4 Best Life Insurance For Elderly Parents Over 80

The various types of coverage available overwhelm most people shopping for life insurance for elderly parents over 80. Young adults may find it quite easy to select the best life insurance despite the countless options available. However, those in need of life insurance for seniors over 70 no medical exam and senior life insurance company have limited options. This calls for more learning and a better understanding of this.

When looking for the best life insurance for seniors, several factors and concerns should be considered, including the parent’s health, health care expenses, and much more. Those who had already signed for life insurance may not have such concerns though. However, if your parents haven’t signed up yet, there are reasons to be worried. Worry not, however, as it is possible to get an affordable deal.

Facts About Best Life Insurance for Elderly Parents Over 80

The entire insurance industry is largely misunderstood. Therefore, it is important to straighten up some of the facts about life insurance as follows.

Will life insurance policy expire?

This is an absolute no. The best life insurance for elderly parents over 80 is scheduled to cover the policyholder until they die. Therefore, you shouldn’t have doubts about outliving your policy. All you need to do is continually pay the required premiums to keep your contract active.

How long does it take to become fully covered?

The waiting period before one becomes fully insured depends. For instance, those approved for standard level cover based on their health conditions receive cover immediately they pay for the policy. Old parents, especially those with severe health conditions, may have to wait for some time. Nonetheless, it is important to work with experts to help you find a guaranteed acceptance life insurance that doesn’t have a waiting period.

What happens in situations with waiting periods?

If your situation with the insurance company necessitates a waiting period, you will not enjoy the coverage and the death benefit unless your policy remains active for the entire waiting period. In this case, the only way to keep the contract active is by paying the agreed premiums. However, if it happens that you pass away before the lapse of the waiting period, your beneficiaries will get a certain percentage of the total face value.

How much does life insurance for seniors cost?

Costs for getting life insurance vary greatly. First off, the state in which one lives affects the number of premiums paid in a life insurance plan. Secondly, men pay different rates compared to women. Various other factors, including lifestyle, work history, and prevailing health conditions, affect the premiums.

Therefore, it is prudent that you consult various life insurance company on their rates before making a decision. You can check out the following sample quotes averaging what most insurance companies charge per state.

CountryAgeCost
New York84$125
Texas85$135.9
California85$135.9
Florida83$121.31

How can I get a reasonable cost?

As mentioned before, finding affordable life insurance for elderly parents over 80 is possible. However, you will need to choose a company offering small value entry points. You should compare the various options to find a top insurance provider offering affordable policy.

That aside, you should be looking for a company offering low premiums but allows policyholders to maximize the potential benefits. There are companies offering low premiums for seniors without major surgeries or serious health conditions. For other insurance firms, you have to avoid certain habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption to enjoy low premiums.

This is because companies believe that these two habits are the primary cause of serious health conditions among elderly parents. Young people are advised to quit smoking and drinking at least one year before applying for coverage. That said, having attained 80 years already, waiting for another year is a receipt for higher premiums.

How will the companies know that I smoke?

Most insurance companies require that policyholders undergo medical tests before signing up for the cover. For instance, several companies ask for a complete blood test and nicotine test before accepting a policyholder. Don’t worry if you smoke as you will get individual rates for smokers.

life insurance for elderly parents over 80

Importance of Life Insurance for Elderly Parents Over 80

There are various reasons why people could be searching for life insurance policies at this age. Understanding these reasons is the first step towards finding the best life insurance policy for seniors. Some of the common reasons include;

  • To raise funeral and burial costs – the rising GDP is certainly a good thing for most economies. However, this translates to a similar increase in the cost of living. This is a fact that elderly parents wouldn’t like to hear. They wouldn’t like to leave hefty unexpected funeral costs to their families after their demise. This is probably why most people reaching this age buy life insurance to cater for their last days.
  • To secure their family’s future – this is probably a common reason why most elderly parents take a life insurance cover. This is especially true if the elderly parent was the serving hand in their families. The fear of lack of upkeep and pending financial problems after their demise propagates them to get a life insurance policy. This gives the elderly parents peace of mind, knowing that their families will be financially dependent even after they die.
  • To leave a legacy – most families are burdened by various financial worries, including college fees for their children, weddings, increasing medical expenses, and another basic family upkeeps that may require lots of money. Elderly persons who have already crossed this stage of life understand the various implications of lacking funds, and thus they would want to leave a financial gift to their young ones.
  • To pay pending debts and medical expenses – with advancing age comes several medical problems. Currently, medical expenses have skyrocketed and cost a significant amount of money to cater for medical bills, surgeries, and plants. Besides medical bills, there could be pending debts accumulated during the lifetime. Taking a life insurance policy at this age helps them pay off their debts with ease.

