Guide
No-exam life insurance
Which applicants skip the exam, how the fast path works, and what happens if you do not qualify.
Today many carriers offer accelerated underwriting: applicants within age and coverage limits get decisions through records review—application answers, pharmacy history, motor vehicle records, and other available data—instead of an in-person exam. Some give yes-or-no answers within hours. This site shows whether each quote requires, possibly requires, or does not require an exam.
What it changes
Skipping an exam does not bypass underwriting. Your statements are checked, and a policy issued based on untrue answers can be challenged in the first two years. The carrier may still ask for testing if questions arise from their records.
Who tends to qualify
Typically those under roughly age 60 seeking coverage up to each carrier's accelerated limit, with a clean health history and tobacco-free status for at least the last year. Some carriers will use blood work from a recent medical visit in place of their own exam.
If the carrier requires an exam, plan for a 20- to 30-minute visit by a paramedic at your home or office in the San Francisco area, at no cost to you. A clean exam often moves applicants into better rate classes.