Life Insurance Blood Test
Life insurance blood tests are typically a part of the medical assessment required for policies that follow full or traditional underwriting. Insurers use blood tests to assess your overall health and risk in insuring you and accordingly offer premium and coverage options. In this guide we’ll explain how life insurance blood tests work, what blood tests screen for, and how you can prepare to qualify for better rates through test results.
Key Takeaways
Life insurance blood tests identify health markers like heart health, diabetes, tobacco consumption, and infections through cholesterol, glucose or A1C levels, nicotine levels, HIV, hepatitis B/C, and other parameters.
If your health is good, blood tests can help you qualify for lower premiums and higher coverage amounts.
The blood test is arranged by the insurer at a time and location that’s convenient for you. It is typically completed within 30 minutes.
Not all policies may require a blood test. Some alternative no-medical-exam options include simplified issues and guaranteed issue.
What Is a Life Insurance Blood Test And Why It’s Required?
A life insurance blood test is a paramedical exam that some insurers require to understand your health and longevity through major health indicators like diabetes, smoking, or high cholesterol. Based on the lab reports, insurers classify you into a risk category like Preferred Plus, Preferred, Standard, Substandard. These impact your coverage, maximum allowed death benefit, and premium payments. In general, the better your health, the lower your premiums will be.
What Happens During a Life Insurance Blood Test?
A life insurance blood test is free to you and is arranged by the insurance company. Here is a step-by-step overview of what typically happens during a life insurance blood test:
- Appointment schedule: The partner lab or insurance agent contacts you to set up the time and location.
- Health survey: Before the blood samples are collected, you are asked to confirm details of your medical history, ongoing medications, and lifestyle habits.
- Sample collection: The health care provider collects a blood, saliva, and/or urine sample.
- Vitals and other details: The provider also notes your age, height, weight, and blood pressure.
- Laboratory analysis: Your samples are sent to a lab for analysis, and your results are securely shared with the insurer.
- Review and underwriting: Based on the lab reports, the insurer reviews your profile and finalizes the coverage amount and premium rate.
When and Where the Test Is Done
A life insurance blood test is arranged by the insurance company when you apply for a life insurance policy. It’s similar to a routine medical checkup where a nurse checks your vitals (height, weight, and blood pressure), questions your medical history, and collects a blood, urine, and/or saliva sample.
You may choose to undergo the exam at your home, office, or at a nearby lab. The test is not very time-consuming and is typically completed within 30 minutes.
How Long Does Life Insurance Blood Test Results Take?
Lab test results are typically available in a few days, often 3-10 business days. The exact timeline varies based on lab processing time and medical history review in case the report shows elevated readings.
These reports are often directly shared with the insurance company. These may or may not be shared with you, depending on insurer terms. If not shared, you can request the reports from your insurer.
What Do Life Insurance Blood Tests Look For?
Life insurance blood tests look for important health markers to determine if your long-term health may be impacted. Here are some detailed indicators1 that insurers look for:
How Much Does a Life Insurance Blood Test Cost?
A life insurance blood test is free of cost, meaning you pay nothing for the blood work, urine testing, and the paramedical expert visiting, as all this is part of the underwriting process arranged by the insurer.
What’s included at no cost:
- Blood sample collection from your home or office
- Urine sample testing
- Vitals checkup, including height, weight, and blood pressure
- Health questionnaire review
- Examination of lab reports
You don’t typically pay for the lab tests, but if you choose to consult your own doctor instead of the insurer-arranged physician, you might pay the fee from your pocket. Some insurers may also charge a fee for sharing additional copies of your lab reports beyond the standard sharing as part of the administrative charges.
How Do Blood Test Results Affect Premiums or Eligibility?
Your blood test results give insurers a clear picture of your health and life expectancy. So, insurers consider the results and, based on the risk factor in insuring you, classify you into a risk category or underwriting class. These determine your premium and eligibility for a higher coverage amount.
Some common classifications most insurers use are:
- Preferred Plus: Excellent health, optimal height-to-weight ratio, and no family history
- Preferred: Overall good health with minor health issues that are very well-managed
- Standard Plus: Decent health with health issues that are controllable
- Standard: Average health with family medical history, slightly overweight
- Substandard: Significant health conditions with ongoing treatment
In addition to these, some insurers may also give a ‘Table Rating,' also called 'Table A-J' or '1-10,' to those with complex health issues who are too risky to be insured. For every step below the standard classification, an additional percentage is added to the base premium, with each “table” rating increasing the cost incrementally by 25% in most cases.