Policy Options Available for Senior Citizens

There are various policy options available for parents over 80 from various companies. Just to mention, below are some of the options you can consider.

a. Whole Life Insurance

Elderly parents looking for an insurance policy that offers lifetime guarantee should go for whole life insurance. However, you should be cautious since lifetime coverage commands high premiums compared to term life insurance. Payable premiums are fixed but have the advantage of having a cash value.

If you don’t know, cash value means that the insurance company will pay the accumulated amount of money, including the accumulated interests and bonus if you chose to terminate the life insurance policy. The policyholder can also take a loan on the accumulated cash value.

b. Term Life Insurance

Going for term life insurance at this age might not be worthy. This is because you can’t renew the policy once it expires. With term life insurance, the policyholder or beneficiary receives the death benefit once the agreed period expires. However, there are rare policies available for 5 years period. This is why term life insurance may not be a suitable choice for seniors, even those above 70 years.

Term policies may not be a good choice if you are looking to accumulate cash value. It can, however, work best if you want to profit from death benefits. You should also note that the insurance cover stops if the policyholder stops paying the premiums. The only advantage is that it is a less costly option, and most people opt for it as a cushion in case of a lost income when the serving hand passes on.

c. Universal Life Insurance

Universal life insurance is quite different from whole life insurance in that it offers flexible policy terms. The policy is flexible in that the holder has an option as to the number of premiums to pay and the total coverage amount. That said, the idea of getting universal life insurance totally depends on the ultimate goal. Most often, people use this insurance to preserve wealth.

This life insurance policy is better known as a hybrid of both whole life and term life insurance policies. This is because some amount of the amount payable is set aside to meet the cost of the policy that is essential in providing death benefits to beneficiaries. This is what enables policyholders to keep savings.

On the other hand, the other portion is kept for investment that helps the policyholder to accumulate wealth. This policy is advantageous as holders will only pay for premiums in the initial years. Afterward, the return on investments will start to cover the cost of premiums.

d. Graded Life Insurance

Taking Graded life insurance is another viable option for seniors over 80 years. However, it is important to note that policyholders do not qualify for death benefits if they die within the first 2 to 3 years of taking the policy. However, once it has matured, beneficiaries get complete death benefits as per the agreed life insurance contract. This policy is perfect for those who cannot attain life insurance policy traditionally.

Top 4 Best Life Insurance for Elderly Parents Over 80

Thousands of life insurance companies offer coverage plans for seniors. Some companies are comparably competitive than others when it comes to costs. However, there are exceptional companies that stand out due to various reasons. Among them include;

1. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company

Better known as the United of Omaha Insurance Company, this is probably one of the popular insurance companies. This doesn’t come for free, though, as it offers competitively priced policies for every age. Their rates for seniors aged 80 to 85 is outstanding as well. However, you should be in good health to qualify for coverage. Some specs of this company include;

  • Type of policy – Whole Life Insurance
  • Maximum Issue Amount for 80 years – $40,000
  • The maximum age for the issue – 85 years
  • Availability – available in all states

2. Royal Neighbors of America

With more than a hundred years in the business, this insurance company boasts of a stellar record of accomplishment. Like the other companies, they offer attractive premium pricing for seniors above 80 years. Specs of the company include;

  • Type of policy – Whole Life Insurance
  • Maximum Issue Amount for 80 years – $25,000
  • The maximum age for the issue – 85 years
  • Availability – not available in all states

3. Security National Life Insurance Company

Despite the low profile, Security National Life Insurance is a secure and reputable company with excellent deals. They are among the few firms that accept policyholders aged above 85 years and can issue new coverage to seniors over 90 years. Other specs include;

  • Type of policy – Whole Life Insurance
  • Maximum Issue Amount for 86+ years – $10,000
  • The maximum age for the issue – 90 years
  • Availability – not available in all states

4. AETNA

AETNA is commonly associated with health insurance. This is probably because it is the largest provider of health insurance across the world. Like the Security National Life Insurance, it offers coverage for seniors aged more than 85 years. Other specs include;

  • Type of policy – Whole Life Insurance
  • Maximum Issue Amount for 86+ years – $10,000
  • The maximum age for the issue – 89 years
  • Availability – not available in all states

The Bottom Line

The importance of finding the best life insurance for seniors aged over 80 cannot be ignored. Life insurance for such people come in handy in several ways. However, it is a fact that finding the best is quite daunting. Hopefully, the guide above will make your hunting escapade for life insurance coverage straightforward and easy.

All you need to identify are the four key markers that characterize a life insurance policy, especially for old parents. Age is a primary factor that significantly determines the number of premiums payable. You should as well check on the cost of the insurance policy, death benefits, and health concerns.