How to Ace the Life Insurance Medical Exam – 21 Tips to Save Big Money
Does everyone have a sharp number two pencil for your exam?
You couldn’t sleep at all last night. Heck you haven’t slept for days. Your palms sweaty, can’t think straight, your legs are jittery.
Yes, it’s the classic telltale signs of test anxiety.
Thankfully, the life insurance paramedical exam is not the S.A.T.
In fact this exam is pretty straightforward. A nurse or paramedic will meet you at your home or office, measure vital signs, ask you some questions about your medical history and medications, then measure your height and weight.
These examiners are very professional and are usually done with their job in about 30 minutes.
Many life insurance applicants overlook the paramedical exam altogether and don’t give it another thought.
We would argue that is a huge mistake.
If you have a larger policy, say for business needs, you will need to take the exam.
If you have some health concerns – like a prior heart attack or other heart issues – you will also take the exam.
Since you know you need the exam, and you know when it is scheduled why not prepare and do your best? If you could make small changes and save yourself a lot of money on your life insurance premiums would you?
Take this example:
Fred is a 60-year-old man with a mild heart condition. He is applying for a $250,000 life insurance policy with a 20-year term, and based on his blood pressure he could qualify at two different health classes.
Standard for about $210 per month, or substandard for about $299 per month.
Taking a look at that deal, which one do you prefer?
Fred would spend more than $21,360 extra on his life insurance if he clocked in at the substandard health class. He could use that money for a boat or car!
As we age each unit of life insurance gets more and more expensive. Therefore this inequality between the two health classes only grows larger the older we get.
Here is the thing though: the difference between one health class and another is often just a few pounds of body weight or a few points of blood pressure. They are really close.
Use these tips below, most of which deal with diet, exercise, weight and blood pressure. Everything contained in this infographic is designed to be easy to understand and simple to implement.
As an added bonus, at the end of the article, we will have some bonus tips that will help you even more. Read on!
Read on!
Special Note: You may qualify for life insurance with no medical exam, so check with your insurance adviser. Instead of trying to ace the exam, wouldn’t it be better to skip it all together?
Bonus Tip #1
According to researchers at Stanford, jump right in and change your diet and exercise now. Together. No need to wait or choose one or the other, do them both.
Bonus Tip #2
This next tip comes from Cathy Kamhi, RN and paramedical examiner for many years. She says, if you are pre-hypertensive or expect higher blood pressure readings, once the cuff is on your arm move your arm parallel to your heart.
This makes it easier for your heart to pump blood to your arm, thereby lowering your systolic blood pressure by 5 to 9 points.
Like Yogi Berra famously quipped, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else”
Now that you have the knowledge you need to ace your paramedical exam, you know where you are going.
Make the small changes, get the best health class available, protect your family with the life insurance you desire and never pay more than you have to.
About the Author:
Jimmy McMillan is the owner of Heart Life Insurance where he specializes in underwriting life insurance with heart problems. He has successfully approved clients with difficult heart issues like heart attacks, atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy, angioplasty, multiple stents and mitral valve disorders.
He is a fine fisherman who lives with the catch of his life, Emily, in Palm Coast FL.