Sanjay Malik used to run his restaurant business in Gurgaon. To start the restaurant he took loans and was still paying them off. However, Sanjay passed away in 2021 leaving his spouse and two children behind. He bought a term life insurance policy but his family is still finding it challenging to claim the amount. When Sanjay bought the policy, he went for a term plan without a medical test. He bought the policy without any problem and paid the premiums till he was alive. Nevertheless, claiming the sum assured does not look so smooth to his family now.
When you look for term insurance policies, you will often come across some insurance companies that advertise that there are no term insurance medical tests required. Is it worth it to go for such a policy without a term insurance medical test?
Well, many insurance companies demand a thorough health checkup of the policy buyer before selling them term insurance policies. This is done to determine the health quotient of the policy buyer as well as identify any pre-existing health condition. Based on the test reports, the policy buyer will be given a customized term insurance plan. If you fall into the advertising gimmick and buy a term insurance policy, you might have to go through some repercussions later. Let us now discuss the need for a medical test for purchasing a term insurance policy.
Why Medical Test is Important While Buying Term Insurance Policy
1. Premiums
The main aim of any insurance company is to determine the premium amount that you will be required to pay for the term insurance plan you buy. The insurance industry works based on risk perception. Therefore, they need to know about your health conditions before they decide the premium that you would be paying. If the medical reports say you are fit and fine, you will have to pay a lower premium amount. If you already have a pre-existing health condition, and the risk factor is comparatively higher, you might have to pay a higher premium.
2. Sum Assured
The sum assured in a term insurance policy is very important. It is the amount of money that is paid to the nominee of the policy if the policyholder passes away within the tenure of the term insurance plan. when you undergo a medical test before buying a term insurance plan, your insurance provider will have all the information about your health condition. Therefore, your spouse will have no problem claiming the sum assured. If you do not undergo a medical test before buying the term insurance plan, the sum assured will certainly be lower, and not enough to cover your family.
3. Claim Rejection
If you are assuming that you can get through your pre-existing illness by purchasing a term insurance policy that does not need you to undergo a medical test, you are mistaken. In most cases, the insurance companies reject the claims if they find out that the death of the policyholder is the result of a pre-existing health condition.
4. Lower Coverage
If you are opting for a term insurance policy that does not require you to go for a medical checkup, then the coverage they provide will certainly be lower. This is done by the insurance company since they have to compensate for all the risks that are linked with the health conditions that are not known to them yet.
One of the popular term insurance policies that do not need the policyholders to undergo a medical test is LIC Tech Term. However, since there is no need for a LIC Tech Term medical test, does not mean there are no conditions applied. You certainly need to meet some conditions. The three conditions are:
- You have to be within the age range of 18 to 35 years
- Your annual income has to be more than INR 3 lakh
- You can buy a life cover of more than INR 75 lakh.
Top 4 Benefits of undergoing medical tests for term insurance
As you undergo medical tests for a term insurance policy that you intend to buy, you can get several benefits out of it. Here are some of them mentioned below:
1. Lesser Possibility of Claim Rejection
If you mention any incorrect details while buying the policy, there are chances that your claim can get rejected. However, medical tests work as documentary evidence of all the details that you submitted earlier. The reports can help in supporting your claim.
2. Reality Check
As you undergo medical tests, you get to find out the health conditions that you have. You can accordingly take the necessary measures and even undergo treatment.
3. Affordable Premium Rates
If your medical reports show that you are healthy, you will not have to pay as high premiums as the premium for the plans that do not need medical tests.
4. Higher Sum Assured
The term insurance policies which require the policy buyers to get a medical checkup done will always provide a higher sum assured.
To conclude, we can say that we should always opt for a term insurance policy that requires us to undergo a medical checkup while purchasing the plan.
