How long does an insurance company need to approve a medical insurance application?

Depending on the company and if they need to get medical records it can take anywhere from 2 days to 6 weeks with an average of about 10 days. If it is a clean application and you have no health conditions 2 to 5 days. If they need to call you to verify something on the application it can take 5 to 10 days. If they need medical records sometimes doctors are very slow in sending those records in so it could take 2 to 6 weeks.

"Health Insurance Broker" is the time period you are watching for. Thanks to ACA, they are a loss of life breed, however they nonetheless exist. Just do not assume the identical degree of handholding as you would ago.

This will depend on if the insurance company needs copies of medical records or physician's statements.

Sometimes doctor's are negligent in responding to insurance underwriting requests in a timely manner. Sometimes you have to get your agent to call the doctor's office to try to rush him up. Doctors get paid by the insurance companies to provide the information, so there is no excuse for them being so dilitory in their response time.

True story: There was a woman several years ago who applied for a major medical policy. Her health was good, but she had been to the doctor for minor things; colds, regular checkups, etc. The insurance company requested a statement from the doctor regarding the lady's health. The doctor did not respond, the lady subsequently had a heart attack while the company was waiting for the doctor's statement. After the heart attack, she could not buy health insurance. She sued the doctor and won.

This story was printed in the Life Underwriter's Training Council (LUTC)magazine several years ago.

It can take some time. The determining factor is usually whether or not they need to get your medical records. If they do and your dr's office is slow, then add about another month to what should usually take 1-2 weeks.

Typically, it takes three to six weeks. There's no time limit set by law, except for welfare health insurance, so they CAN take as long as they want.

You can buy a temporary insurance policy today and it'll be in effect tonight at 1 minute past midnight.

Then you could apply for a 'regular' insurance plan. Some companies can underwrite in as short as 48 hours and others take 4-6 weeks and sometimes longer when they need to get medical records and the doctors' office(s) are slow to respond.

Work with a broker to get both done so you can do it right. They cost nothing to use. In the interim I have links so you can examine both kinds of policies right on our site.