List of Required Medical Tests for Term Insurance in 2025

While purchasing a term insurance plan, you must fill in the application form with information about your personal details, your existing medical conditions, health status, etc. An insurance company will further instruct you to complete several medical examinations so that they corroborate the information you state in your application form.
Here is all you need to know about the list of medical tests for a term insurance plan.
Table of Contents
Why are Medical Tests Important in Term Insurance?
Term insurance is a life insurance product designed to provide financial protection to your loved ones in case of your untimely demise. When you apply for a policy, insurance must evaluate the risks associated with insuring you. Medical tests help insurers:
- These tests reveal an understanding of your current health condition or chronic diseases.
- A healthy individual is less risky to insure, resulting in lower premiums.
- Both parties benefit from accurate health disclosures to avoid complications during claims.
- Based on your health profile, insurers can recommend a policy that meets your needs.
Think of it like this: When buying a used car, you want to check its condition first. Similarly, insurers must know about your health to calculate appropriate premium rates and prevent fraud and misrepresentation.
Who Needs to Undergo Medical Tests in Term Insurance?
Not everyone applying for a term insurance plan is required to undergo medical tests. Factors influencing the need for tests include:
Policyholders Age
The older you are, the more likely you will need comprehensive medical tests. Applicants under 30 may or may not need tests, whereas those over 40 or 50 are more likely to undergo comprehensive medical examinations.
Sum Assured
The amount of coverage you are seeking plays a crucial role. Lower coverage (below 50 lakhs) may require fewer tests depending on age, whereas high-value policies (more than 50 lakhs) often require a detailed medical examination.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Applicants with known medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or obesity are more likely to undergo tests. Pre-existing conditions or family history of certain diseases might require additional tests.
Lifestyle Factors
Your personal habits, such as smokers, alcohol consumers, tobacco users in any form, or individuals with sedentary lifestyles, may need additional tests.
Which Medical Tests are Required for a Term Insurance Plan?
The specific tests you must undergo depend on factors like age, sum assured, and the insurer's underwriting policies. Here is a detailed look at the most common tests:
Tips for Preparing for Term Insurance Medical Tests
To ensure accurate results, follow these preparation tips:
- Avoid food or drinks (except water) for 8-12 hours before blood tests.
- Drink plenty of water to make blood draws easier.
- Refrain from consuming alcohol or smoking for 24-48 hours.
- Avoid strenuous exercise 24 hours before tests.
- For blood sugar, strictly follow fasting requirements.
- For ECG, avoid oily skin products on test day.
- For chest X-rays, remove metal jewellery.
- For the urine test, the first morning sample is usually preferred.
- Inform the medical staff about any medications or supplements you are taking.
How are Medical Tests for Term Insurance Conducted?
Once you apply for a term insurance plan, your plan provider will carefully check your application form and documents. Once the verification is complete, the insurer will suggest test centres where you can complete the medical tests required for the term insurance plan. Then, it will help you book an appointment with a test centre that will be convenient for you.
Furthermore, several insurance companies also facilitate home testing facilities. The test centre sends its representatives to obtain samples required to perform the list of medical tests for term insurance plans. Insurance companies bear all the expenses incurred in these procedures.
What Happens After the Medical Tests in Term Insurance?
Understanding the post-test process is important:
- The diagnostic centre sends the reports directly to the insurance company.
- The insurance company evaluates the test results along with your application details.
- Medical underwriters assess health risks.
- Premium rates are calculated based on the findings.
- If all tests are normal, then you get standard rates.
- If some health issues are detected, then you get a higher premium.
- Specific conditions might be excluded from coverage.
- Rejection might happen in case of serious health concerns.
Why Do Insurers Conduct Medical Tests/Check-Ups for Term Insurance Plans?
Medical tests help insurance companies make risk perceptions about their customers. They understand your overall fitness and health conditions. Then, according to the result, they proceed with issuing a plan.
For instance, if an insurance company discovers from medical tests that a customer has pre-existing medical conditions, it can reject their application or reassess the premiums required.
Nevertheless, you will also get plans for which you do not need to undergo medical tests required for term insurance plans. However, you may get much lower coverage under those plans.
How Do Medical Test Results Influence Term Insurance Factors?
1. Sum Assured
If the medical reports indicate that you are healthy, you can secure a higher sum assured at a low cost. This high life cover will help you ensure better financial protection for your family members. Due to the low cost, it will be much easier for you to continue your plan.2. Premium
Insurance companies' business model works on risk perceptions. Therefore, they carefully assess their customers' medical reports to determine premiums against their chosen term insurance sum assured amount. If they detect that your health is good, they will charge a lower premium. This is because they will have to undertake lower risk in providing you with life cover.3. Approval of Claim
Insurance companies can reject the claim of a term insurance plan when they see that the cause of the plan holder's death is a pre-existing disease, which they did not mention while purchasing the plan. So, if you do not undergo the medical tests required for the term insurance plan, you may not know whether you have pre-existing diseases. As a result, your nominee may not get the sum assured while claiming.FAQs about Medical Tests Requirement for Term Insurance
Can I purchase term insurance plans without medical tests?
Is it necessary to disclose lifestyle habits in addition to medical reports to the term insurance provider?
What is a video medical check-up in a term insurance plan?
Does a term insurance policy extend coverage for the death caused due to critical illnesses?
Can I choose my own diagnostic centre for term insurance medical tests?
Who pays for the medical tests in term insurance?
Can pre-existing conditions lead to a policy rejection in term insurance?
What happens to term insurance if I fail a medical test?
Can I hide medical conditions to avoid higher premiums in term insurance?
What if I recently had medical tests?
Can I refuse medical tests in term insurance?
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Disclaimer
- This is an informative article provided on 'as is' basis for awareness purpose only and not intended as a professional advice. The content of the article is derived from various open sources across the Internet. Digit Life Insurance is not promoting or recommending any aspect in the article or its correctness. Please verify the information and your requirement before taking any decisions.
- All the figures reflected in the article are for illustrative purposes. The premium for Coverage that one buys depends on various factors including customer requirements, eligibility, age, demography, insurance provider, product, coverage amount, term and other factors
- Tax Benefits, if applicable depend on the Tax Regime opted by the individual and the applicable tax provision. Please consult your Tax consultant before making any decision.
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