We come across many people who come to inquire about the “medical documents” which are needed at the time of attaining a life insurance policy. We help them by explaining the kind of documents that are needed to be submitted and their purpose so that they do not have to run around for each and every document separately. An advanced knowledge helps in saving a lot of time and efforts.
In this article, we intend to simplify this understanding for our readers to make them aware of what documents will they need to present at the time of buying life insurance. However, let us start with the basics to make it easy.
Most of the people that we meet are confused about health insurance and life insurance policies.
What is Life Insurance?
Life insurance is a legal agreement in between the policyholder and the insurer wherein the later assures the death benefits to the beneficiaries who have been named in the policy, in case of untimely death of the policyholder under given circumstances. Most of the life insurance policies cover medical insurance clause too.
What is Health Insurance?
Health insurance is a term to specify the contract between the insurance company and the applicant to ensure the medical expenses of the later that incur during the span of insurance (varying degrees).
So, the difference is that health insurance does not include death benefits.
Required Documents
Now let us talk about the documents. Both of these policies require similar general documents to be submitted at the time of filing application. Let us give you an overview:
- Age proof (date of birth)
- Address proof
- Identity proof
- Marriage certificate (in case the beneficiary is a spouse)
- Proof of income and financial status
- Nationality certificate (optional)
- Medical documents
Among these above-mentioned documents, the major clauses lie amidst medical documents which are rigorous and important. You may also have to take a few medical tests before getting the plan.
What Kind of Medical Documents are Needed to be Submitted for Insurance Policies?
There are various clauses that are included in medical documents. Let us explain them to you:
Proof of Overall Well Being
Every insurance company has a format that has to be followed. Some of them provide their own facilities for medical check-ups while others allow the general medical centers to provide certificates of the overall health of the applicant.
You need to ensure them that you are in the best state of your health at the time of applying for the life insurance policy. The insurance is meant to cover only those ailments that incur during the period mentioned in the policy. They do not provide cover for any health issues that were persistent before you applied for insurance.
Some of the life insurance companies ask you to take separate health insurance coverage. At the time of filing application for life insurance, you have to present the documents pertaining to health insurance policy as well such as –policy statement or certificate, Medicare card etc.
Therefore, keep your health insurance cover handy when you go on to apply for a life insurance policy.
Reports of Medical History (If Any)
If you ever had any medical history of treatment for any severe disease, you may have to reveal it to the life insurance company along with other documents.
There are a few defined ailments that are considered severe and need to be mentioned in your application. Check for these specific ailments on the website of the insurance companies. You will get a lot of information there.
You may have to present the records that generalize the successful treatment undertaken by any hospital or doctor. For example- if you had undergone eye surgery in past, give a copy of final reports provided by the doctor to you. Our medical records should always be maintained in a separate file as they can be needed for proofing the full recovery after treatment.
Family Historical Record
The insurance companies may ask you of your family health history. There are some diseases that are transmitted from one to another through their genes. Some of them are minor health problems while there can be life-threatening conditions as well such as cancer!
Therefore, at times insurance companies ask for the health record of the prevailing family too – certificates or medical bills of the last 3 months.
Special Conditions such as Pregnancy
If you are pregnant at the time of application of insurance, you may need to provide the statement from your gynecologist about your state of health and due date of delivery. A Xerox copy of 2-3 last checkups can also be needed.
Child/Adult Day Care Center Records
If you are getting paid care for your children or parents in a child or adult day-care center, then you need to provide a written document.
The day-care center or the concerned authorities should provide the written statement about the status of health of the child or parent in order to know their ongoing condition.
Also, the insurance company may ask you to provide the canceled checks of the receipts of the payments to ascertain there is no pending amount due from your side and you are providing full support to the day-care facility in bringing up your dependant.
These documents are needed only when you are using external aids to take care of the people who are dependent on you. In such circumstances often the family members are not well aware of the health and behavior based issues which are dealt by the care provider facilities. Therefore, these documents are an insight into their health perspective only.
Conclusion
Life insurance companies look forward to covering their maximum risk by ensuring all sorts of medical check-ups of their customers. They try to consider every aspect of our health before allowing the customer to buy the policy.
As a liable customer, we should cooperate in their functioning and process and provide all the required documents at the time of application. It helps us to get the things simplified at the time when we need the redemption of money.