Instant issue life insurance skips the medical exam, but it does not skip health questions entirely. Carriers still need enough information to make an underwriting decision. Over 36 years in this business, we have seen a lot of application forms. Here is a plain-language guide to what carriers typically ask, and what to do if your health history is complicated.
Common Health Questions on Instant Issue Applications
The specific questions vary by carrier, but most applications cover the following categories.
Major diagnoses. Carriers ask whether you have been diagnosed with or treated for heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, or AIDS or HIV. Diagnosis dates matter. A cancer diagnosis five years ago with no recurrence is treated differently than one from last year.
Diabetes. Carriers ask whether you have diabetes and, in many cases, how it is managed. Type 2 diabetes that is diet-controlled or managed with oral medication is viewed more favorably than insulin-dependent diabetes with complications.
Tobacco use. Virtually every carrier asks about tobacco use in the past 12 months, and many ask about the past two to five years. This category includes cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and vaping products. Smoker rates are typically two to three times higher than non-smoker rates.
Prescription medications. Carriers cross-reference your application against prescription databases. Certain medications signal conditions the application may not have captured directly. Do not assume that not disclosing a condition avoids detection.
Hospitalizations and surgeries. Most applications ask about hospitalizations in the past two to five years. Routine procedures carry little weight. Hospitalizations for serious conditions will factor into the underwriting decision.
Height and weight. Carriers use build charts. Significant departure from standard ranges can result in a rating, a reduced offer, or a decline, depending on the carrier.
Hazardous activities. Questions about skydiving, scuba diving, private aviation, and other high-risk activities appear on many applications. Carriers may exclude accidental death related to these activities or apply a rating.
What Happens If You Answer Yes
A “yes” answer does not automatically mean a denial. The underwriting algorithm weighs all your answers together. A single yes to one question with otherwise clean answers may result in full approval. Multiple yes answers in the same application are more likely to trigger a decline.
If the instant issue application declines your application, that is not your only option. Simplified issue, which involves a human underwriter, may approve the same case that an algorithm rejected. Guaranteed issue life insurance is available regardless of health, though it comes with lower coverage limits and a graded benefit period.
Honesty Matters on Every Application
Answering questions inaccurately to get approved is called misrepresentation, and it is grounds for a carrier to deny a death benefit claim. A declined application due to honest answers does not affect your ability to apply with other carriers. An approved application based on false answers leaves your family unprotected when it matters most.
Different carriers have different risk appetites. If one carrier declines your instant issue application, another may approve it. That is one reason working with an independent agency that can compare multiple carriers gives applicants a real advantage.
