1. 5082 POINTS
    J Paul Wilson CFP, CHFC
    Certified Financial Planner, JPW Insurance Retirement Investments, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
    Insurance companies typically test for drugs with bodily fluids such as blood and urine. In some cases they test hair, but that is rare.

    The length of time a drug stays in your body and can be detected by routine testing varies. Regardless, it is important that you are truthful when you complete your life insurance application.

    If you have further questions, or feel that I could be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

    If you would like to work with a local life insurance broker, you could start with a Google search. For example, if you search for: life insurance broker Halifax or life insurance agent Halifax, my name, along with several others, will come up. You can use the same method to find a life insurance broker in your community.
    Answered on June 8, 2014
  2. 10968 POINTS
    Tim Wilhoit
    Owner, Your Friend 4 Life, Brentwood TN
    Most life insurance companies use companies called parameds, which dispatch nurses to collect medical history and health data. Besides registering height, weight, blood pressure, they collect blood and urine samples. These samples are tested for common diseases and drugs including nicotine, prescription and illegal drugs. Even on smaller cases where blood and urine samples are not warranted they will sometimes use a mouth swab or hair sample especially if there is any type of suspicion of drug use.
    Answered on June 8, 2014
  3. 21750 POINTS
    Jim Winkler
    CEO/Owner, Winkler Financial Group, Houston, Texas
    That is a great question! Typically when the company tests, they send a para-med who will collect one or more of these things, depending upon the company, and their impression during their visit: a blood sample, urine sample, hair sample, and /or mouth swab. The hair samples are very accurate, and are very difficult to fake, and are becoming more common, as testing them becomes cheaper. Thanks for asking!
    Answered on June 9, 2014
  4. 37376 POINTS
    David G. Pipes, CLU®, RICP®
    Business Development Officer, T.D. McNeil Insurance Services, Fresno, California
    Insurance companies must weigh the cost against the benefit of extensive testing of applicants.  Urinalysis was the major tool used for many years.  In the case of high amounts of coverage blood testing was and is still used.  This was largely replaced for many applicants with a mouth swab.  Today many companies rely upon self-declared listing of prescription drugs.  They can develop a pretty accurate profile of an applicant this way at very little cost.  
    Answered on June 18, 2014
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