The best no exam life insurance policies at a glance
AARP: Best for older applicants.
Country Financial: Best for policy choice.
Ladder: Best for flexible term life insurance.
Lemonade: Best for long terms.
Lincoln Financial: Best for convertible term insurance.
Protective Life: Best for simplified issue whole life.
Not all life insurance policies require a medical exam. No-exam policies can be issued quickly — sometimes within minutes — and are best suited for younger, healthier applicants. Below are the best no-exam life insurance policies from highly rated U.S. companies.
Alternatives to no-exam life insurance
These policies may not be the best fit for certain applicants. If you fit into one of the following categories, other types of coverage may be a better choice.
Older, with health issues
Consider guaranteed issue life insurance, which doesn't require health questions or medical exams. These policies are generally small whole life policies marketed as burial insurance to cover final expenses. Approval is guaranteed if you’re within the eligible age range (typically 50 to 85). See our picks for the best burial insurance.
Healthy, on a budget
If you're not in a hurry to get coverage, life insurance with traditional underwriting — including a medical exam — may end up being more affordable for you. You may also be eligible for a higher coverage amount. See our list of the best life insurance companies to get started.
Why trust NerdWallet
1,413 life insurance rates sets collected.
441 life insurers analyzed by our team of experts.
185 policies assessed.
Dive deeper: Ratings methodology for life insurance.
NerdWallet's life insurance content, including ratings and recommendations, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in life insurance. We follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure the content on our site is accurate and fair so you can make financial decisions with confidence and choose the products that work best for you.
Best for older applicants: AARP
Best for older applicants
AARP
Bottom line: No medical exams are required for life insurance policies through AARP, although you have to be a member to buy one.- No medical exams required.
- Fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators.
- Anyone age 50 and up can get access through AARP membership.
- Term life insurance premiums rise every five years.
Pros
- No medical exams required.
- Fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators.
- Anyone age 50 and up can get access through AARP membership.
Cons
- Term life insurance premiums rise every five years.
Overview: AARP’s term life insurance policies are available to the organization’s members and their spouses. Most people who apply are accepted.
While your death benefit will stay level as long as you have the policy, your rates will increase every five years. Coverage lasts until age 80 and is underwritten by New York Life, one of NerdWallet’s best term life insurance companies.
Issue age: 50 to 74 for AARP members (45 to 74 for partners and spouses).
Coverage: $10,000 to $150,000 (up to $100,000 for New York residents). Higher amounts may be available by phone.
» Read the full review: AARP life insurance review
Best for policy choice: Country Financial
Best for policy choice
Country Financial
Bottom line: Qualifying applicants may be able to get term, whole or indexed universal life insurance from Country Financial without an exam.- Offers multiple insurance products.
- Not available in all states.
Pros
- Far fewer consumer complaints than expected for a company of its size.
- Offers multiple insurance products.
Cons
- Not available in all states.
Overview: Country Financial offers three types of life insurance, each available to qualifying applicants without a medical exam. You can choose a term life policy if you need coverage only for a certain period of time. But if you want insurance to last your entire life, you can get a whole or indexed universal policy from Country Financial instead.
Whole life policies have level premiums and a cash value component that grows at a guaranteed rate. Meanwhile, IUL policies have flexible premiums, and their cash value growth rate can fluctuate based on the performance of a stock market index.
All Country Financial life insurance policies must be purchased through a company representative.
Issue age: 50 or younger.
Coverage: $50,000 to $100,000 for term and IUL policies; $25,000 to $100,000 for whole life policies.
» Read the full review: Country Financial auto, homeowners and life insurance
Best for flexible term life insurance: Ladder
Best for flexible term life insurance
Ladder
Bottom line: Ladder issues instant term life insurance policies nationwide, with coverage amounts you can adjust any time.- Quick online application.
- Most applicants won't need a medical exam.
- No riders available.
Pros
- Quick online application.
- Most applicants won't need a medical exam.
Cons
- No riders available.