If your results are stable, you may qualify for a higher class, which can offer a lower premium and higher coverage potential. Elevated readings could mean higher rates, but that doesn’t necessarily disqualify you from coverage.
*Example: A 30-year-old man in preferred-plus health may pay an annual premium of $215, whereas another man of the same age may pay $400 when classified in the standard category for a 20-year term life policy with coverage of $500,000.1
Expert Tip
If your Blood Test Results aren’t Perfect, Can You Still Get Life Insurance?
Yes, you can get life insurance even when you have health issues such as high cholesterol or blood sugar levels. It’s important to understand that a life insurance blood test is not a pass or fail situation. Instead, it is an evaluation of your overall health and a deciding factor to calculate your premium. Insurers usually decline coverage only for severe or uncontrolled conditions. However, you can always reapply or request a re-test after an improvement in your health; or you can opt for simplified or guaranteed issue coverage.
Senior Director Life Underwriting
How to Prepare for a Life Insurance Blood Test
Preparing for your life insurance blood test can help influence your premium rates. Here are a few things to consider before your blood test:
- Fasting: Ensure that you fast for a minimum of 10-12 hours before your test so that your blood sugar levels aren’t elevated.
- Water Intake: Drink enough water and stay hydrated to ensure a better sample quality.
- Things to Avoid: Limit caffeine the day before the test to avoid dehydration. Avoid consuming alcohol or heavy meals at least a day before the test.
- Physical Activity: Skip intense workouts for several hours before your test to keep blood pressure steady.
- Sleep well: Get a good night’s rest (aim for 8 hours) the night before.
Following the above tips along with making healthy choices like cutting back on salt or sugar a week or two before the test can help. You should also be sure to disclose medications and lifestyle habits.
Do All Life Insurance Policies Require a Blood Test?
No, not all life insurance policies require a blood test. Many insurance companies offer ‘no exam life insurance,’ which skips the lab tests and instead relies on your answers on the application, health data, and prescription and medical history.
Here are some alternatives to a life insurance blood test:
- Accelerated underwriting: Answer health questions on the application. The insurance company uses this along with medical data to assess risk.
- Simplified issue life insurance: It allows a health check with a short questionnaire but comes with low coverage amounts. Can be a good choice for people with minor health issues.
- Guaranteed issue life insurance: Approval is automatic, and no health questions are asked. This is a good choice for people with critical medical conditions who don’t otherwise qualify for life insurance. It offers limited coverage amounts with premiums that are higher than simplified issue.
FAQs on Life Insurance Blood Tests
No, you don't always need a blood test to get life insurance. Some insurers offer simplified issue life insurance with a short health survey or guaranteed issue life insurance that doesn’t require any health information. Other companies use accelerated underwriting, which involves a detailed check on your medical background through prescriptions and past records but skips the blood test.
Insurers check key health indicators that could put you at risk in the coming years, indicating a lower life expectancy. Some included tests are cholesterol, glucose, liver and kidney function, nicotine use, and more.
Yes. Life insurance blood and urine tests check for the presence of nicotine, drug use to confirm smoking habits and consumption of other controlled substances. Tests may also include screening of alcohol-related markers like elevated liver enzymes and CDT among others.
If your blood reports show high cholesterol and blood sugar levels, you may still get life insurance. However, due to a high risk factor, the premium amounts may be higher.
Yes, your life insurance blood test results are protected under HIPAA privacy laws, so they are very confidential. These are shared only with the insurer and authorized underwriter. If you want, you can also request a copy of your results from the insurer.
Yes, your blood reports can be a good gauge of your overall health. The more stable the reports, the lower the premium rates may be.
Yes, you can refuse to take a life insurance blood test but this may impact your application, with insurers declining or cancelling if the medical exam is required for traditional underwriting process. . As an alternative, you can consider getting no medical exam options like accelerated underwriting, simplified issue, or guaranteed issue, but the premiums may be higher and coverage limited depending on the type of policy.
Author
Chief Underwriter
Expert review
Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer
Last Updated: April 12, 2026
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