My husband and I have been going through the necessary process that is involved when one tries to get a life insurance policy. Recently, we had the underwriters call us and ask us each a lot of health related questions. The answers we gave to those questions will be used by our insurance company to help them decide how much financial risk it would be for them if they sold us a life insurance policy. Once the phone interview was over, we were told to wait for another phone call. That call happened today.
We got a call from someone who identified herself as “Marla from the insurance company”. She wanted to arrange a time when both my husband and I would be available to have a basic physical exam done. When we paid for the life insurance policies, our insurance agent let us know that they require everyone who applies for a life insurance policy to have a basic physical. If you do not want to do the physical, you cannot be considered for the life insurance policy. Again, the results of the physical exams will be used by the insurance company to determine how much financial risk they would be facing if they agreed to sell us a life insurance policy.
To me, it seems that the insurance company does things backwards. First, my husband and I each signed our life insurance policies. We paid for “the first and last month” of these policies the same day. So, they have our money, but, technically, we still do not have life insurance until after we do both the telephone health interview, and the physical exams. Even then, there is the possibility that either I, or my husband, or both of us, will be denied by the insurance company.
Marla will be coming to our home to do the physical exams. This is convenient. Our insurance agent told us that some people choose to have the physical exam done in her office, or at their workplace. Marla spoke with my husband, and he gave her directions to our home. She asked him what he weighs, and what I weigh. She will be weighing both of us anyway, but, needed a “ballpark” number. This is because her “protocol” involves bringing two scales with her, in case someone is too heavy to be weighed on one scale. Marla said she will be taking a blood sample, and a urine sample, from each of us. Our insurance agent told us that we will have our blood pressures checked for this exam.
Marla will be arriving in the morning on the day we arranged for her to come and do the physical exams. She said that we cannot eat anything after midnight the night before. This, of course, makes me think of the movie “Gremlins”. “Don’t feed them after midnight!” In other words, we need to fast before the exam. She suggested that we drink a lot of fluids, because this will help with both the urine and blood samples. The best part of the exam is that we don’t have to pay to have it done.
Image by -Paul H- on Flickr