Often, getting health insurance quotes comes along with a substantial measure of fear. Americans are concerned that they will not be able to find a good deal on health insurance, or that they may not be insurable at all. Though online quoting options now exist and many health insurance products are available for purchase over the Internet, many potential customers have concerns that they may not be insurable due to a pre-existing illness or a family history that shows a certain predisposition. In certain cases, insurance companies will request a medical exam in order to provide a health insurance quote, but there are times when this may not be a necessity, even for those with a history of illness.

Laws in many states are now changing to reflect a growing concern over the way that many health insurance providers operate in giving out health insurance quotes. State insurance commissions have begun to crack down on how insurance companies operate, including regulating the way that rates are raised and set, as well as what can be requested from insurance companies before they offer insurance quotes. In the past, an insurance company was able to refuse coverage to any person simply based on their choice. If an item of the person's history was not to liking of the insurance company, they could refuse to insure them, and there was little to be done. New laws require companies to be more broad-minded, and one area in which this is the case is when it comes to the medical exam.

Many companies will ask a potential customer to undergo a medical exam in order to be given coverage, especially if they have any history of illness or disease. Prospective clients will often take this as an order rather than a request and will comply with the medical exam request. This exam will often be conducted by a medical professional that is not the customer's regular doctor, and may even be a licensed nurse. Based on their findings, the health insurance rates for a customer will be adjusted. Thanks to new insurance laws, however, it is often possible to refuse to undergo the medical exam and not be rejected by the company. While rates will be higher in these cases, they must be within laws set out by the state, and cannot be arbitrary.

While there are cases where undergoing a medical exam may be worth it for a client, in almost any case where there is a history of disease or family illness, such an exam will raise rates. Additionally, many people do not wish to be subjected to an exam, and with new state laws, most do not have to be.