Medical Tests and Life Insurance: What You Need to Know

4 min read

If a life insurance agent ever shows up in a movie, 9 times out of 10 he’s a villain. Hollywood loves to depict sleazy salesmen preying on clueless customers because most people don’t understand why they need life insurance (most scriptwriters certainly don’t!). It’s easy to misconstrue a life insurance package as a big ripoff.

But in reality, life insurance is extremely useful. Some would even say it’s totally necessary for anyone who’s managed to save up a nest egg or start their own successful business.

If you’re considering life insurance, then you already know all this. Even so, the convoluted world of life insurance policies and procedures could give anyone pause. So before you do anything, take the time to read through this post.

What is the purpose of a life insurance test?

Because life insurance is all about assessing your risk level, it’s in a life insurance firm’s best interest to get a general picture of your overall health. That’s why, as a rule of thumb, companies will test your blood and urine, which will tell them what they need to know about your health and wellness (and your risk profile).

These blood and urine tests are screened for the most common diseases in the U.S., which include heart disease, cancer, respiratory illnesses, and diabetes. In addition to these widespread sicknesses, testers will also look for infectious diseases like HIV or AIDS and liver and kidney disorders.

That’s not to say that you need to test positive for any of these diseases. Testers are also looking for clues that you may be susceptible to specific conditions via heightened (or lowered) levels of substances in the blood. For example, a high amount of glucose in the bloodstream is an indication that someone is at risk of diabetes.

Additionally, tests will also be analyzed for the presence of addictive substances, like alcohol, tobacco, or hard drugs, which may not have been revealed to the underwriters earlier in the process.

Testing case study: heart disease

Take heart disease, a leading cause of death which claims over 600,000 lives annually in the United States. Although “heart disease” includes a wide variety of conditions, from coronary artery disease to high blood pressure, the unifying theme is that they all involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels.

However, the vast majority of heart diseases leave warning signs, which can be measured using tests like lipid profiles. Lipid profiles measure the amount and type(s) of fat (or lipid) in your blood, your total level of cholesterol, and your corresponding risk of heart disease.

Lipid profiles will test a number of different fats, from low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which accumulates in blood vessels and causes blockages, to high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which counters LDL’s effects, keeping your blood vessels open and free-flowing.

How to prepare for your medical tests

The process of preparing for your life insurance blood test is the same as getting ready for your annual checkup.

You should always ask the testing facility for specifics, but generally patients are advised to fast; eating can elevate levels of glucose, protein, and cholesterol in your blood. You should also skip strenuous workouts 24 hours prior to your appointment because they can elevate enzymes commonly associated with muscle or heart conditions. Finally, skip the cigarettes, alcohol, and caffeine, which can throw off your blood pressure or liver substances.

When it comes to blood tests, bear in mind that “fasting” applies only to food, and does not include water. It’s important to stay hydrated because if you’re dehydrated on the day of your test your veins will shrink and be harder to find. You may also have abnormally high levels of triglycerides (the main form of fat in your body) in your bloodstream.

Where you can find a provider

Whatever blood and urine tests your insurance provider requires, you can find them on our intuitive, easy-to-use website. Here, you can search for test centers, book your tests, and receive online access when the test is ready—all while receiving regular email updates.

We also verify that all tests will be covered by your insurance, helping you avoid those lengthy surprise medical bills that are all-too-common nowadays. Book a test with us to find out more.

LabFinder is a no-cost, online platform for people to easily schedule their medical tests and view results securely. The LabFinder team is passionate about improving the ‘patient and doctor experience’ through better communication, reduce out-of-pocket expenses and making everyone know more about their own medical tests. The mission of LabFinder is simple: we want to be solution to you and get you the test results you deserve so you can make right choices about your health.