Life insurance helps you provide for loved ones after your death. With life insurance policies, your beneficiaries get a cash payment when you're gone, one they can then use toward funeral expenses, unpaid bills or other expenses.
Most insurance companies require a medical exam before they approve you for life insurance coverage. You may be uncomfortable with this, or want to avoid it. Enter no-exam life insurance.
Many kinds of people may find no-exam life insurance appealing. No-exam policies can be smart if you have a pre-existing health condition, terminal illness, are a smoker or have a risky job (like fire fighting or construction).
Or, you may need life insurance as collateral for a loan or a sudden change in marital status like divorce. Seniors may bump up against age limits for some traditional kinds of policies and find no-medical test life insurance worthwhile.
If you think you would benefit from a no-exam life insurance policy then reach out to an insurance pro now. They can help you get started with a free price quote so you know exactly what to expect.
No medical test life insurance comes in both whole life and term life policy forms. Though there's no medical exam, each insurance type may ask for some health information on the application. Premiums are often more expensive than traditional life insurance policies that require medical exams. They can also provide significantly lower coverage. Guaranteed life policies, for instance, are often $25,000 in coverage or less.
Types of no-exam life insurance policies to know
The first step in getting no-medical test insurance is deciding what kind is right for you. Here are four main types
- Simplified issue: This insurance is often for people, including seniors, who are generally in good health but may have a few chronic health issues or medical conditions. The application typically includes a short health questionnaire.
- Guaranteed issue: These life insurance policies are aimed at older seniors or those who are in poor health. They don't require a medical test and guarantee a comparatively small death benefit for your beneficiaries. A few medical questions may be required.
- Accelerated underwriting: Sometimes called "instant" life insurance, this type uses artificial intelligence to gather and analyze data in lieu of a physical exam. Insurers may seek information like prescription history, driving records or previous medical exams to determine risk and cost. You may also be asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire or do a phone interview. The method can cut approval time from days or weeks to hours.
- Group life insurance: If you're working, your employer may also offer group life insurance policies without requiring a medical exam, sometimes for free. The drawback? You likely lose coverage if you leave or lose your job.
If you think you would benefit from having a no-exam life insurance policy then reach out to a professional now or use the table below to start searching for providers.
Finding a provider for no-exam life insurance
Seek advice from an insurance agent, your financial adviser, or another expert before you apply in order to be certain that no-exam life insurance is the best option for you.
From there:
- Shop around for several quotes. Coverage and premiums can vary widely.
- If you are a veteran, check the U.S. Veterans Administration for lower-cost providers.
- If you are working, check to see if your employer is offering group life insurance.
- Consider whether a whole life or term life type of policy is right for your circumstances.
- Seek out customer reviews and complaints to review.
Filling out the application
Once you've decided on a no-exam life insurance provider, you'll need to fill out an application. Depending on the policy type, you can expect:
- Some basic questions, including those about your weight, date of birth, lifestyle habits such as smoking, drinking, recreational drug use, exercise and activities like extreme sports.
- Details of your health history and medication use (except with most guaranteed life insurance applications, which can be pricey).
- A request for financial information such as income and credit history.
- A request letter from your primary care doctor about your health.
Be honest with your answers. A life insurance company can deny coverage or payout if you aren't being truthful on your application, like if you lie about smoking.
Follow the instructions to submit your application. Once you've submitted, it can take just hours for accelerated underwriting approval to weeks depending on the type of no-exam policy you're seeking.
Obtaining life insurance can help you pass money on to your family or other beneficiaries after your death. But not all life insurance policies are the same. Not only can there be differences in factors like monthly premiums and policy limits, but there can also be varying requirements to qualify for a life insurance policy.
One route that some people take is obtaining a no-exam life insurance policy, meaning you don't have to visit a doctor to be eligible. If you don't want to make an extra trip to the doctor's office or you're concerned the test results could lead to even higher costs, then this may be a reasonable option.
Here's a look at some of the top life insurance providers available.
Before you make any final decisions, let's take a closer look at what no-exam life insurance policies are — and why you might consider going this route.
What is no-exam life insurance?
No-exam life insurance can include several different types of life insurance that do not require medical exams to initiate coverage. Here are two examples:
- Simplified issue life insurance: This type of insurance can be for either term life insurance or whole life insurance. As the name implies, these policies follow a simplified process. Rather than needing a medical exam, you can answer a few basic questions and get a decision online in just a few minutes.
