Medical Tests for Term Insurance

 

Term insurance plans that do not offer medical tests before issuing the policy often give lower coverage, because the insurance company has to cover for unknown health risks. Medical tests assess a potential policyholder’s fitness and overall health and enable the insurer to fix premiums and issue policies accordingly. It is always better to go in for a term plan that includes medical tests before purchase.

Claim rejection

A term insurance company can reject death, critical illness or terminal disease claim on certain grounds. These insurance policies are issued based on age, lifestyle, health and medical conditions, income and occupation of the policyholder. According to the stated rules and regulations, a claim can be rejected if any of the said information provided is found to be false, incomplete or undisclosed. In most cases of rejected claims, the same happens due to discrepancies in the medical history of the policyholder. This makes it critically important to have all the medical tests properly done before buying the policy. The risk of claim rejection is far lesser in the case of healthy individuals.

More premium: 

Term insurance premium amounts are decided based on a set of factors like age, gender, lifestyle, sleep cycle, tobacco and alcohol consumption, medical history, occupation etc. Premiums can be more for older policyholders. It can also be higher if his occupation, lifestyle, habits and medical history suggest a higher probability of future ailments. Thus, for a chosen sum assured, a policyholder will have to pay a higher premium if the said parameters indicate possible health conditions in the coming times. A thorough medical test and precautions thereafter hence can minimize the risk of paying bigger premiums for your policy.     

Low coverage:

If your medical record suggests you can be prone to diseases and health conditions due to your age, heredity, lifestyle, habits or occupational practices, it can lead to low coverage by insurance plans. In most cases like this, the insurer offers policies with lower coverage at a given sum assured, as the probability of paying death benefits is higher. A properly done medical check-up can be useful here to know beforehand, how long your insurance can cover you.

When is it required to have a medical test to buy a term insurance plan?

Not all term insurance plans need the policyholder to undergo medical tests for eligibility. Also, medical tests are often not required if the policyholder is young. Usually, insurance companies make it a mandate for buyers to get medical tests done above a certain age limit. If you are 40 or above, a medical test is required to buy a term insurance plan. The results of the test will be the prime determinant of the premium amount and coverage period of the policy. Healthy applicants are therefore considered eligible for lower premiums, relatively longer coverage and pay-out of higher sum assured.  

Which medical tests are required for term insurance?

Term insurance companies often rely on routine medical examinations to determine the applicant’s eligibility for certain policies. While the premium rate, coverage period and sum assured are decided on the test results, claim settlements also depend a lot on the same. Following are the tests that are usually conducted for policy approval and activation.

• BMI test to measure applicant’s height, weight and their correlation.
• Urine analysis to determine the medical condition of the applicant
• Routine blood tests and Complete blood count (CBC) test to check for various aspects of health as well as hidden ailments
• Blood sugar test to determine if the applicant is diabetic or has any related medical issue
• Liver function test to verify the liver condition and if it is prone to hepatitis or similar conditions
• Kidney function test to identify if there are potential threats of health limitations in times to come
• Lipid profile test to check for cholesterol or similar issues of blood
• Echocardiography to determine the heart’s functioning and status
• Chest X-ray to determine the condition of the heart, lungs and bones
• Ultrasonography to seek probabilities of serious diseases like cancer in the vital organs
• Treadmill test to measure the heart rate and level of stress
• HIV test, though not commonly required, to check if the applicant is HIV positive
• Comprehensive trail-making test to look for visual attention and a balanced view of the applicant

Importance of Term Insurance Medical Test

To buy a term life insurance plan, in most cases, the applicant needs to do mandatory medical tests to ascertain his eligibility for the same. The medical check-up and the results thereby are essential for both the insurer and the insured to determine how the policy should work and the advantages it would bring to the table. The medical records thus obtained form the basis for the calculation of the premium rate, sum assured and coverage period to be offered to the individual. Moreover, in case of a claim settlement, the medical record of the policyholder is the foundation which determines the pay-out of the sum assured.

Why is it beneficial to have a medical test for your term plan?

While it’s a procedural requirement to get medical tests done for your term plan, it has certain benefits as well.

Detection of any ailment: Medical tests identify the existing or possible ailments in your body which in turn helps in determining the ideal policy and its benefits.

An optional sum insured: Medical check-ups and the results obtained help the insurer to offer the best possible plan and decide on its important terms like the sum insured. On the other hand, the medical conditions traced helps the applicant not only to pick the ideal sum assured but to opt for additional riders like critical illness cover. This in turn helps one take care of one’s medical expenses in a better way.

A feasible premium: Lower premiums are offered to healthy individuals by insurance companies. A medical test can therefore play a major role in identifying whether an individual is healthy and disease-free. This would enable the policyholder to enjoy financial security at an affordable and feasible premium.

Procedure for medical test for term insurance cover

After applying for a specific term insurance policy, the applicant is requested to undergo a list of medical tests by the insurer. The company coordinates with the individual, schedules an appointment and provides the list of health check-up centres nearby as well as the test at home facility. The applicant can choose according to their convenience and get themselves tested. The expense of the medical examinations is borne by the insurance company.

Factors affected by term insurance medical test

The results of the medical tests affect certain factors of the term insurance policy term. They are -

Claim rejection: Medical tests determine if the applicant has existing conditions or the possibility of ailments. Based on that, a claim against the policy can get rejected if the death or critical illness is a result of his pre-existing disease or medical conditions.

More premium: If certain body conditions or ailments are traced in the medical examinations, the applicant is asked to pay a higher premium amount for a given sum assured.

Low coverage: If the medical check-ups identify pre-existing diseases or risk of certain illnesses, the insurer usually offers an insurance plan with a low coverage period. This is because of the higher probability of untimely death of the applicant.

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