If a 38 yr old male applies for a 200,000 life and is scheduled to take a urine test, what will they be looking for? Would marajuana use cause the applicant to fail?

 

  • lambspew 2:04 pm on December 5, 2009 Permalink

    When you submit an application for a life insurance policy and take the medical exam they will look for anything that will increase their risk of insuring you (anything that is more likely to force a payment sooner rather than later). Examples would be; Ulcers, potential heart conditions, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and evidence of an unhealthy lifestyle.

    They will be looking for illegal and controlled substances, however this can also be done (and is usually more accurate) by taking a hair sample (even if you shave your head the hair can be taken from other parts of your body). The presence of an illegal substance in your body is grounds for a rejection of the application… even so, it is never smart to use drugs.

    In addition to illegal substances they will screen your urine for alcohol, sodium, caffeine, and a number of other substances that will "increase the risk". One of the biggest factors that has effected my clients in the past is the presence of Cotinine in their system. Cotinine is a chemical that is produced when nicotine is present in a persons body, if cotinine is found during the medical expect to get put on smoker (read as more expensive) rates.

    Before going to a life insurance medical stay away from any negative substances (and by this i mean coffee, tobacco, etc.) for, at minimum, one week. Cotinine can stay in your system for up to 6 months, so if you said you didn’t smoke it might be wise to revise your warranty.

    Generally testing positive for any of the above will get your application rejected. Drug use is usually an automatic rejection.

    Hope that helps

  • M1759 2:04 pm on December 5, 2009 Permalink

    They will look for anything and everything. The reason for testing you is to mitigate the risk associated with issuing your policy. If you have marijuana in your system, the insurer will most likely reject you due to the potential of other and riskier drug use, which in turn increases the possibility of reduced life expectancy, which in turn decreases the profitability of issuing a policy to you.