Part of getting life insurance involves filling out a questionnaire about your health history and physical condition. Some people might be worried about this process, or unsure of why we ask so many health questions when applying for life insurance. Why do life insurance companies need to know so much about your health? Isn’t this kind of invasive or creepy or “wrong” somehow?

Like so many questions in life, there is a short answer and a long answer.

The short answer is: Life insurance companies need to know how healthy you are so they can decide what kind of life insurance policy to offer you.

The long answer is: The reason for all the health questions when applying for life insurance is that insurance companies need to know about your health so they can offer you an appropriate insurance policy and premium that adequately manages their risk and aligns with your health and life expectancy.

In general, the healthier you are, the lower your insurance premium rates will be. If you’re a non-smoker with healthy blood pressure and cholesterol, and no major history of medical problems, and you are a healthy weight, you can expect to get a lower life insurance premium – such as a “preferred” or “preferred select” premium (depending on the life insurance company; different companies have different names for the classification levels of people who qualify for the lowest-cost life insurance premiums.
What if you are not in perfect health? Can you still get life insurance?

If you have any health issues, please be as upfront, honest and detailed as possible. Few people are in 100% “perfect” health, so chances are that you can still get good life insurance coverage even if you’ve had a few health problems. But the insurance company needs to know the full details of your health, as honestly and accurately and to the best of your knowledge as possible.

You don’t want to lie on a life insurance application. Not only is it the wrong thing to do, but it could also create unfortunate consequences for your loved ones. In the worst case scenario, if someone makes false statements on a life insurance application (and the life insurance company finds out), that person’s life insurance policy might get cancelled, it might be impossible to get new coverage, and if the person dies during the term of coverage and their family tries to file a claim for the life insurance benefits, that claim might be denied if the life insurance company finds evidence that the policyholder concealed information or misrepresented the truth about his/her health history.

So that’s “the long answer” of why life insurance companies ask questions about your health. The ideal way to buy life insurance is to do so while you’re young and healthy, so your family will be protected in case of a terrible misfortune. Health questions are meant to help the life insurance company weigh the risk of insuring you, while also aligning your premiums appropriately with your age, health and lifestyle.

Ultimately, buying life insurance is all about trust; people trust the life insurance companies to protect their families in the event of an untimely death, and life insurance companies trust policyholders to tell the truth about their health. Answering life insurance health questions doesn’t have to be difficult or uncomfortable; just answer as openly and honestly as you can.

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