Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Rates

For people who have been declined for coverage elsewhere, or who simply cannot pass a health questionnaire, guaranteed issue life insurance is often the only option left on the table. This page shows you the actual monthly premiums — broken down by age, gender, and coverage amount — so you can compare real numbers instead of estimates. We also show how guaranteed issue rates stack up against simplified issue costs, because understanding that gap is what helps you make the right call for your situation. Coverage here comes from Gerber, one of the strongest names in this market.

Key Takeaways

• Guaranteed issue life insurance rates range from $17.69 to $246.58 per month for $5,000 to $25,000 in coverage through Gerber.
• No health questions are asked and no one can be turned down, but every policy includes a 2-year waiting period before the full death benefit is payable.
• Guaranteed issue rates are roughly 44% higher than simplified issue rates for the same age, gender, and coverage amount.
• Women pay about 26–29% less than men at the same age and coverage level, consistent with life expectancy differences.
• Age is the sharpest cost driver — a male buying $10,000 in coverage pays $44.09 at 50 and $99.18 at 70, more than doubling over two decades.
• The rate you lock in on approval day is fixed for life — premiums are contractually guaranteed never to increase.

Sample guaranteed issue life insurance rates by age

The rates below are monthly premiums from Gerber's Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Insurance, current as of April 2026. Use the Female or Male tab to see premiums by coverage amount. All policies have a 2-year waiting period — during that window, if the insured dies from non-accidental causes, the beneficiary receives a return of premiums paid plus interest rather than the full death benefit. Coverage from accidents is typically paid in full from day one.

Male vs female guaranteed issue life insurance rates

Female guaranteed issue rates are consistently 26–29% lower than male rates at every age and coverage level. A 50-year-old woman pays $34.47 per month for $10,000 in coverage; a 50-year-old man pays $44.09 for the same policy — a $9.62 monthly difference, or about $115 per year. That gap widens as age increases.

At age 70, a woman buying $25,000 in coverage pays $187.46 per month while a man at the same age pays $246.58 — a difference of $59.12 per month, or more than $700 per year. The pricing difference is not a policy, it is actuarial math: women live an average of 5–6 years longer than men, which means the insurer expects to collect more premiums before a claim is filed.

Guaranteed issue vs simplified issue life insurance rates

If you can pass a health questionnaire, simplified issue life insurance is almost always the better financial decision. Guaranteed issue rates run approximately 44% higher than simplified issue rates for identical ages, genders, and coverage amounts — and simplified issue policies do not have a waiting period.

A 50-year-old male buying $10,000 in simplified issue coverage pays $30.55 per month. The same man buying guaranteed issue coverage for the same death benefit pays $44.09 — that's $13.54 more every month, or $162.48 more per year, for a policy that also won't pay the full death benefit during the first two years. At age 70, the gap is even starker: $69.78 per month for simplified issue vs $99.18 for guaranteed issue — a $29.40 monthly difference for what is functionally the same coverage amount.

Guaranteed issue is not a worse product — it is the right product for people who cannot qualify for simplified issue. But if you have not tried simplified issue first, you may be paying significantly more than you need to. You can see the full simplified issue rate table on our final expense insurance rates page to compare both options side by side.

What are typical guaranteed issue life insurance rates?

Guaranteed issue life insurance rates are higher than most other permanent life insurance options because the carrier accepts everyone — no health screening, no prescription check, no questions about prior diagnoses. That means the insurer is taking on a pool of applicants that includes the highest-risk cases, and premiums reflect that reality.

For a 50-year-old woman, a $10,000 guaranteed issue policy through Gerber runs $34.47 per month. For a 70-year-old man, the same $10,000 policy costs $99.18 per month. At the top of the range, a 70-year-old male buying the maximum $25,000 in coverage pays $246.58 per month. These are permanent whole life premiums — they never increase, and coverage never expires as long as premiums are paid.

What affects guaranteed issue life insurance rates?

Guaranteed issue underwriting is intentionally minimal, so the variables that drive your rate are narrower than with most life insurance products. Age, gender, and the coverage amount you choose are the only pricing inputs — health history plays no role.

• Age is the primary factor. Rates increase with every year you delay, and the jump is steepest between 60 and 70.
• Gender determines the base premium. Women pay less because they have longer average life expectancies.
• Coverage amount scales the premium directly. Doubling your death benefit from $10,000 to $20,000 roughly doubles your monthly cost.
• Carrier selection matters. Different carriers price risk differently and have different waiting period structures.

What is the guaranteed issue waiting period?

The 2-year waiting period — also called the graded death benefit period — is the defining tradeoff of guaranteed issue life insurance. During the first two years, death from natural causes does not trigger the full death benefit. Instead, Gerber returns all premiums paid plus 10% interest. Death from an accident pays the full death benefit immediately, even in year one.

After the two-year window closes, the full face amount — $5,000 to $25,000 — becomes payable for any cause of death. The waiting period exists because the insurer accepts applicants without any health screening; it is the mechanism that prevents someone from purchasing a policy while already terminally ill. If you are in good enough health to pass a simplified issue questionnaire, you can avoid the waiting period entirely.

Who should consider guaranteed issue life insurance?

Guaranteed issue life insurance is the right product for people who have already exhausted simplified issue options, or who know upfront that a health questionnaire will result in a decline. Common profiles include those recently diagnosed with cancer, heart failure, or COPD; anyone declined for coverage in the past two to three years; and those on medications that disqualify them from simplified issue underwriting.

It is not the right starting point. If your health history is at all workable — even with controlled conditions like managed diabetes or past cardiac issues — a simplified issue policy from the right carrier will almost always cost less and carry no waiting period. We compare profiles across 30+ A-rated carriers to find the most favorable underwriting fit before defaulting to guaranteed issue.

How to get an accurate guaranteed issue rate

The rate tables on this page reflect Gerber's standard published rates for April 2026. Because guaranteed issue carries no underwriting, your premium is determined entirely by age and coverage amount — not by health history. Use the table above to find your exact number.

What matters beyond the rate itself is choosing a financially strong carrier, confirming the waiting period terms, and making sure the coverage amount meets your actual needs. An agent can also verify whether a simplified issue policy from a more lenient carrier might be available to you first — that check takes minutes and could save you real money each month.

Life Insurance

See what you'd pay — run your numbers across 30+ A-rated carriers in about 2 minutes.

Run My Numbers

FAQ