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Group Life Insurance
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Group Life insurance covers the lives of multiple persons, such as some or all employees of a business, or members of a
labor union, or those owing money to an automobile finance company, or members of an association.
The person owning the "master group policy" in the above examples are the employer, the union, the finance company
and the association, respectively. The insured persons, whether they get the life insurance as an "employee benefit", or
a member benefit "for free", or make a contribution to its cost, or pay for it completely themselves, generally may
name their own beneficiaries and are issued "Certificates" that are subject to the underlying Group Life Policy.
Group Life insurance historically was based on the risk characteristics of the group as a whole, without the intensive
underwriting of each member, recognizing that some members of the group would be better risks than others, but it all
works out. Further many groups generally were strongly cohesive, with many common characteristics linking all members
of the group. For example, all employees of an established company like General Motors (who as people working on a job are
healthier than an average of the population of like age, which includes some so ill they cannot work), or a group of
lawyers (who do not engage in what is commonly considered a dangerous occupation), or actively flying commercial airline
pilots (who, although in a slightly riskier job, must be in far better health to be actively flying).
This often produced savings for members, as it lowered the costs of underwriting and issuing policies.
The practical distinction between Individual and Group Life has become more and more blurred as the scope of some
groups increases to be so broad to include essentially the population as a whole (the so called "group" of "all people
who breath air"), and the face amounts increase, and coverage become more "optional". As a result, many associations
sponsor life insurance plans that are nominally Group Life coverage, but apply similar underwriting criteria, and most
require individual underwriting as Individual Life.
However, if a legal matter ever arises, the technical distinctions between Group and Individual may become critical.
Also, as many companies have completely different units that deal with Group and Individual, the same insurer
frequently would handle the exact matter completely differently depending on whether its Group or Individual unit is
involved.
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Please read this disclaimer: This Internet site provides information of a general nature for educational purposes only and is not intended to be legal and or financial advice. We make no guarantees as to the validity of the information presented. Your particular facts and circumstances, and changes in the law, must be considered when applying insurance law. You should always consult with a competent financial planner, attorney, or insurance professional licensed in your state with respect to your particular situation.
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