Guaranteed issue is the point. Nobody answers a medical question.
Employer-paid group term life with accidental death and dismemberment — issued without underwriting up to a guaranteed issue limit, which is the only cover some employees will ever qualify for.
Tell us the situation.
A licensed human replies the same business day — not an auto-responder, and not five producers calling at once. We shop it across our carriers and tell you if the policy you already have is the right one.
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What group life and AD&D insurance businesses actually need.
Basic group term life
A death benefit, usually one or two times salary or a flat $25,000 to $50,000.
Without it — A death in service leaves the family with nothing and the employer improvising.
Accidental death & dismemberment
An additional benefit for accidental death, and a schedule for loss of limb or sight.
Without it — Accidents are the leading cause of death for working-age adults and are paid twice under AD&D.
Supplemental and dependent life
Employee-paid additional cover for themselves, a spouse and children.
Without it — Employees with health conditions have no route to individual cover at any price.
What group life and AD&D insurance operators ask us.
What is AD&D and is it worth having separately?
AD&D pays an additional benefit if death is accidental, and pays a schedule — often half the benefit for one limb or one eye, the full amount for two — for dismemberment or loss of sight. It is very cheap because it only pays in narrow circumstances, and it is worth having bundled with basic life, where it usually costs a few cents per $1,000 of coverage. What it is not is life insurance: buying AD&D alone, which is how it is often sold to individuals, leaves the far more likely causes of death uncovered.
What does "guaranteed issue" mean and why does it matter?
Up to a stated amount, every eligible employee gets the coverage without answering a medical question or taking an exam — the carrier underwrites the group rather than the person. That is the single most valuable feature of group life, because for an employee with a serious health history it is the only life insurance they can get. The limit is typically $50,000 to $150,000 depending on group size; above it, or if someone enrols late, the carrier asks for evidence of insurability and can decline.
Is group life taxable?
The first $50,000 of employer-paid group term life is tax-free to the employee under IRC Section 79. Above that, the imputed cost of the excess coverage — calculated from an IRS table by age, not from what you actually pay — is added to the employee’s taxable wages and appears on the W-2. It is usually a small number, but it surprises employees the first time they see it, so it is worth mentioning at enrolment rather than in January.