Overview: Ladder offers a quick online application for its term life insurance policies, which are available for 10- to 30-year periods. A unique feature of the company’s policies is the ability to adjust your coverage levels up and down during your term.
For example, you might want to increase your death benefit if you have a second child, or reduce your coverage amount once you’ve paid off your mortgage. Each time you change your death benefit, Ladder will adjust your premiums accordingly.
Issue age: 20 to 60.
Coverage: Up to $3 million.
» Read the full review: Ladder life insurance review
Best for long terms: Lemonade
Best for long terms
Lemonade
Bottom line: Lemonade sells term life insurance online, with coverage periods up to 40 years.- Wide range of term lengths available.
- Policies can be issued within minutes.
- Qualifying applicants can get millions in coverage online.
- Policies aren’t available nationwide.
- Coverage can’t be converted to permanent life insurance.
Pros
- Wide range of term lengths available.
- Policies can be issued within minutes.
- Qualifying applicants can get millions in coverage online.
Cons
- Policies aren’t available nationwide.
- Coverage can’t be converted to permanent life insurance.
Overview: Lemonade offers life insurance policies online for terms up to 40 years. This may be a good fit for people who need coverage for longer than the usual maximum of 30 years but who can’t afford permanent life insurance.
Lemonade approves some applicants within minutes, while others may need to wait a few days or weeks. You’ll start your application online and then work with Lemonade’s partner, Legal & General, to finalize your coverage.
Issue age: 20 to 75. Not available in New York.
Coverage: Starting at $100,000.
» Read the full review: Lemonade life insurance review
Best for convertible term insurance: Lincoln Financial
Best for convertible term insurance
Lincoln Financial
Bottom line: You can convert your Lincoln Financial term policy into permanent insurance if you decide you need coverage for your entire life.- Drew fewer complaints to state regulators than expected for a company of its size.
- Offers hybrid policies with life and long-term care coverage.
- Applicants must work with a financial advisor.
Pros
- Drew fewer complaints to state regulators than expected for a company of its size.
- Offers hybrid policies with life and long-term care coverage.
Cons
- Applicants must work with a financial advisor.
Overview: With Lincoln Financial’s TermAccel policy, qualifying applicants don’t need to take a medical exam and may be approved in as few as two days.
The policy can be converted from term to permanent insurance if you decide you want your coverage to last your whole life. It may also come with an accelerated death benefit rider, allowing you to access your payout early if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Issue age: 18 to 60, depending on the term length.
Coverage: $100,000 to $2.5 million.
» Read the full review: Lincoln Financial life insurance review
Best for simplified issue whole life: Protective Life
Best for simplified issue whole life
Protective
Bottom line: Protective Life offers a whole life policy with coverage up to $100,000.- Simplified issue policies may be approved within 10 minutes.
- Low number of complaints from consumers.
- Relatively low coverage amounts available.
Pros
- Simplified issue policies may be approved within 10 minutes.
- Low number of complaints from consumers.
Cons
- Relatively low coverage amounts available.
Overview: If you want lifelong coverage without a medical exam, Protective’s simplified issue whole life policy may be a good fit. The application process consists of a few medical questions over the phone, with potential for approval within 10 minutes.
You can choose from a variety of life insurance riders offering extra coverage, including a guaranteed insurability endorsement that lets you get more insurance in the future without a medical exam.
Issue age: 15 days to age 65.
Coverage: $20,000 to $100,000.
» Read the full review: Protective Life insurance review
✏️ How NerdWallet rates life insurance companies
When NerdWallet evaluates life insurance companies, our editorial team considers the insurer's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the things that matter most to customers buying a long-term financial product. Our ratings take into account the following details about each insurer:
Financial strength (40%). We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s financial stability and ability to pay claims far into the future. For life insurance, NerdWallet typically recommends insurers with ratings of A- (Excellent) or higher. The top life insurance companies have an exceptional financial strength rating of A+ or A++ (Superior).
Consumer complaints (40%). These ratings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Our top-rated life insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints, so you can expect a smoother customer experience.
