No Medical Exam Life Insurance

Before you buy coverage, know what the funeral itself is allowed to cost you

The amount of coverage to buy depends on a number most people never actually look up — and federal law entitles you to it, itemised, for free, before you commit to anything. The Funeral Rule is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.

“The funeral home must give you a General Price List (GPL) that is yours to keep. It lists all the items and services the home offers, and the cost of each one.”

“Funeral directors must give you price information on the telephone if you ask for it. You don't have to give them your name, address, or telephone number first.”

“You have the right to buy separate goods (such as caskets) and services (such as embalming or a memorial service). You do not have to accept a package that may include items you do not want.”

What that means in practice

Call three funeral homes near you and ask each for its General Price List. You do not have to give your name. Compare the basic services fee, which is the one charge you cannot decline, and price an immediate burial or a direct cremation separately from a full-service funeral — the gap between them is often larger than the difference between two insurance policies. That real local number, not a national average, is the figure your coverage should be sized against.

Why we do not quote a funeral cost here. The coverage amounts offered above are face amounts you choose — not an estimate of what a funeral costs. We do not print a cost figure because published national funeral-cost medians disagree with one another, and the most recent widely-quoted numbers are inflation projections rather than published survey results. Rather than print a figure we cannot stand behind, this page points you at the itemised list the law already guarantees you. Prices vary substantially between providers in the same city.

The three underwriting paths, and what moves you between them

Final-expense and simplified-issue life insurance resolves to one of three benefit structures. Which one a carrier offers is an underwriting decision made by that carrier on your actual application — not something an agent can promise in advance.

Level benefit

The full death benefit is payable from day one. This is the least expensive path per dollar of coverage, and it generally requires no significant recent health history.

Graded benefit

The payout is reduced during the first two to three years, then becomes full. A managed, stable condition is ordinary to underwriters here. What moves the answer is the medication, how long the condition has been controlled, and whether there has been a hospitalisation recently — not the diagnosis by itself. Carriers differ sharply: the same health picture can be graded at one carrier and declined at another, which is the whole reason to compare before applying rather than after.

Guaranteed issue

No health questions are asked at all. It is the most expensive path per dollar of coverage and normally carries a two-year waiting period for non-accidental death. It is the fallback, not the starting point.

If you use tobacco

You will be quoted at tobacco rates, which commonly run roughly double non-tobacco for the same age and coverage amount. Nobody can rate you as a non-smoker, and an agent who offers to is setting up a policy that can be rescinded. What genuinely does differ between carriers is the look-back window, and how each one treats cigars, chew and vaping versus cigarettes.

If you have been declined before

A previous decline does not close the door, but it does matter: carriers ask about it, and a second decline is harder than the first. The reason to talk to a licensed agent before applying again is to find out which carriers would still consider you on a graded basis, which costs less per dollar of coverage than guaranteed issue.

If you are 70 or older

The number of carriers still issuing new policies narrows with each age band, and some cap the coverage amount available. That makes carrier selection matter more, not less.

What to have ready before you apply

Your date of birth, the state you live in, a list of current medications and what each one treats, any hospitalisation or surgery in the last two years, and who you want the money to go to.

What this is and is not. This is general underwriting information, not an approval, not an offer of coverage, and not a price. No premium appears on this page because a real premium comes from a specific carrier applying its own underwriting to your actual application. Eligibility, benefit structure and premium are set solely by the issuing insurance company.

Questions about which path applies to you? Speak with a licensed agent: (504) 891-2000. No contact information is required to have used any of the above.