- Guaranteed issue life insurance: This type of policy typically applies to permanent life policies. This is geared more toward those with health conditions and who may be older, so they can benefit those who want a guarantee to qualify, rather than being rejected following a medical exam. However, these policies typically have a waiting period of a couple of years, meaning the benefits might not kick in for someone who dies shortly after applying.
How to get a no-exam life insurance policy
To get a no-exam life insurance policy, you can search online for simplified or guaranteed issue policies, which are relatively common. You can also dig into the offerings of different insurance companies, as even if an insurance provider uses different terminology, they might still allow for coverage without an exam.
To learn more about different types of life insurance policies and options, speak to an expert. Haven Life, a New York City-based life insurance agency, can walk you through the process. You just need to answer a few basic questions to get a free quote.
Don't assume that just because something isn't specifically called a "no-exam life insurance policy" you need an exam. Regardless of what the provider calls the policy, check the fine print to see if you need a medical test or not.
Some providers also offer options like being able to convert a term life insurance policy into a whole life insurance policy without needing a medical exam. That's not to say that you're always better off converting vs. taking out a new policy, but it could be worth considering.
How much does no-exam life insurance cost?
No-exam life insurance policies typically cost much more than ones with medical exams. That's because the insurer needs to account for the extra risk that can come from not knowing enough about your medical situation.
For example, with one major life insurance provider, a simplified issue life insurance policy for a 20-year/$500,000 term for a 40-year-old, non-smoker woman in good health in California costs nearly $50 per month. In contrast, the same type of policy for regular term life insurance with a medical test only has an estimated cost of $30 in monthly payments.
You can also compare prices and plans by scouring life insurance providers online and getting free quotes.
Is no-exam life insurance worth it?
There can be a cost to the convenience of no-exam life insurance policies. But it's also possible that the economics work out in your favor. It's possible that something would be discovered during a medical test that increases your risk to the insurer, thereby raising your rates or perhaps even making you ineligible altogether. No-exam life insurance policies can also benefit those who don't qualify for typical life insurance due to factors such as age or medical history.
However, if you're in relatively good health, meet a prospective insurer's age requirements and are comfortable seeing a doctor, then this type of insurance may not be for you — as you may secure a lower price with the medical exam.
Bottom line
Overall, a no-exam life insurance policy can offer a path for some higher-risk individuals to obtain life insurance or it could be a good way to quickly obtain coverage. However, you might be able to find lower rates if you go through with a medical exam, so it could be worth exploring your options to see what best fits your budget and goals.
What Is a Testicular Exam?
A testicular test is a check of the look and feel of your testicles, to see if there may be any problems. You or your doctor can do it.
The testicles are part of a man’s sex organs. They’re in a pouch called the scrotum, located behind and below the penis. They make sperm and the male hormone testosterone.
Who Needs a Testicular test and How Often?
Every man should have a testicular exam. There is no recommendation that a testicular test should be part of your annual physical exam. But your doctor may suggest that you do a self-exam on a regular basis. Some doctors recommend checking your testicles once a month. Others say it's fine to have your doctor check once a year.
If you are having problems, or notice a lump or other changes in how your testicles feel or look, tell your doctor.
Exams can be a good way to find lumps that could be cancer or another problem.
How to Do a Testicular Exam
There’s no harm in a self-exam, and doctors say it’s good to know how your testicles look and feel so you can notice any changes.
A self-exam is quick and painless. It takes only a few simple steps:
- Take a warm shower or bath to allow the heat to relax the skin of your scrotum.
- Hold your penis out of the way.
- Examine one testicle at a time using both hands. Roll it between your thumb and fingers.
- Feel for a pea-sized lump. If you see or feel something like that, contact your doctor. It’s probably nothing to worry about, but it’s important you make note of it.
- Check for any changes in the size, shape, or feel of your testicles. One might be of a different shape or size than the other. That’s OK, but the shapes and sizes shouldn’t change. One might hang lower than the other. That’s normal, too.
Don’t worry if you feel a cordlike structure behind each testicle. It’s a normal part of the part of the scrotum that stores and moves sperm. It’s not a lump.
Is It Testicular Cancer?
