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West Coast Life is not one of our top rated life insurance companies. You can consult our list of best life insurance companies for what we think are better options.
The benefits explained
- Fewer customer complaints than expected: Compared to other insurance companies of similar size, West Coast received fewer customer complaints than expected.
- Financially strong company: AM Best’s A+ financial strength rating indicates that West Coast Life Insurance Company is in a better position to pay claims.
- A subsidiary of a “better” life insurance company: In 1997 West Coast was acquired by Protective Life Insurance Company. It’s one of our best life insurance companies. He also listed our best life insurance companies for people over 50.
Disadvantages Explained
- Very little information available: When you search online for information about West Coast Life Insurance Company, you are redirected to the protection site. It is difficult to find information outside of the limited details offered there.
- Policies may be provided by another company: Since the west coast website redirects to Protective, you will be purchasing products from Protective and will need to ask your agent which company is underwriting your policy.
Index of complaints
West Coast customers filed a lower than expected number of complaints over three years compared to other insurers of a similar size.
Every year the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reviews the complaints filed for each company and calculates a complaints index to help consumers compare companies. Insurers that received an expected number of complaints based on their size have an index of 1.00. If a company’s index is above 1.00, the company has received more complaints than expected. If a company’s score is below 1.00, it receives fewer complaints than expected.
We analyzed Complaint Index data over three years. The West Coast received a complaint index of 0.52 in 2021. They also had an index of 0.84 in 2020 and 0.44 in 2019. This shows a solid track record of consistently receiving fewer complaints than expected for a company of its size.
Third-party ranking
West Coast is in a strong financial position. AM Best, a leading insurance rating agency, reviews an insurer’s financial stability and ability to pay claims. AM Best gave West Coast a rating of A+ (Superior). This is the second highest rating that can be awarded.
An A+ means West Coast is financially secure and has a superior ability to meet its obligations to policyholders.
Policies available
West Coast life insurance policies are offered through Protective. Here are some of the types of policies it can make available.
Term life insurance
Sometimes you don’t need life insurance for your whole life. Instead, you might only want it while earning an income and raising your family. Once your children grow up and you retire, you may no longer need coverage. It’s there that term life insurance comes into play. It covers you for a specific number of years, usually up to 30 years, although the protection offers a term of 40 years. If you die during this period, your beneficiaries receive a death benefit. If you don’t, the policy expires and your beneficiaries receive nothing unless you renew your term coverage at a higher rate. You also have the option of converting your temporary policy into a permanent policy, but this must be done before it expires and be limited to a certain period.
Universal life insurance
universal life insurance offers lifetime protection with the ability to adjust your premium payments and death benefit. It also has a cash value component, which is a savings-like portion that grows over time. You can borrow against the cash value if you need to, but this will reduce the death benefit your beneficiaries receive. Protective offers three different types of universal life on its website, including indexed and variable options.
As your cash value increases, you can use it to pay future premiums. This can help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses and make your premium flexible.
Whole life insurance
Whole life insurance is another type of permanent life insurance. It provides lifetime protection and creates cash value over time that you can use during your lifetime. Once you die, your beneficiaries receive the death benefit.
Runners available
When you purchase a life insurance policy, you can add riders to customize your coverage. Here is a sampling of some of the jumpers that may be available from Protective and West Coast.
These endorsements can be issued through protection and not the West Coast. You’ll want to check which company writes your policy so you’re aware of all the company-specific fine print. Further, Protective Life states that all such products are not guaranteed.
Guaranteed insurability rider
This rider allows you to purchase additional coverage in the future without having to undergo another medical examination or health questions. If you buy life insurance when you are young, the guaranteed insurability rider allows you to add more coverage in the future, even if your condition has changed.
Child Rider
A child rider allows you to add your dependent children to your policy. Once added, they are usually covered until they become adults. If he dies during this period, the death benefit is paid to you. They may have the option of converting the coverage to a permanent policy once they become adults.
Premium waiver
If you become disabled and cannot work, this rider will cancel your premium payments, usually after a waiting period. This way, you won’t have to worry about losing your life insurance if you can’t pay the premiums due to a covered event.
Accidental Death Benefit
The accidental death benefit rider pays an additional death benefit if you die in an accident. Your beneficiary receives this amount plus your initial death benefit.
Accelerated Death Benefit: Terminal Illness Rider
Accelerated Death Benefits (ADB) allow you to access a portion of your life insurance policy’s death benefit before you die if you meet certain conditions. You can use these funds for anything you want. To use the terminal illness rider, your doctor must certify that you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and that you have a limited life expectancy.
Accelerated Death Benefit: Chronic Illness Rider
Another type of accelerated death benefit, the chronic illness rider allows you to access a portion of your death benefit sooner if you are diagnosed with a chronic illness. To qualify, you must have a severe cognitive impairment or be unable to perform two of the six activities of daily living. These include dressing, bathing, eating, using the toilet, getting around, and moving around.
Customer service
West Coast Life Insurance Company contact details are difficult to find. You can reach Protective at 1-844-733-5433.
Our Methodology: How We Life Insurance Companies
We have designed a comprehensive ranking methodology based on consumer priorities and life insurance company fundamentals to rank over 90 insurers in five general categories: financial stability, customer satisfaction, variety of products and features, experience of overall purchase and cost.
To do this, we collected over 5,000 data points and scored each company based on 55 metrics. We’ve grouped the metrics by category to see insurers’ performance in each; we then weighted the category scores to determine overall company performance.
For more, read our full Life insurance methodology.
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