Hi There !

My friend wants to buy term life insurance.
She is 36-years-old, and overweight.

Do insurance companies require a physical exam 
for all policies?   Or, just policies over a certain amount?

If it's the latter, then why shouldn't she (or anyone)
simply buy several small policies from different firms
instead of one big policy that might require an extensive
physical?


A 5-star answer would be 1-2 paragraphs.  No supporting documentation
or web sites needed.  Just your opinion.

All comments greatly appreciated!
ron

I recently bought several life insurance policies for myself and my
family, I can offer some specific and some not specific information.

As you may expect, the short answer is -- there is no definitive
answer. The internet (and your local telephone poles as well) is awash
with ads for life insurance with no physical exam. These policies do
exist, but they aren't common, and many of the advertisements for
these kinds of policies are simply not true.

The cheaper the policy (under $50,000 maybe) and the better physical
condition you are in based on survey questions (which will include
weight) the gretaer your chances are of avoiding a physical exam. A
phone call to a local life insurance salesperson (check the yellow
pages for tons, or ask around among friends) should be able to give
you more details based on your specific situation.

This article includes a great summary of the process that matched
closely my experience.

http://www.insurancebook.com/life-insurance-medical-exam.htm

As far as buying multiple small policies, some policies may carry
riders that prevent you from having more than one or two policies in
force at any given time. Check with your agent before proceeding in
this direction.

One way to buy good term life without a medical exam is to join as
part of a group plan, maybe thru an employer or church. These policies
often allow you to simply join and purchase up to fixed max of term
life at set rates based on age and some simple surveys.

(Be careful to answer these surveys honestly when purchasing without
an exam. If anything on your appliation can be shown to be false at
the time the policy is cashed, the claim may be rejected.)

Hope this helps!

a_butler-ga

a_butler----thanks a million !

This is exactly what we needed.

ron