What "no medical exam" actually means.
A no-exam policy — also called "simplified issue" — doesn't mean no underwriting. It means no physical exam, no blood draw, no urine sample, and no 4-to-6-week underwriting hold. The insurer still evaluates your risk, just using different tools.
What the insurer checks
- A health questionnaire. 10–20 yes/no questions about major conditions, medications, and recent hospitalizations.
- MIB (Medical Information Bureau). A database insurers share for fraud prevention. Your prior applications are logged here.
- Prescription database. A check against national Rx records to verify medication history.
- Motor vehicle record. DUIs and major violations affect rate class.
What it doesn't require
- No paramed exam. No one visits your house to take your blood pressure or a blood sample.
- No lab work. No cholesterol panel, no glucose test, no PSA.
- No APS (usually). Attending Physician Statement requests from your doctor are rare on simplified issue.
Simplified issue swaps three weeks of hassle for ten minutes of questions.
Who qualifies
Most adults in reasonable health qualify. Managed chronic conditions — hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, arthritis — are routinely approved at standard or preferred rates. Recent surgeries, smoking, and moderate BMI impact rate class but rarely disqualify.
Who may need fully underwritten
- Active cancer treatment. Most simplified-issue products decline active treatment. Options exist after remission timelines are met.
- Recent major cardiac event. Heart attack or stroke in the past 12 months typically requires fully underwritten evaluation.
- Insulin-dependent diabetes with complications. Some products decline; others approve at higher rate classes.
- Very high coverage amounts. Above $500K–$1M, most carriers require full underwriting regardless of health.
The tradeoff
Simplified-issue premiums run 10–25% higher than fully underwritten premiums for comparable coverage. That's the cost of speed and convenience. For most gap-filling scenarios — where coverage amounts are modest and the decision is overdue — the tradeoff is worth it.