
Know that the Social Security Administration (SSA) also may pay a lump sum death benefit of $225 to surviving spouses or eligible surviving children. The lack of a required medical exam makes it possible to gain insurance coverage despite any health issues, and family members can use the cash to pay for your end-of-life arrangements. You may also be able to convert an existing term life policy to a permanent life policy to gain long-term coverage.įor older adults who have no life insurance coverage, final expense insurance can serve as a way to take some financial burden off loved ones after you die. If you have a life insurance policy through your employer or a partner’s employer, that coverage may be enough to pay for a funeral, cremation or lingering credit card balance. Whether you need final expense insurance comes down to what bills might be pending after you die and whether you have other life insurance policies in place.
#FUNERAL EXPENSE INSURANCE FULL#
If you die before the waiting period is up, your beneficiaries will likely receive a refund of your premium payments instead of a full death benefit. However, some policies may have a waiting period (usually one to three years) for coverage to begin. Simplified issue policies typically cost less than guaranteed issue policies but usually come with a higher guaranteed death benefit.Īs a permanent policy, final expense insurance stays in place as long as you pay your premiums. Simplified issue: With this policy, you may need to fill out a health-related questionnaire, and insurance companies base their approval on your responses.Coverage amounts for guaranteed issue policies are typically lower than amounts for simplified issue policies, and premiums are usually higher. Guaranteed issue: With this, you’re guaranteed to get coverage without completing a health questionnaire or undergoing a medical exam.The application process for final expense insurance differs based on whether the policy is a guaranteed issue policy or simplified issue policy. Optional riders: Some insurance providers offer add-on riders, such as an accelerated death benefit that gives you an advance on your benefit payout if you get a terminal illness.Cash value: Final expense coverage policies may have a cash value component that you can borrow from before you die.Where term life policies and other whole life policies often offer a death benefit of $100,000 to $500,000 or more, final expense insurance coverage amounts usually range from $2,000 to $50,000. Death benefit: A death benefit is a lump sum paid to beneficiaries when the policyholder dies.Coverageįinal expense policies provide a lower amount of coverage compared to other life insurance policy types. That makes this type of policy an attractive option for many seniors. You may have to fill out a health questionnaire, but older adults - typically those between 50 and 85 years old - aren’t required to go through a health screening to qualify. The benefit covers your end-of-life costs: funeral arrangements, credit card debts, medical bills, etc. Final expense life insurance, or burial insurance, is a permanent life insurance policy that pays a death benefit to beneficiaries.
