What is a guaranteed issue life insurance policy? How does it work?
Jerry
San Antonio Texas
What you may know of life insurance policies is that they are not given to just anyone, which the term guaranteed connotes. True, most companies would not guarantee a policy to just anyone because it could be very risky for them. Just imagine a dying man buying a million-dollar policy on his deathbed.
A guaranteed issue life insurance policy is given to anyone regardless of his health condition. It is a type of a whole life insurance whose premiums are more expensive because no one is rejected. Almost always, the applicants are suffering from one form of sickness or another, making them hesitate to apply for the regular type of insurance. You may be suffering from a serious condition but still get an approval. As the name implies, it is indeed a sure thing that the application gets accepted. But how does an insurer mitigates risk if it accepts everyone?
Actually a guaranteed issue life insurance policy does not really work like the regular insurances. Any one can buy it but there are certain limitations or terms and conditions that the insured must meet before his beneficiaries will get the face amount. To protect themselves, insurers usually have a time period upon which the insured should stay alive. Oftentimes, this is two years. That means, a person who buys insurance today will not be leaving a legacy to his beneficiaries if he dies because of a dread disease six months after. What his named beneficiaries will get is a refund or nothing. This is, of course, explained in the terms of the contract. Anyone buying a guaranteed issue life insurance policy must read and understand this to avoid confusions and complications when the beneficiaries file the claim in the future.
The insurer can also lessen the risk by giving the insured a very high premium rate, which when added together will be a substantial portion of the coverage. Also, the contestable period will also give the insurer enough time to invest the money.