How Do Life Insurance Companies Check Medical Background?

Before an insurance company issues a life insurance policy, it typically reviews your medical history. This is because the company does not want to assume risks with a high likelihood of payout.

Insurance Interviews

An insurance company's first source of information is the applicant. When you apply for life insurance coverage, you will complete a health questionnaire detailing past illnesses, prescription drug use, hospitalizations and surgeries.

Medical Insurance Bureau

The Medical Insurance Bureau (MIB) contains medical files on approximately 15 million Americans. Although not comprehensive, your MIB file gives insurance valuable information about your health history.

Medical Professionals

Insurance companies rely on physicians and other medical professionals to provide detailed health information.

MedPoint And IntelliScript

Insurance companies obtain prescription drug histories from these databases. Information includes the number of refills and length of prescription drug use.

Medical Exams

Insurance companies often use physical exams, including blood and urine tests, to discover health conditions that could make an applicant uninsurable.

Opting Out

You can choose not to allow an insurance company to obtain information from these sources. Without these records, though, the company can deny your life insurance application.

References

• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Medical Records Privacy