You can still get life insurance coverage that matches your needs even if you’re older. To get the best life insurance for seniors, there are several factors to consider. These things include asking if the life insurance firm is well funded and if the customer service is satisfactory.
You can also find out how difficult or easy it is to get insurance pending your plans to be exempted from a medical examination.
Life insurance becomes more expensive as you become older and it is also possible that you’ve developed health issues that would make your life insurer less likely to approve your claim. If you’re over 50 and need a new life insurance policy or more coverage, you still have a lot of options. However, it is best not to wait.
This article brings you the best life insurance providers for seniors alongside the various scenarios it is possible and coverage options.
Table of contents
What is Life Insurance for Seniors?
Life insurance for seniors is an insurance plan that covers persons who are 50 years and older. The death benefit it offers may be used to assist beneficiaries with expenses such as:
- Costs of burial
- Medical expenses
- Unpaid debts such as automobile payments or credit card bills
If you’re living on a pension that doesn’t provide survivor benefits, having senior life insurance in place provides financial protection for your partner.
Although life insurance prices rise as you become older, this does not rule out the possibility of purchasing life insurance for seniors.
When am I too Old to Buy Life Insurance?
Seniors who purchase life insurance have the same options as everyone else. Term life, whole life, and universal life insurance are all examples of this.
- Term life insurance is frequently available until the age of 80, though the length of the average term period provided decreases as you approach your late 50s.
- Some businesses offer cash value life insurance plans, such as whole and universal life insurance, up to the age of 85, whereas others have lower maximum ages.
How much does Life Insurance for Seniors Cost?
The cost of life insurance for seniors ranges from $435 per month to a little over $1,700 for a 65-year-old female with a $1million, 20-year term policy. Remember that many life insurance companies will not issue a 20-year term coverage to someone over the age of 65.
Below are some elements that can influence life insurance premiums:
- Age: The older you get, the higher your insurance premiums are going to be.
- Health: You will have greater rates if you are in bad health or have several health issues than if you’re in good health.
- Gender: Insurance rates are often lower for women than for men.
- Type of policy: Whole or universal insurance which generates a monetary value, is often more expensive than those that do not.
13 Best Life Insurance for Seniors
#1. Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual ranks number one as the best life insurance for seniors and it provides term, whole, and universal life insurance, albeit you cannot access all of its products in every state. You can even add riders to almost all policies.
To apply, you will need a medical examination. Also, Northwestern Mutual will issue policies to people as young as 85 years old (70 for term life insurance).
Options for insurance coverage begin at $50,000 and you can convert a term life policy to a permanent one without paying a dime or having to take any medical exam.
However, payouts are possible with Northwestern’s whole life insurance but are not guaranteed.
#2. Mutual of Omaha
The many insurance options Mutual of Omaha presents to you as one of the best life insurance for seniors include: term, whole, and universal policies. If you’re between the ages of 45 and 80, you could get a guaranteed issue whole life policy with coverage up to $25,000.
Although only a few Mutual of Omaha life insurance products offer online quotes, you can still pay your premiums.
Note that you will need an agent to purchase all insurance.
#3. Nationwide
As one of the best life insurance for seniors, nationwide offers a variety of coverage options, including no-medical-exam life insurance of up to $1 million for people over 50 and younger than 60.
50-year-olds are eligible for $5 million in no-medical-exam coverage and most Nationwide plans come with three free-living benefit riders which is a unique feature because other competitors offer just one.
These living benefits allow you to leverage the death benefit sooner if specific triggering events occur.
See this: Best Health Insurance Companies In Arizona
#4. Transamerica
Transamerica began as a bank in 1904 and has since expanded to include life insurance, annuities, and other financial services.
You can get the term, whole, and universal life insurance through the company. One of the many options you can get from the whole life’s offerings is the final expense insurance which covers expenses connected to the deceased’s end-of-life expenses such as burials.
Seniors as young as 80 can apply for Transamerica’s Trendsetter Super Series term life option while seniors within 85 can apply for its index universal life option.
