Can an 80-year-old get life insurance?

Yes. Final expense policies with health questions are available to age 85 at most carriers, and guaranteed-acceptance policies with no health questions to age 85 as well. Amounts are small, typically $5,000 to $25,000, and priced by age: a healthy 80-year-old pays roughly $155 to $210 a month for $15,000.

What is the difference between simplified issue and guaranteed issue?

Simplified issue asks health questions but no exam, and pays the full benefit from day one if you qualify. Guaranteed issue asks no health questions, accepts everyone in the age range, costs more per dollar, and pays only a return of premiums plus interest if you die of natural causes in the first two years.

Is no-exam life insurance more expensive?

For seniors, no-exam final expense is the standard product, not a premium one. For younger, healthy applicants, accelerated underwriting from carriers like Ethos prices no-exam term the same as exam term by checking prescription and records databases instead.

Written by PolicyChat Life, a licensed life insurance agency. Estimates come from the same pricing tables our chat, Sage, uses; they are not quotes. Updated 2026-09-18.

Last updated September 2026 · PolicyChat Life.

No-exam life insurance over 60, 70, and 80

Short answer. There are three kinds. Simplified-issue final expense asks health questions, no exam, and pays in full from day one; it is the right product for most seniors who want the funeral covered. Guaranteed acceptance asks nothing, accepts everyone, costs more, and pays only premiums back if you die of natural causes in the first two years. Accelerated-underwriting term skips the exam for healthy applicants under about 60 by checking records instead.

Simplified issue final expense

Small whole life, $5,000 to $25,000, for ages roughly 50 to 85. A dozen yes/no health questions decide whether you get the level plan (full benefit from day one) or a graded plan. Common conditions like controlled diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol usually qualify for the level plan. Premiums never rise and the policy never expires. Carriers we are appointed with, including Transamerica and American Amicable, sell this product.

Guaranteed acceptance

No health questions, ages roughly 50 to 85, amounts usually up to $25,000. The trade is the graded benefit: if you die of natural causes in the first two years, the policy pays the premiums you paid plus interest, not the face amount. Accidental death pays in full from day one. Because everyone is accepted, it costs noticeably more per dollar than simplified issue. Buy it only if the health questions would decline you.

Accelerated underwriting term

For applicants under about 60 in good health, carriers such as Ethos issue term policies without an exam by checking prescription histories and records. Same price as an exam policy, decision in minutes. Over 60 or with conditions, this route usually routes you back to full underwriting or to final expense.

The trap to avoid

Advertised “$9.95 a unit” plans hide that a unit may buy only a few hundred dollars of coverage at older ages. Always compare the monthly premium against the actual death benefit. The tables below do that.

What Sage does with this

If you tell Sage the goal is the funeral, it recommends an amount, asks three plain health questions, and tells you whether you qualify for the level plan or need guaranteed acceptance, with the price of each. A PolicyChat licensed agent places it with the carrier that treats your answers best.

Final expense (simplified issue), monthly premium by age (estimates, updated 2026-09-18)

Simplified-issue whole life (health questions, no exam), non-tobacco, blended male/female. Industry estimates from published carrier rate tables, monthly premium, not a quote. The carrier confirms the price when it underwrites.

Age	$10,000	$15,000	$25,000	$15,000, tobacco
50	$24–$33	$36–$50	$60–$82	$49–$67
55	$28–$38	$42–$57	$70–$95	$57–$77
60	$33–$45	$50–$68	$82–$112	$67–$91
65	$40–$55	$60–$82	$100–$138	$81–$111
70	$52–$72	$78–$108	$130–$180	$105–$146
75	$72–$98	$108–$147	$180–$245	$146–$198
80	$104–$142	$156–$213	$260–$355	$211–$288
85	$155–$210	$232–$315	$388–$525	$314–$425

Guaranteed acceptance, monthly premium by age (estimates, updated 2026-09-18)

Guaranteed acceptance whole life (no health questions). Full death benefit after a two-year graded period at most carriers; premiums returned with interest if death occurs earlier. Industry estimates from published carrier rate tables, monthly premium, not a quote. The carrier confirms the price when it underwrites.

Age	$10,000	$15,000	$25,000
50	$38–$53	$58–$79	$96–$132
55	$45–$61	$67–$91	$112–$152
60	$53–$72	$79–$108	$132–$180
65	$64–$88	$96–$132	$160–$220
70	$83–$115	$125–$173	$208–$288
75	$115–$157	$173–$235	$288–$392
80	$166–$227	$250–$341	$416–$568
85	$248–$336	$372–$504	$620–$840

See your own number. Sage sizes the coverage, asks three plain health questions, and shows the price range you'd actually get, before anyone asks for your phone number.

Ask Sage: Cover my funeral and final bills

PolicyChat Life is a licensed life insurance agency. Every policy comes with a free-look period, usually 10 to 30 days depending on your state, with a full refund.