What Is Evidence of Insurability?

Definition and Examples of Evidence of Insurability

Evidence of insurability, a questionnaire that documents your overall health, is often required when applying for certain types of insurance in specific instances. Most often, questions include asking if you’re a smoker, if you’ve ever been treated for a medical condition such as cancer or high blood pressure, if you’ve been hospitalized in the past 90 days, etc. 

To get approved for certain types of insurance policies, specifically in excess of an insurance company’s guaranteed issue amount or if you apply for coverage outside of your designated new-hire enrollment period, you may need to submit evidence of insurability. You may also be asked for evidence of insurability if you’re adding additional coverage or another person to your policy.

The exact type of documentation you need for an EOI varies from insurer to insurer. The type of insurance you’re applying for can also dictate what type of information you must provide.

• Acronym: EOI 
• Alternate name: Statement of health

During the EOI process, you may be asked to provide some or all of the following:

• A medical questionnaire
• Your personal medical history
• Questionnaires about your spouse’s and dependents’ health
• A medical examination with a blood draw

Together, these items give your insurance company a more detailed picture of your overall health. The insurer uses this information during the underwriting process as a factor in deciding whether or not to approve your policy.

Some other scenarios in which you may need to provide evidence of insurability include if you’re:

• Applying for insurance past the initial deadline
• Applying for insurance after refusing it previously
• Reinstating insurance coverage after it has lapsed
• Reapplying for coverage that was previously denied

How Evidence of Insurability Works

Evidence of insurability provides the insurance company with a picture of your health status at the time of your application. This information is used in the underwriting process to help the insurer decide how risky you are to insure.

If your insurer requests evidence of insurability, they will let you know the exact process you need to take. You may get a letter in the mail with further instructions, or be directed to the insurer’s website to download the forms you need.

The first step is typically completing a medical questionnaire with basic information about you and your health. Many times, you can complete this online to help the process go more smoothly.

This questionnaire could be called a Medical History Statement, a Statement of Health, or an EOI application. Regardless of what it's called, you’ll need to gather a bit of information to fill it out.

You may be asked for:

• General application info (date of birth, height, weight)
• Personal identification and contact details
• Employment details including your date of hire
• Current insurance coverage
• The coverage you’re applying for
• Details about medical conditions you have, including your date of diagnosis and the treatments you’ve tried
• Contact information for doctors and clinics you’ve used

Answer the questions with as much detail as you can. If you don’t answer thoroughly, your insurance company may request more information. As you’re filling out the form, make sure you’re honest. Providing misleading information on these forms is considered insurance fraud in most states, so always be truthful.

After you turn in your questionnaire, the insurance company reviews your answers. Then it’ll either approve or deny your insurance policy, or request additional information. 

If your insurer requests additional information, you may need to provide copies of your medical records or additional details about your health, or complete a paramedical exam, which will gather your current and past medical history. This way, your insurance company has the information it needs to make a decision about your coverage.