While its online estimates, document delivery, customer assistance, and automatic payments are all available, you cannot apply for Transamerica life insurance online except if you locate an agent on its website to help you with the proceedings.
#5. AIG
Next on our list of the best life insurance for seniors is AIG and its life insurance plans include term, universal life, and guaranteed issue whole life.
You may be interested in the latter because it accepts people between the ages of 50 and 80, and no health questionnaire or medical exam is required.
Bill payment, information updates, and e-messaging with customer support personnel are all available online through the company.
#6. New York Life
All three-term policies offered by New York Life can be converted to a permanent life insurance policy. I bet you didn’t know that. However, the company’s website does not specify what type of permanent policy options are available.
As a senior, you can earn dividends from its whole life policy.
Legal & General America, which also owns the William Penn Life Insurance Business, is banner Life’s parent company. Banner life provides both term and universal plans.
The accelerated death benefit rider is automatically included in its term life plans. If you’re diagnosed with a qualifying terminal illness, you can use your death benefit and this can be used in any way you choose.
Banner Life offers universal life insurance to approved seniors up to the age of 85.
#8. Prudential
For most products, Prudential provides a superior combination of attributes that appeal to senior concerns, including trustworthy policy drawings, financial soundness, and competitive internal policy costs.
If you need money for nursing home bills, Prudential’s term life insurance allows you to access your own death benefit and its cash value products have very trustworthy policy drawings. This might provide you peace of mind that the product you’re buying won’t require any additional premiums.
Most importantly, you’ll get the monetary value and internal expenses you expect.
#9. AXA Equitable
This is the life insurance for seniors with the most accurate policy illustrations. Equitable has affordable costs for people of all ages and risk levels.
As a senior who wants to know what to expect from your life insurance coverage, this is an ideal option for you.
However, financial strength ratings haven’t always been as high as those of its top competitors.
#10. Lincoln Financial
Because seniors do not have time to deal with unexpected changes in cash value or policy fees, Lincoln Financial provides very trustworthy policy illustrations.
The products include competitive costs and options which help to generate cash value in the early years of the policy. The company’s financial stability is another reason to consider it as a senior.
However, you cannot achieve the same level of cash value growth as you would with other companies because some of its cash value products have had mixed investment results.
#11. Pacific Life
This is a good option for senior life insurance because of its reasonable pricing and strong investment performance, both of which contribute to lower premiums over time and larger cash values in older prices.
Some of its newer indexed universal life insurance policies have far greater internal costs and less certain policy performance goals than others. However, most of its cash value policies are cost-competitive, so more of your premium money goes toward developing cash value.
Therefore, ensure you understand the expenses listed in the policy illustration before settling for this.
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#12. Protective
In your search for the best life insurance for seniors, you can consider Protective if you want inexpensive premiums and strong cash value growth if you’ve had your policy for a long time. It offers competitive term life insurance premiums.
Internal costs for Protective’s cash value life insurance products are often modest and it could mean more money going toward your cash worth and less going toward a company’s policy costs.
Cash value accumulation may be gradual in the early years of a policy. So, looking at the guaranteed areas of the policy illustration to see how your cash value will grow will help you a great deal.
#13. John Hancock
For seniors, John Hancock has the most compelling term life insurance offerings amongst the best life insurance carriers. This is because it offers term insurance to people up to the age of 80 while many of its competitors have cutoffs at 75 or younger.
Also, it offers a critical illness rider that differs greatly from the sped-up benefit, so if the rider is used, the death benefit is not reduced.
However, the biggest flaw of this life insurance for seniors is the hastened death benefit riders.
Conclusion
Every company on our list of best life insurance for seniors offers outstanding life insurance options for seniors 50 and above. Your needs and age will determine which company is ideal for you.
However, as you get older, some policy types become unavailable but if you’re looking for permanent life insurance, you’ll have more alternatives in your 50s as most of these companies provide it.
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