USAA Introduces Lower Rates For Life Insurance

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Oct. 18 -- The United Services Automobile Association issued the following news release:

USAA Life Insurance Company has announced new, lower rates for its term life insurance product. As a result, applicants in 39 states will see an average rate reduction of 13 percent - while some applicants may see a reduction of up to 22 percent - on new Level Term V life insurance policies acquired after Oct. 5, 2018. To learn more about USAA life insurance, visit usaa.com/life.

This is the second rate reduction for term products by USAA in the last two years. In 2017, USAA implemented a change to the way it calculates statutory reserves, also known as principle based reserves, which resulted in an average rate reduction of 2.9 percent. This change was part of an industry effort, led by USAA, nearly a decade in the making.

USAA data shows that one in five members do not carry life insurance, with many citing cost as the top concern. Recent data from the marketing research organization LIMRA indicates the statistic is much higher for the general population, with nearly 40 percent of Americans carrying no life insurance. LIMRA data also shows that Americans generally overestimate the cost of life insurance by two to three times.

"Life insurance is a critical component of a solid financial plan," says Bill White, vice president of Life Insurance and Investment Products. "We also know that our members, and most Americans, are cost conscious, with many living paycheck to paycheck. These new rates allow more people to afford the coverage they need to protect their loved ones in case the unthinkable happens."

In addition to making life insurance more affordable, USAA consistently works to make the process of obtaining this critical protection easier. USAA offers a fully digital life insurance application process, and in 2017, USAA became one of the first U.S. life insurers to allow consumers to use electronic medical records, when available, to simplify the application process.