An addition to my life insurance policy recently had the unintended consequence of getting me to take note of my health and fitness level. Anything over $100,000 in coverage requires a visit with a nurse. My request for $150,000 in coverage got me a date with a nurse who was going to be in my area.
The exam is just about as complete as a yearly physical with your regular doctor. After a series of opening questions, my assigned nurse checked my blood pressure and heart rate. I even learned that your blood pressure varies between your right and left arms.
More questions about my health status before I was sent to the bathroom with instructions for my urine test. I was unaware that this test can also check for nicotine in your system. You can check the nonsmoker box on the application but the urine test might indicate otherwise. Those insurance guys don’t miss a beat.
It was then time for the needles to come out for my donation of blood. The insurance company wanted to check my HDL, LDL, cholesterol, and about a dozen other levels in my body. The nurse also checked the measurements around my chest and abdomen as well as getting my height and weight.
The EKG was just about the last order of business. I took off my shirt and was connected with all the wires that would read my heart impulses. The nurse looked at the results and said I would live through the weekend but gave no other evidence about my heart condition.
A few more questions and it was all over. I would need to wait and see what the results would be in several weeks.
The good thing about this experience is that it gets you to think about your health just like a visit to the doctor should do. The bad thing is that there isn’t a doctor to go over the test results with you. The good thing is that you can make an appointment with your doctor to go over the results.
When I get the results back I will take these to my doctor for an analysis. Most of the blood work results I can understand but it doesn’t hurt to get a further sidebar with my doctor.
This experience had me thinking that it wasn’t just about paying more or less money for life insurance premiums. It was about statistically how long I was going to live. If there is one thing that insurance companies know how to do; it is about crunching numbers.
I could certainly get hit by a bus and not make it to age 50. That is the whole purpose of life insurance; being prepared for the unexpected. However, I would like to outlive my 30 year level term policy. It’s up to me to take my test results and use it as my guide to keeping my health and fitness going in the right direction.
This wellness article is brought to you by that guy who doesn’t want to have his double indemnity policy ever used. That accident-proof guy is Ron Blake and he can be reached at rblake5551@hotmail.com.
