Laura Berry Burial insurance, also known as funeral insurance, is designed to help seniors cover the cost of a funeral and end-of-life expenses, like embalming costs.
Discussing your funeral insurance arrangements with your loved ones is a vitally important task. End-of-life costs can be expensive, and if you died unexpectedly, with no money set aside for funeral expenses, your family could have to pay for your funeral costs out of pocket.
If you don’t have burial insurance, keep reading to learn more about which companies offer this type of coverage.
Designed for seniors, burial insurance policies typically provide between $1,000-$25,000 in coverage so your loved ones can provide you with a funeral or memorial service.
What is burial insurance?
There are two varieties of final expense insurance:
- Simplified issue
- Guaranteed issue.
You won’t have to take a medical exam with a simplified issue policy. You will, however, have to answer a questionnaire regarding your health. So, if you have cancer or heart disease, you may not be eligible for such policies.
Guaranteed issue life insurance policies, on the other hand, don’t require a medical exam or a health interview. So, no matter your medical concerns, you can purchase a policy, but these policies may be more expensive.
Which companies sell burial insurance?
Quite a few highly regarded companies sell burial insurance, like Lincoln Heritage, which offers a Funeral Advantage Program. However, some of the best companies that sell final expense products are listed here:
- Mutual Of Omaha
- Transamerica
- Gerber
- AIG
- Foresters
- Americo
- Royal Neighbors of America
- American Amicable
- Baltimore Life
- American Continental (AETNA)
Let’s examine these companies more closely to discover which one has policies that are best suited for your insurance needs.
Mutual of Omaha
While most final expense policies are only available to individuals over 50 years old, you can apply for Mutual of Omaha’s Living Promise policy if you are between 45-85 years old. The Living Promise is also one of the few life products on the market that doesn’t have a separate classification for smokers.
You can purchase as much as $40,000 in coverage from this A.M. Best A+ rated company.
Transamerica
With an A rating from A.M. Best, Transamerica has many options available for final expense insurance.
Applicants under the age of 85 can apply for a policy through Transamerica. If you are over the age of 76, you will only be able to get a maximum of $25,000 in coverage.
Gerber
The Gerber Life Insurance Company provides final expense insurance policies for applicants between 50-80 years old.
You can buy a policy through Gerber unless you live in these states:
- Arizona
- Montana
When applying for a Gerber Guaranteed Life policy, you won’t have to answer any questions about your health and can get as much as $25,000 in coverage. You can complete your application manually or with a representative over the phone.
Gerber is an A.M. Best A-rated company, so you can trust that your beneficiary’s claims will be paid out.
AIG
A.M. Best awarded AIG an A rating. This company provides a Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance policy, making AIG an excellent company for seniors looking to do business with financially strong companies.
Applicants between 50-80 can get as much as $25,000 in coverage without taking a medical exam or answering health-related questions.
Unfortunately, you will not be able to get coverage if you live in New York. Still, you can shop online to find an insurance company that provides you with the coverage you need.
Foresters
Foresters Life Insurance has an A rating from A.M. Best, through its PlanRight policy, offers as much as $35,000 in coverage to those who qualify. You must be prepared to answer questions about your smoking habits, and your prescriptions will be during the application process.
The Foresters website doesn’t share the age restrictions for a PlanRight policy, but you can call 1-800-828-1540 to speak with a knowledgeable representative.
Americo
Americo is an A.M. Best A-rated company and offers many final expense options through its Ultra Protector Series. Americo has a three-tiered system, which has different max issue ages at different tier levels:
- Tier I: 85
- Tier II: 80
- Tier III: 75
Your state of health determines the tier you qualify for. The healthier you are, you will be eligible for a higher tier.
The maximum coverage you can purchase through the Ultra Protector Series is $30,000. An accelerated death benefit is included, but you can also attach a children’s rider policy.
Royal Neighbors of America
Available in over half the United States, you can purchase as much as $30,000 in coverage with a Royal Neighbors of American final expense policy. This A-rated A.M. Best company offers both simplified issue whole life and graded death benefit whole life products.
If you are between 50 and 75 years old, you can apply for these products by answering a questionnaire about your health history.
American Amicable
American Amicable has an A rating from A.M. Best and offers different coverage limits through its Golden Solution policy. For example, if you are 85 years old, you can purchase up to $15,000 or $25,000 if you are 75 years old.
The Golden Solution is a simplified issue policy, so you will need to answer some health questions during the application process. You can also choose to customize your policy by adding a grandchild rider or an accidental death benefit rider.
Baltimore Life
Although Baltimore Life has one of the lower A.M. Best ratings on this list, a B++, it is still a great choice for individuals looking for insurance as this company provides tiers of coverage. These tiers allow even individuals with some health concerns a chance at getting the insurance they need.
Applicants between 50-80 can apply for Baltimore Life’s Silver Guard simplified issue policy. If you qualify for the highest Silver Guard tier, you can purchase as much as $25,000 in coverage.
American Continental (AETNA)
American Continental, an Aetna company, is an A-rated A.M. Best company.
It provides a simplified issue policy that doesn’t have a height or weight requirement or no medical exam.
You will, however, be denied coverage if you answer “Yes” to any of the questions on the health questionnaire. Be aware that you will need to look elsewhere for coverage if you have mobility, heart, or lung issues.
If you qualify for a final expense policy through American Continental, you could purchase as much as $35,000.
Who should buy burial insurance?
Before asking yourself, who should buy burial insurance, you should be wondering, “How much are funerals?”
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average price of a funeral is $8,000. So, if your loved ones don’t have adequate funds saved up for an emergency, paying for end-of-life expenses could drain their bank accounts.
Burial insurance could be a good fit for anyone who hasn’t saved up money for a funeral or those who don’t want their loved ones to shoulder this financial burden alone.
What You Need to Know About Burial Insurance
Seniors without life insurance may be interested in purchasing burial insurance. Such policies could help your loved ones cover the cost of your funeral without putting them in a financial predicament.
There are quite a few excellent companies that provide burial insurance, so be sure to shop around. You should get free quotes from at least three different companies to verify that you are getting the best deal.
