Guide
No-exam life insurance
Who is eligible for accelerated underwriting, the way the process works, and what happens if you need an exam instead.
Many insurance companies today offer accelerated underwriting: for applicants within certain age and benefit ranges, they make a decision using the application, your prescription history, driving records and other background information rather than a physical exam. Some decisions arrive within hours. Every quote on this site shows whether an exam is required, maybe required, or not needed for that plan.
What it changes
Skipping an exam doesn't skip underwriting. Your answers are still verified, and a policy issued based on dishonest answers can be challenged within the first two years. If the carrier's own information raises flags, they can still ask for an exam or blood work; you get to decide whether to go forward.
Who tends to qualify
Generally, people under age 60 applying for amounts within the carrier's instant-decision limit, with no serious health conditions and no tobacco use in the past 12 months or longer. Some carriers will accept recent lab work from a doctor's visit instead of requiring a new exam.
If the carrier wants an exam, it typically takes 20 to 30 minutes at your home or workplace in the Bakersfield region, and costs nothing. For healthy people, a favorable exam result frequently bumps you to a better rate class, so needing an exam can actually be a good thing.