If there is a suspicious lump, your doctor might run a painless ultrasound to get a better look for signs of cancer. They might do a blood test to see if there’s an indication of cancer. If the doctor thinks it may be cancerous, they may decide to do surgery to remove the testicle and check for cancer. If it is cancerous, they can determine what kind.
Removing one testicle shouldn’t impact your sex life or your fertility, but having testicular cancer or its treatment could impact fertility. If you think you may want to have children, talk to your doctor about preserving sperm before treatment.
Here are some facts to know about testicular cancer:
It’s rare: Your chance of getting it is about 1 in 250.
It most often affects men ages 15 to 34: It’s the most common cancer in this group.
It’s highly curable: The risk of dying from it is 1 in 5,000.
Early identification is key: It’s more likely to be treated and cured if it’s found early.
Some things increase your risk: Testicular cancer generally can’t be prevented, but some things increase risk. Your risk is higher if you’re white and non-Hispanic or have an undescended testicle or a family history of testicular cancer.
Other symptoms of testicular cancer
A lump is the most common symptom, but others include:
- Firm testicle
- Swelling or fluid buildup in the scrotum
- Feeling of scrotal heaviness
- Achiness in the lower belly, groin, or scrotum
- Breast tenderness or growth
- Pain or uncomfortable feelings in the testicle or scrotum
- Back pain
- Early puberty in boys
A lump or other symptom doesn’t mean you have cancer or any other problem.
Hitachi Energy just launched wireless Spark Prevention Unit indicators that help prevent wildfires by enabling remote monitoring.
According to the US Department of Energy, approximately 10% of wildfire ignitions are sparked by faults on electrical infrastructure or electric equipment failure. Hitachi Energy’s new Wireless SPU Indicators allow utilities to monitor the grid remotely, in real time, with automated visual inspection rounds.
The SPU monitors the current and thermal load of surge arresters – which protect equipment from surges in the power system – installed in wildfire risk areas.
If there’s a thermal overload in the grid, the SPU interrupts the current flow and disconnects the surge arrester, thus preventing any arcing – which is when a circuit becomes overloaded and overheats – sparking, or ejection of hot particles that could potentially start a wildfire.
A visual indicator on the SPU lets the utility field crew know that it needs to be replaced. Hundreds of thousands of SPUs installed in some of the world’s most wildfire-prone areas, such as in the United States and Australia, have had a real impact in preventing wildfires. Being able to monitor them remotely is only going to Boost wildfire prevention.
Read more: How the US can achieve resilient power grids and support EV deployment
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Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader, has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with oil and gas major Equinor to collaborate within electrification, renewable power generation and low-carbon initiatives worldwide.
The agreement underlines both companies’ commitment to accelerate the energy transition and advance a more sustainable, flexible and secure energy system. It builds on the two companies’ long and successful collaboration over many decades.
During that time, Hitachi Energy has provided Equinor with power grid solutions and pioneering technologies on several projects, such as Dogger Bank A, B and C, the world’s largest offshore wind farm on completion, and Troll A, the world's first HVDC power-from-shore connection.
Areas of focus
Initial areas of focus for the collaboration include developing standardised base designs to be applied for high-voltage direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) transmission systems to connect offshore wind farms and Equinor production facilities to mainland power grids.
“We are delighted to deepen our longstanding relationship with one of the world’s leading energy companies and to help Equinor achieve its ambition of becoming net zero by mid-century,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “Together we make a strong team that will support the society to reach the goal of the Paris Agreement and create a sustainable energy future for all.”
“Hitachi Energy has been a reliable supplier to Equinor for many years. This strategic collaboration agreement is a signal of joint ambitions to increase our competitiveness in the ongoing energy transition. Standardisation of technical solutions will be a key to succeed, and we look forward to improving together with Hitachi Energy” said Geir Tungesvik, Executive Vice President for Projects, Drilling and Procurement at Equinor.
Complete spectrum
The scope of the agreement covers the complete spectrum of Hitachi Energy’s portfolio of power grid technologies and solutions. It includes IdentiQ, Hitachi Energy’s digital twin for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and power quality solutions, which provides significant benefits throughout the assets’ plan, build, operate and maintain life cycle; Grid-eXpand modular and prefabricated offshore and onshore grid connections that make it faster, simpler and more efficient to connect facilities to the grid; OceaniQ solutions such as transformers and high-voltage products that can operate flawlessly on land, offshore and below the sea surface; and grid automation solutions that keep onshore and offshore electrical assets operating reliably, safely and securely.-- TradeArabia News Service
Hitachi Rail has signed a €368m framework agreement with Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM) for new metro trains in Italy.
