Not everyone wants to — or is able to — go through a traditional fully underwritten life insurance application that requires a medical exam, blood draw, and urine sample. Fortunately, there are two well-established categories of life insurance that require no medical examination: non-medical term life insurance and simplified issue whole life insurance. Each serves a different purpose and covers a different segment of the market.
Non-Medical Term Life Insurance
Non-medical term life insurance — also called no-exam term life or accelerated underwriting term — is a fully underwritten or data-driven term policy that does not require a paramedical exam. It is designed for generally healthy applicants who want fast, convenient coverage without the hassle of scheduling a nurse visit.
This category includes two distinct approaches:
- Accelerated underwriting (AU): The insurer evaluates risk using real-time database checks — prescription drug history, MIB records, motor vehicle records, and credit-based insurance scores — instead of blood work. Pricing is comparable to fully underwritten policies because the insurer is still accurately assessing health risk. For qualified applicants, this delivers the best of both worlds: competitive premiums with no exam required. Coverage limits vary by carrier but can reach $1 million, $2 million, $3 million, or even $5 million for qualifying applicants, depending on age and health profile. See our Accelerated Underwriting page for full details on which carriers offer what limits at which ages.
- Simplified issue term: Uses a short health questionnaire (typically 5–15 yes/no questions) with no exam and fewer database checks than full AU. Premiums are somewhat higher to account for the reduced health visibility, and coverage limits are lower — commonly up to $250,000 to $500,000, depending on the carrier. Best suited for applicants who want fast coverage without an exam and don’t qualify for or don’t need the higher limits available through full accelerated underwriting.
Non-medical term policies are available in standard term durations (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years) and are appropriate for income replacement, mortgage protection, and most traditional term life insurance needs. They are not available for applicants with significant health histories — those applicants will typically be referred to traditional underwriting.
Simplified Issue Whole Life Insurance
Simplified issue whole life insurance is a permanent life insurance product designed primarily for seniors who want coverage for final expenses, funeral costs, and small remaining debts. It is widely known as burial insurance or final expense insurance.
Key characteristics:
- No medical exam required — approval is based on answers to a short health questionnaire, typically 10–15 yes/no health questions. Some policies ask very few questions or none at all (see guaranteed issue below).
- Permanent coverage — as long as premiums are paid, the policy remains in force for life and the death benefit will be paid to beneficiaries regardless of when death occurs.
- Small face amounts — coverage is typically available from $2,000 up to $25,000 to $50,000, with some carriers offering up to $100,000 for the healthiest applicants. These policies are not designed for income replacement — they are sized to cover end-of-life costs.
- Level premiums for life — premiums are fixed at issue and never increase.
- Small cash value accumulation — as a whole life policy, a modest cash value builds over time and can be borrowed against, though the primary purpose is the death benefit.
Most simplified issue whole life policies are issued on a graded death benefit basis for applicants with certain health conditions — meaning if the insured dies within the first two or three years of the policy (for reasons other than accident), the beneficiary receives the return of premiums paid plus interest rather than the full face amount. After the graded period ends, the full death benefit is payable. The healthiest applicants may qualify for immediate full death benefit coverage.
Guaranteed Issue Whole Life
A subset of simplified issue whole life is guaranteed issue — policies with no health questions at all. Anyone within the eligible age range (typically 50–80 or 45–85, depending on the carrier) is approved regardless of health. Coverage limits are lower — typically $5,000 to $25,000 — and a graded death benefit period almost always applies. Premiums are higher than simplified issue policies because the insurer assumes the highest possible adverse selection risk. Guaranteed issue is appropriate for individuals with serious health conditions who cannot qualify for any other form of coverage.
Which Type Is Right for You?
If you are under age 60 and in reasonably good health, non-medical term life insurance through accelerated underwriting is almost certainly the better option — you’ll get significantly more coverage at a lower cost, without the exam. If you are a senior looking for a small permanent policy to cover final expenses and want an easy approval process, simplified issue whole life is purpose-built for that need.
Give us a call at 1-888-972-0024 or e-mail us to discuss which no-exam option fits your situation. We represent multiple carriers in both categories and can match you with the right product at the best available rate.