Policy detail availability (10%). Ideally, a consumer should be able to find basic policy details on an insurer’s website. Our methodology gives higher scores to transparent insurers who include information about their policy options, coverage amounts and term lengths (if applicable) and clearly display these details in easily accessible places on their site.
Ease of communication (10%). Insurers who allow consumers to contact them by email, phone and live chat earn the highest scores.
We regularly reassess insurers and adjust scores as needed. Our star ratings are a guide to help you shop for a life insurance policy, and we encourage you to compare companies to find the best fit for your needs.
What is no medical exam life insurance?
No medical exam life insurance refers to policies that don’t require a physical exam to qualify for coverage. No-exam policies tend to appeal to those with serious health conditions or healthy people who want to speed up the life insurance application process.
A life insurance medical exam is similar to an annual physical. A medical professional measures your height, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol, and usually takes samples of blood, urine and saliva.
Without the exam, insurers must rely on other data to assess the risk of insuring you, such as your answers to health questions and your prescription history.
Not all applicants are approved for life insurance without an exam. If you’re denied, you may have more trouble getting a traditionally underwritten policy because other insurers can see that you’ve been rejected in the past.
Types of life insurance with no medical exam
There are several types of life insurance that don’t require an exam.
Guaranteed issue life insurance
Summary: Guaranteed issue life insurance policies generally provide enough coverage to pay for final expenses such as burial and funeral costs. The application has no health questions or medical exams.
Guaranteed issue policies often have graded death benefits, which means your life insurance beneficiaries won’t receive the full death benefit if you die within the first few years of the policy unless you die of accidental causes. Instead, they receive a percentage of the premiums you paid into the policy, such as 110%.
In general, guaranteed issue life insurance is more expensive for healthy people than policies that require a medical exam.
Who it's for: Primarily middle-aged and older adults whose health would disqualify them from getting life insurance with full medical underwriting.
Simplified issue life insurance
Summary: Simplified issue life insurance policies don’t require a medical exam, but you may need to answer health questions during the application process. Insurers sometimes request additional data, such as your prescription drug history, motor vehicle record and information from previous life insurance applications.
Approval for a policy isn’t guaranteed. Many types of coverage, including term and whole life insurance, are available as simplified issue policies. The maximum coverage amounts may be limited, usually $500,000 or less, depending on the company. Coverage is typically more expensive than a policy that requires a medical exam.
Who it's for: People who don’t mind answering health questions, but want to skip the exam and get a relatively small amount of coverage quickly.
Some life insurance companies follow a streamlined approach called accelerated underwriting to make buying a policy easier and faster. Accelerated underwriting uses algorithms to determine whether you qualify for coverage and help insurers set rates. With this type of underwriting, you may be able to get approved for a policy within minutes. See the best instant life insurance companies.
Group life insurance
Summary: Life insurance available through your employer is often called group life insurance. Rates are set for the group as a whole, and the employer typically pays all or most of the premium. Life insurance policies from an employer are often small, generally one to two times your annual salary. You don’t have to take a medical exam to enroll in free workplace policies.
Your employer may also offer the chance to buy additional coverage. These policies — sometimes called supplemental life insurance — may require health information or the completion of a medical exam to qualify for coverage. Because rates are based on the group as a whole, people who are young and healthy may be able to get cheaper policies outside the workplace.
Who it’s for: People who want free coverage or who can’t buy a policy on the open market.
» MORE: Compare life insurance quotes
More about top-rated life insurance companies
Looking for a different type of life insurance policy? Check out NerdWallet’s top picks across these categories:
Life insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s life insurance ratings are based on consumer experience, complaint index scores from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for individual life insurance, and weighted averages of financial strength ratings, which indicate a company’s ability to pay future claims. Within the consumer experience category, we consider ease of communication and website transparency, which looks at the depth of policy details available online. To calculate each insurer’s rating, we adjusted the scores to a curved 5-point scale.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2021-2023. To assess how insurers compare with one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