Under the agreement, Hitachi Rail will engage in the manufacturing of 46 new metro trains for the Milan metro.
The first part of this agreement, valued at €168m, has been committed and involves the supply of 21 trains to be used on the M1 line.
The first metro trains are expected to start operations in early 2024, helping further enhance public transportation in the city.
These new trains will feature a fully accessible design, offering an uninterrupted view from the front to the end of the service.
They will also have a surveillance system to offer real-time video to the control room.
With a length of 106.5m, each of the new trains will have six aluminium cars and can attain a top speed of 90km/h.
Furthermore, the trains will feature integral air conditioning, with the external sides particularly designed to resist vandalism.
Hitachi Rail will manufacture the new trains at its plants in Naples and Reggio Calabria.
This September, Hitachi Rail revealed its new battery hybrid train, Blues Train, at the InnoTrans event in Germany.
Developed for Trenitalia , the new train is expected to lower carbon emissions and fuel consumption by 50%.
The past, and apparently continuing, move to reduce the academic requirements for high school diplomas in New York State is extremely troubling [“Survey: Most favor Regents adjustment,” News, Nov. 15].
The elimination of Regents exams removes one of the last remaining measures of universal academic performance of high schools and students across the state. Relying on student presentations to determine competency in a subject is a joke.
Teachers will be able to pass students at will with no meaningful measure of competency. We already have seen that many freshmen entering colleges require remedial help to begin to be able to successfully complete college-level courses.
Setting the standards so low simply to allow our education leadership, be they state Education Department personnel or district administrators and teachers, to declare success with high graduation rates is essentially perpetrating a fraud on the taxpayers and certainly not doing the students any favors.
Why not make high school diplomas like Little League “participation trophies”? Everyone gets one so the graduation rate, by definition, becomes almost 100%, given a few students will still drop out.
— Howard Frauenberger, Malverne
State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa says of those surveyed, “These are the voices of New York State.” However, she is only listening to a few voices, not the fuller “voices of New York State.”
The appendix of the survey indicates, as does the article, that 11% of the respondents are from Long Island. Those responses were based on a limited number of regional meetings held during the pandemic.
Only one in-person meeting was held in our area just before the onset of COVID-19, and a virtual meeting did not take place. Information relating to participating in the survey was also not widely circulated.
— Gloria Sesso, Port Jefferson
The writer is co-president of the Long Island Council for the Social Studies.
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In application modernization, how does one scale expertise without compromising the quality of products?
IT services provider Hitachi Vantara LLC has an established portfolio of specialized solutions to guide digital transformations across data storage, cloud infrastructure and analytics. And to maintain a quality-over-quantity approach while keeping costs in check, the company looks to a knowledgeable partner ecosystem as an extension of its own sales efforts.
How will this strategy evolve as new partner types emerge across verticals, and how can Hitachi Vantara leverage this ecosystem to signal the technologies that will make the leap from what’s now to what’s next?
“We actually have a utility company in North Carolina whose customers are able to save on their electricity and water bills,” said Radhika Krishnan, chief product officer of Hitachi, in a recent interview with theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. “This particular company had to contend with millions of sensors that were constantly streaming data back. That’s where a partnership with [NoSQL database provider] MongoDB really paid off … we were able to leverage Hitachi Pentaho to integrate all of the data and have the data reside on MongoDB.”
During the Dec. 6 “Hitachi Vantara Drives Customer Success With Partners” event, theCUBE analysts will talk with Hitachi Vantara executives about the company’s plans for hyperconverged infrastructures, including its expanding channel strategy and notable product/solution partnerships. (* Disclosure below.)
The appeal of data-driven solutions
Under parent company Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Vantara claims nearly 80% of the Fortune 500 as clients, looking to help organizations unlock new competitive advantages, Boost customer experiences and identify novel revenue streams. The company is part of the Hitachi group, an $80B conglomerate with over 60 years of IT experience.
