Applying for life insurance involves more than choosing a cover amount. Insurers also need information about your health, medical history and lifestyle to assess your application and determine appropriate cover and premiums.
Understanding how this information is used can help make the process more straightforward.
Every application is assessed individually
Life insurance is designed to provide a once-off financial payout to your beneficiaries if you pass away. Because every applicant's circumstances are different, insurers assess each application individually through a process known as underwriting.
Underwriting helps insurers understand the level of risk associated with an application. Rather than focusing on a single factor, insurers consider several aspects of your health, medical history and lifestyle before making a decision.
Why does the questions matter?
During the application process, insurers typically ask questions about your current health, medical history and lifestyle.
This may include information about diagnosed medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart-related conditions, asthma, high cholesterol, cancer or mental health conditions. You may also be asked about prescription medication, previous surgeries, hospital admissions and medical treatment.
Lifestyle-related questions can include smoking or vaping, alcohol consumption and your occupation. Some insurers may also ask for your height and weight to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI).
In certain cases, insurers may ask about the medical history of immediate family members, including conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes or certain cancers.
The information you provide helps insurers assess risk, determine appropriate cover and calculate premiums. That's why answering questions honestly and completely is an important part of the application process.
Can you get life cover with a pre-existing condition?
In many cases, yes.
Depending on the applicant's circumstances, an insurer may offer cover on standard terms, apply adjusted premiums, include specific exclusions or offer cover subject to other policy terms.
Having a pre-existing medical condition does not automatically prevent someone from getting life insurance. In South Africa, many applicants with pre-existing conditions can still qualify for cover. The insurer will consider factors such as the severity of the condition, how well it is managed and the individual's overall health profile.
This is why honest and complete disclosure is so important.
Are medical tests always needed?
Not necessarily.
Whether medical tests are required depends on factors such as your age, health profile, the amount of cover you're applying for and the information provided during the application process.
In some cases, insurers may request blood tests, medical reports or a doctor's examination before making a final underwriting decision.
A no-exam life insurance policy can still include health questions. Even when medical tests are not required, insurers typically use the health, medical history and lifestyle information provided during the application process to assess the application.
With OUTsurance Life Insurance, eligible applicants can get up to R5 million life cover without medical tests or blood tests, subject to underwriting requirements and individual circumstances.
What you get OUT
Understanding how life insurance applications are assessed can help remove some of the uncertainty from the process.
With OUTsurance Life Insurance, you can get a quote in a single phone call that takes around eight minutes, with a consultant guiding you through the process and helping you understand your options.
You get financial protection for the people who matter most, while still getting something OUT.