What kind of medical information is looked at when underwriting life insurance? 
A medical exam for the coverage typically consists of a paramedical exam -LRB- height/weight check and vitals checks such as pulse and blood pressure readings -RRB- , a blood test , and a urine test - sometimes an EKG and/or cognitive testing may be required for older age individuals -RRB- . Even if it 's not asked specifically on the application itself , the carrier will see the input regarding the wls -LRB- I 'm assuming stands for `` weight loss surgery '' -RRB- surgery in the APS from your doctor . For any fully underwritten life insurance program , the carrier will request a copy of an APS from your doctor , in addition to the completion of a medical exam conducted for the insurance policy -RRB- . An APS is an Attending Physician Statement - in short , it 's a doctor 's summary of your medical history records . For example , if you were being treated for diabetes , it would cite your A1C reading history , prescriptions prescribed for the condition , when it was diagnosed , etc. . In the APS , the carrier will see in the doctor 's notes that you have discussed getting the wls surgery -LRB- I 'm assuming that `` wls '' is supposed to stand for `` weight loss surgery '' -RRB- and ask if a surgery has been scheduled and/or completed . If it has n't been completed yet , a carrier will postpone approving you for the coverage because you have an outstanding medical procedure on the books that 's still supposed to get done . From a carrier 's perspective , their risk of a claim is greatly increased when they know a surgical operation is upcoming as complications can always occur during any surgery . Please note , after a weight loss surgery procedure and you 've ideally lost a large amount of weight and want to apply for coverage , part of that weight loss can be added in to a carrier 's calculation of height/weight profile . The reason for this is quick weight loss for people -LRB- whether via surgery , diet and exercise , liposuction , etc. -RRB- can often result in some individuals gaining a percentage of that weight back - unfortunately not everyone always keeps all of the pounds off . So if you apply for coverage within 12 months of that rapid weight loss , a carrier may add half the weight loss amount back to your total . For example , if you weight 300 pounds and loss 120 pounds after a procedure , now you 're sitting at 180 pounds . If you applied for coverage soon after having lost that 120 pounds , the carrier would add 60 back to your total and base the underwriting on a height/weight profile of 240 pounds -LRB- 180 +60 -RRB- . The purpose of the 12 month differential is to show stability in the person 's weight loss and that they have a good chance of keeping off the weight . Please also note , alternative options will still result in the same outcome -LRB- e.g. non-medical life insurance -RRB- because a question on almost every application will ask in some format `` are there any outstanding tests or other medical procedures outstanding or waiting to be completed '' . You would only be able to secure a graded policy with a low face amount -LRB- $ 25k or $ 50k maximum -RRB- , which does not appear to be in the ballpark of the coverage you 're looking to secure -LRB- you noted $ 900k in your question 's statement -RRB- . If you have a policy already in force , you can elect to convert all or a portion of it to permanent coverage . The conversion would keep the risk class that the original policy had and would simply just calculate the rates based on your age . I hope the information is helpful - please feel free to contact me for help with your coverage and if you have any other questions . Thanks very much . 