Why is Medical Test Mandatory for Term Insurance Plan?
Insurers often require medical tests for term insurance for the following reasons:
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Determine Premiums
The insurance company assesses your medical conditions and chooses a suitable term insurance premium that you need to pay for the desired life cover. If you have pre-existing medical conditions under the high-risk category, it will lead to higher premiums.
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Sum assured
Another component of a term insurance plan is the sum assured. The lump-sum amount will be paid to your nominees in case of the policy holder's death within the term duration. After the medical test, if you are healthy or without any serious ailments, the insurer will offer you a higher amount as a sum assured.
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Rejection of claim
In most cases, the insurer will reject the death benefits claim if it is proved that the policyholder's demise is due to a pre-existing medical condition.
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Low coverage
If you purchase a term insurance policy without a medical check-up, you are bound to receive low coverage from the insurer. The insurer will compensate for the unknown medical issues hidden from them.
What Causes Mistakes in Term Insurance Medical Tests?
The mistakes in medical tests for term insurance plans can result in your request to buy term insurance being rejected. Therefore, to help you avoid these mistakes, here is a list of the main reasons why term insurance medical tests fail in India:
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Communication breakdown: It is one of the most common root causes that can lead to term insurance medical test fail in India. There can be verbal or written communication issues in a medical setup between a physician, patient, nurse, or lab technician.
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Insufficient information flow: It is critical in any healthcare setting to have proper information flow related to the patient. Otherwise, it can lead to erroneous test results, ultimately affecting your term insurance plan.
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Human errors: These occur if the standard protocols are not followed in the medical examination. Some of the human errors include poor documentation and incorrect labelling of the specimens. These knowledge-based errors also occur due to a lack of experience and improper training.
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Patient-related issues: There may be wrong patient identification, preliminary patient assessment, failure to obtain consent, and lack of awareness about the medical examination needs.
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Knowledge transfer: The team that handles the medical test for prospective policyholders may not be well trained due to insufficient knowledge transfer or maybe newcomers temporarily. It can lead to critical mistakes in medical reporting that may result in term insurance medical test fail, hampering your chances of securing a good term insurance plan.
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Inadequate staffing: More often, the staff capacity doesn't match the patient inflow, and hence the medical team is prone to make mistakes due to higher workload.
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Technical failures: Sometimes, the medical equipment used for testing may fail to show accurate results due to calibration issues, electronic and software glitches, etc. The same inaccurate results are added to your medical records, which can end up in your term insurance medical test fail.
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Lack of policies and procedures: Some hospitals where these medical examinations are conducted may follow poor documentation policies and use out-of-date medical procedures, leading to term insurance medical test fail.
How to Fix or Prevent Medical Report Mistakes?
Now that we have understood what is term insurance and the common mistakes in term insurance, let us take a look at how you can fix or prevent medical report mistakes.
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Make sure you are fasting for at least 12 hours before your medical examination.
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After the completion of the medical examination, try to get report copies for reference.
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If you are not satisfied with the interpretation of the results, then visit another clinic to get a second opinion.
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Self-declaration of medical issues before the purchase of the term plan will help win the insurer's trust.
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If possible, get a second medical test at your own expense and double-check so that if there are any mistakes in the first report, they are fixed by submitting the second report.
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You need to find the source of the mistake, find sufficient evidence and correct your medical report.
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Reduce caffeine intake before the medical examination as it can increase blood pressure and the heart rate affecting your results negatively.
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Be relaxed and stress-free at the time of medical examination so that your results are accurate.
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Avoid smoking before the medical examination as it can elevate the blood pressure impacting your results.
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Don't consume alcohol before the medical examination as it can affect liver function tests.
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Don't eat extra salty foods 24 hours before the test as it can throw off tests for kidney function.
What are the Benefits of Medical Tests in Term Insurance?
The benefits of term insurance medical tests are as follows:
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Reduced chances of claim rejection: Medical examination results can be used as documentary evidence to support your claims in case of any discrepancies.
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Reality check: Medical examination reports will give you insights into your current medical conditions. It will help you to modify your lifestyle and become healthier if there are any ailments discovered. If there are any chronic issues, you can get immediate medical attention to get better.
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Reasonable premium rates: A clean medical report free of any ailments will be rewarded with a lower premium rate. You can use a term policy calculator to get the estimated premiums for your profile.
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Higher sum assured: Term insurance plans with the mandatory medical examination are higher assured, depending on the results. Therefore, it will help you accumulate a higher corpus that can help your family in case of your untimely death. You can choose the best term plan for 1 Crore to ensure your family's financial stability in your absence.
After the medical test, if you are healthy, the insurer will offer you the best term life insurance in India with higher sum assured.
Final Thoughts!
Buying term insurance is crucial for your family's future, as it not only offers financial protection but also provides tax benefits. Also, having a medical examination and getting a report with a healthy verdict will convince the insurer to provide you with affordable premiums and a higher sum assured on the policy. Suppose there are any mistakes on your medical record due to some reasons. In that case, you must get it rechecked and fix it as soon as possible to negate the consequences and help your family receive death benefits without any hassles.