Medical exams are not always required when applying for life insurance. It really all depends on the medical underwriting policies of the given insurance company. Group life insurance plans, such as those available through an employer, rarely require a medical exam. All insurance companies base premiums on age, and some medical and lifestyle questions will be part of most life insurance applications, but a full medical exam is rarely required to purchase life insurance. Relatively young and healthy persons can often purchase Term Life insurance with no medical exam whatsoever. If a medical exam is required, it is hardly ever a complete physical. Usually blood samples and urine samples are taken in the home of the life insurance applicant by a nurse or paramedic, along with vital signs such as blood pressure and perhaps an EKG. In some instances the life insurance company may request an attending physician's statement (APS) from your own doctor, but you usually cannot have the life insurance application exam conducted by your own physician.