Life insurance answers
Each page answers its question directly in the first paragraph, then explains the reasoning. Reviewed 2026-08-05 by Jordan Mikeal McNutt, Licensed Life Insurance Agent.
- Can you get life insurance without a medical exam?Yes. No-exam life insurance replaces the paramedical visit with accelerated underwriting — the carrier checks prescription history, motor vehicle reco…
- What are living benefits on a life insurance policy?Living benefits — formally, accelerated death benefit riders — let you draw part of your own death benefit while you are still alive if you are diagno…
- What is guaranteed issue life insurance and who should buy it?Guaranteed issue life insurance accepts every applicant within the issue ages — commonly up to age 85 — with no health questions and no exam. In excha…
- How much life insurance do I actually need?Add up what your death would leave unfunded: remaining debt, the years of income your household needs to replace, your mortgage balance, and future ed…
- What is the difference between term and whole life insurance?Term life covers you for a fixed number of years and pays only if you die during that window — it buys the most death benefit per dollar. Whole life l…
- What is final expense insurance and how much does a funeral cost?Final expense insurance is a small permanent life policy — typically a whole life contract — sized to cover funeral, burial or cremation, and remainin…
- Is accidental death insurance worth it?Accidental death coverage pays only when death results from a covered accident. It is inexpensive precisely because it excludes the causes most people…
- Can you get life insurance with diabetes?Yes. Most applicants with well-managed type 2 diabetes are approved, often at standard or mildly substandard rates. Carriers weigh your A1C, age at di…
- Does life insurance pay out for suicide?Usually yes, after an initial exclusion period. Nearly all policies contain a suicide clause that voids the death benefit for the first two years from…
- Can you get life insurance while pregnant?Yes. Pregnancy by itself does not prevent you from buying life insurance, and an uncomplicated pregnancy usually does not raise your rate. Many carrie…
- How much more does life insurance cost if you smoke?Expect roughly two to three times the premium of an otherwise identical non-smoker. Most carriers require twelve months nicotine-free for non-smoker r…
- Can a life insurance claim be denied?Yes, though denials are uncommon. The main risk is the two-year contestability period, during which a carrier can investigate the application and resc…
- What happens if you miss a life insurance payment?Nothing immediately. Life policies carry a grace period, typically 30 or 31 days, during which coverage stays fully in force. If the premium is still …
- Who can you name as a life insurance beneficiary?Almost anyone — a person, several people, a trust, a charity, or your estate. The main constraints are insurable interest at the time of purchase, spe…
- Can you get life insurance with high blood pressure?Yes, and often at better rates than people expect. Hypertension controlled on medication with consistently good readings frequently still qualifies fo…