Underwriting sounds intimidating. It's really just the carrier deciding two things: will we cover this person? and at what price? Both answers come from the same pile of information about you.
What carriers actually look at
Your application
Basic demographics, occupation, hobbies (skydivers and rock climbers, we're looking at you), tobacco use, alcohol habits, existing coverage, financial justification for the amount you're asking for. Be honest — carriers verify most of this from other sources.
Your medical questionnaire
Height, weight, medications, diagnoses in the last 5–10 years, family history for parents and siblings. This is where accuracy matters most. Guessing at dates or downplaying conditions doesn't help you — it just gets flagged later.
Prescription and pharmacy records
Carriers pull an electronic prescription history that goes back roughly seven years. It shows what you've been prescribed and when. This is why "forgetting" a medication on your application never works.
MIB — the Medical Information Bureau
A shared database used by most life insurers. If you've applied for coverage in the past 7 years, previous carriers' underwriting notes might be there. It's not your medical record — it's a summary of what other insurers found.
Motor vehicle report
DUIs and reckless driving matter to life insurers because they correlate with mortality risk. Speeding tickets usually don't unless there are a lot of them.
The paramedical exam (if required)
A licensed paramed comes to your home or office. Height, weight, blood pressure, blood draw, urine sample, sometimes an EKG for higher coverage amounts. Takes 20–30 minutes. Results go straight to the carrier.
Attending Physician Statement (APS)
For anything complicated — history of cancer, heart disease, diabetes with complications — the carrier may request records directly from your doctor. This is the step that adds weeks to underwriting. It's also often the step that turns "declined" into "approved," because your doctor has context the initial application didn't capture.
How pricing works — the rate class
Every carrier bundles applicants into rate classes based on their overall risk. The typical ladder, best to worst:
- Preferred Plus — top health, ideal build, no tobacco, clean records. Best pricing.
- Preferred — very healthy, minor factors like a slightly higher weight or a well-controlled family history.
- Standard Plus — solid health with a couple of small factors.
- Standard — average.
- Table ratings — a series of higher-priced tiers for people with meaningful health factors. Each "table" typically adds 25% to standard pricing.
Same person, same records, can land in different rate classes at different carriers. That's the whole point of shopping.
Why an independent agent matters most here
A captive agent — someone who works for one insurance company — has to submit your application to their employer. If that carrier rates you at Table 4 for a past cancer diagnosis, that's your offer. Take it or leave it.
An independent agent can pre-shop your case. Before submitting a formal application, we can share your details anonymously with several carriers' underwriting teams and see who's likely to be most favorable. A carrier that specializes in your specific condition might offer standard rates where another carrier would decline entirely.
This matters a lot for: history of any cancer, diabetes (type and control matter enormously), depression or anxiety history, sleep apnea, DUIs, prescription drug history, tobacco cessation timing, and occupations that some carriers flag but others don't.
What you can do before applying
- Know your current medications and dosages.
- Have rough dates for any diagnoses, procedures, or hospitalizations.
- Know your family history for immediate relatives (age at diagnosis, age at death, cause).
- If you smoke: quitting for 12+ months moves you into non-tobacco rate classes at most carriers. It's the single fastest way to cut your premium.
- Schedule the paramed for morning if possible. Overnight fast makes cholesterol and glucose numbers look their best.
How long it takes
Simplified or accelerated underwriting: minutes to a few days. Great for healthy people who don't want paperwork.
Fully underwritten with paramed: three to six weeks is typical. Longer if your doctor's office is slow returning records.
Either way, we stay in the loop with the carrier and keep you posted — no wondering what's happening for weeks at a time.