We are afraid the answer is “it depends” upon many factors.

When the insurance company provides it's initial quotation it doesn't have your full details so it has to make certain assumptions about you. For example, it will assume that you are generally in good health for your age. It will also assume that you don't have an occupation that can represent an additional risk to your health, that your family blood-line doesn't have a history of ill-health that could be inherited and that you do not take part in any hazardous sports or pursuits. It will, also assume that you don't regularly visit countries with known health problems (e.g. Thailand and many African countries).

If any of the above apply to you, then the insurance company will almost certainly want additional information. They may also want to ask questions if you are asking for a large sum to be insured. They use all this information to assess what level of risk they are being asked to take on. They can then decide whether your initial quote can stand or whether they wish to increase your proposed premium. I they do decide to increase your premium, your premium is said to be a RATED.

If the insurance company does ask for more details, or even a medical, it is not necessarily mean the premium will be rated. Many people who are asked questions or who have a medical (which incidentally, the insurance company pays for) still qualify for the initial quoted price when the results come back clean.

To put this process in context, 88% of people who buy life insurance on the Internet will eventually pay the same premium as their original quote.

We suggest you also read the answer to: - If a policy is said to be “Rated”, is that the same as a “Loaded” policy?