While especially known for its rock-solid block and file storage solutions like VSP, Hitachi Vantara also is a major player for cloud infrastructure and services, converged and hyperconverged solutions, data management and analytics – and content and distributed file solutions.
Recently, the company announced that its Hitachi Content Platform object storage solution is expected to grow at a projected rate of 40% in Q2 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, outstripping the market compound annual growth rate of around 13.6%. This market growth is due mostly to organizations seeking data-driven solutions, according to the company.
“Hitachi’s portfolio has evolved over the years, and the latest Hitachi VSP E Series is very attractive for midmarket customers and departments within large enterprises,” said Pierre Munro, product account executive at Eclipsys Solutions Inc., speaking on Hitachi’s popular flash hybrid storage solution.
“The strength of the Hitachi portfolio is underpinned by its go-to-market approach,” Munro furthered. “Hitachi Vantara is really partner-focused, and they’ve demonstrated more than once that they will go the extra mile to bring value to the customer and support us through the sales cycle.”
Creating strategic, value-focused partnerships
Partnerships are the heart of any solutions-based expansion plan, but a balanced approach is critical to the success of the overall ecosystem. To this end, Hitachi Vantara is focused on tight integrations in order to simplify its own points of interaction across products in a world of increasing cloud complexities.
“The Hitachi culture is unique, the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience the Hitachi engineering team has is something you don’t always see,” said Sachin Soni, co-founder and chief technology officer of Centum Technologies. “That experience makes a big difference when I need to find solutions for my customers.”
One such alliance is with VMware Inc., spanning three major areas: hyperconverged infrastructure solutions, hybrid cloud and digital workspaces. The Hitachi Unified Compute Platform HC, for instance, combines storage, compute and virtualization into one appliance and is powered by VMware vSAN.
TheCUBE event livestream
Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of the “Hitachi Vantara Drives Customer Success With Partners” event on Dec. 6. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s event coverage on-demand after the live event.
How to watch theCUBE interviews
We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s coverage of the “Hitachi Vantara Drives Customer Success With Partners” event, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.
TheCUBE Insights podcast
SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.
SiliconANGLE also has analyst deep dives in our Breaking Analysis podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify.
Guests
During the “Hitachi Vantara Drives Customer Success With Partners” event, theCUBE analysts will talk with Hitachi Vantara’s Kimberly King, senior vice president of strategic partners and alliances; Russell Skingsley, chief technology officer and global VP of technical sales; and Tom Christensen, global technology advisor and executive analyst.
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the “Hitachi Vantara Drives Customer Success With Partners” event. Neither Hitachi Vantara LLC, the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)
Image: SiliconANGLE
Show your support for our mission by joining our Cube Club and Cube Event Community of experts. Join the community that includes Amazon Web Services and Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and many more luminaries and experts.
Rolling stock manufacturer Hitachi Rail has received an $814m (JPY114bn) contract for the new commuter railway project in the Philippines.
Awarded by The Philippine Government ’s Department of Transportation , the contract will cover electrical and mechanical systems and track works, which includes digital signalling for the new commuter rail from Solis to Malolos.
Scope of the project includes nearly 35.4km and nine stations on the North-South Commuter Railway, as well as a 147km commuter line from Calamba to Clark.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will finance the works.
The project is expected to cut down carbon emissions in the railway sector and promote the use of eco-friendly public transportation over polluting cars.
North South Commuter Railway will feature the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 signalling technology, which will help monitor the train’s movement and speed limit on the track.
By enabling efficient operation of the trains, the ETCS technology will also help lower the energy footprint of the railway.
Furthermore, the technology will allow the automatic activation of train safety functions, including emergency braking.
Hitachi is offering complete turnkey E&M systems of signalling, electrification, telecommunications, depot equipment, fare collection, and trackwork for the railway sector in the Philippines.
Hitachi Japan business deputy head, Asia and Japan initiatives (sales and projects) railway systems business unit head Takuya Yamakawa said: “We are proud to be awarded this contract to bring our digital signalling expertise to the Philippines, following our experiences pioneering the technology and successfully introducing it to countries across Europe and Asia.
“By delivering this project, Hitachi Rail will reduce a major commuter railway’s energy footprint, supporting greener travel.”
Earlier this month, Hitachi Rail won a €368m order for the manufacturing of 46 new metro trains for the Milan metro in Italy.
