Short answer
Yes, with a medically underwritten policy it will come up. It's the most common item I see affect approval. If you have treatment or counseling in your records, check whether a GSI policy is available, because it will likely give you wider coverage.
A short clip from his webinar for residents and fellows, with captions.
Watch the full webinar from 23:28What happens in medical underwriting
The insurance company asks about your current and past health and pre-existing medical and psychological conditions. It looks at insurance billing codes and runs a pharmacy database check for prescriptions in your name. It's very strict about prescriptions with no chart notes behind them, like something you self-prescribed or a friend or attending prescribed for you.
There are three general outcomes. Best case, you get a policy that covers everything, which happens, but not that often. Worst case, a postpone or decline. And in the middle, you get a policy with modifications, ratings or exclusions: certain conditions or body parts carved out, a higher price, or both.
The number one item
The number one item I see is current or past treatment for mental health: anxiety, stress, depression, ADHD. Medical school is stressful. You had to interview, match and pass a lot of tests, and COVID was hard on everyone in health care. A lot of medical students, residents and fellows have sought treatment. In my experience, over 50% have something in their file that will affect their ability to get a clean policy.
Where GSI fits
A GSI policy doesn't ask health questions, so it will likely offer a wider scope of coverage if this applies to you. Most GSI policies do cover mental health, but cap how long you can collect for it, typically at 24 months.
Where Jay covers this
Jump to each moment in his webinars.