some jobs are considered riskier than others

• Health history – including any existing or chronic health conditions

• Genetics – if there are any hereditary health conditions in your family

• Hobbies – whether you have any higher-risk interests like rock climbing or scuba diving.

Whether you smoke or not can make a big difference. Non-smokers typically pay £44 a month for life insurance, compared with £55 per month for smokers.²

To compare no medical life insurance quotes for you, we’ll need to know:

• Some personal details about you or any other people you want to insure

• If you’ve smoked or vaped within the past 12 months

• Whether you want level term or decreasing term cover

• How long you want the cover to last

• The minimum level of cover you want

• If you want to include critical illness cover.