Major life insurance carriers have expanded accelerated underwriting programs that use electronic health records and prescription databases to evaluate applicants without requiring physical medical exams. The programs now cover policies with face values up to $2 million for applicants under age 55.
The shift has dramatically reduced the application-to-approval timeline from six weeks to as little as three days. Carriers report that approval rates under the accelerated process are comparable to traditional underwriting, with no significant increase in claims frequency.
Industry analysts project that by the end of 2026, over 70% of new individual life policies will be issued through accelerated channels.
