The Typical Mobile Medical Exam
By Victoria Trix
A medical exam required by a life insurance company will be conducted by a licensed paramedical, who will conduct what is known as a mobile medical exam. A paramedical is someone who is licensed to only perform certain medical tests, and then forward the results to a lab for diagnostic. The paramedical cannot give test results or recommend a course of treatment for any medical condition.
To preserve unbiased results of medical tests for life insurance purposes, the life insurance company will not allow you to have your exam taken by your doctor or the doctor of your choosing, although in some cases they may require a statement from your regular physician. Instead, the life insurance company pays an independent paramedical company to have one of its agents come to your home or office to conduct the required tests to complete your life insurance application. If you are unable to schedule an exam in your home or office, arrangements can be made for you to have your tests taken at the clinic of the insurance company’s choosing. The exam and the lab work is paid for by the insurance company, but the paramedical or clinic is not affiliated with the insurance company, therefore the results are objective.
Mobile Exam Procedure
If the tests are conducted with a paramedical, he or she will be contacted by the insurance company and then will call you directly to set up a time and location for the exam. The entire exam will not take more than about 20 minutes.
When the paramedical arrives, he will initially ask a list of standardized questions about your current health and medical history. He will then measure your height and weight, take your blood pressure, check your pulse and listen to your heart. He will then take a blood sample, usually through a pin prick to the finger but sometimes with a medical syringe, and will also give you a labeled, sterile container to collect a urine sample while the paramedical waits.
In all cases, the paramedical will be specific in showing you that all equipment they use is first sterile, and disposed of after use. There is no need to worry that medical safety standards suffer when using a paramedical, compared to a doctor’s office. Paramedicals are under constant scrutiny and must, by law, display that they are conducting their tests with the highest concern for medical safety.
In cases where the applicant is over a certain age or applying for life insurance in excess of $1 million, additional medical tests will be required which may include an EKG, stress test or other heart or circulation-related examinations. The paramedical will conduct all tests for which he has the appropriate equipment. Other tests will have to be conducted at a clinic or doctor's office.
After the Exam
Tests samples taken will be labeled and delivered to an independent diagnostic lab for analysis and results. Your insurance company will receive the results of your tests and will forward a summary of results to you, including what range of overall health assessment you fall into for insurability and premium rates.
Upon receiving your summary, the insurance company will advise that you have the right to have test results forwarded to your medical doctor for further analysis and follow-up, if necessary. It is usually advisable to have medical results forwarded to your primary care physician, as sometimes slightly elevated blood content levels will cause the underwriters to categorize an applicant in a higher risk level that is in contrary to your doctor’s summation of test results. At this point, your doctor can provide additional explanation to the insurance company underwriters which may result in their re-categorization to a lower risk level of insurance premiums.
Articles in the Life Insurance Medical Exam series
- About Life Insurance Medical Exams
- The Typical Mobile Medical Exam
- What the Insurer is Looking For
- How Exam Results Impact Policies and Rates
- Preparing for Your Life Insurance Medical Exam
- Life Insurance with No Medical Exam
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