National Life Life Insurance Review 2026

National Life offers over $10 million coverage on some policies, suitable for families with high coverage needs. EZ Underwriting skips medical exams for eligible applicants.

Read our National life insurance review below.

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Updated: June 8, 2026

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At a Glance: National Life Insurance

National Life Group

National Life Group

MoneyGeek Rating
4.0/ 5
4.3/5Affordability
3.7/5Customer Experience
3.6/5Coverage Points

  • Average Monthly Cost

    $48 (F), $59 (M)

  • Average Annual Cost

    $576 (F), $708 (M)

MoneyGeek’s Take: Is National Life Right for You?

National Life offers both term and permanent life insurance policies with different coverage structures. It has high coverage caps of over $10 million for some policies, making it a good fit for those with large insurance needs. The company also offers simplified issue policies, referred to as EZ Underwriting, that don't require medical exams for eligible applications up to age 65.

National Life doesn't offer final expense insurance. Consider other top final expense insurance companies if you're looking for small coverage only for end-of-life expenses.

National Life Insurance Products

National Life issues many different policy types, including term and permanent life insurance plans. Its EZ Underwriting program, which simplifies the underwriting process, is available for term and permanent policies.

Life insurance policies don't have deductibles like other insurance types. You pay premiums for guaranteed death benefit coverage.

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance offers a guaranteed death benefit for a defined coverage period. The premiums are fixed for the length of the policy, which doesn't have any cash value.

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    Term lengths and maximum coverage amounts vary by product and underwriting class, but the insurer offers 10-, 15-, 20-, and 30-year policies. National Life issues some term policies through EZ Underwriting, which allows eligible applicants to qualify without a medical exam, while higher coverage amounts require full underwriting.

    National Life’s term life insurance includes a conversion feature that allows you to exchange term coverage for a permanent life insurance policy during the conversion period without new medical underwriting.

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance is one of several permanent life plans offered by National Life. Compared to other types of permanent life insurance, whole life policies may offer less cash value growth and flexibility.

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    National Life offers participating whole life insurance that provides lifelong coverage, level premiums and guaranteed cash value growth. Cash value grows at a guaranteed rate and becomes accessible through policy loans or withdrawals, subject to policy terms.

    National Life's whole life policies support EZ Underwriting for people who qualify. Coverage limits and age eligibility vary by product.

Universal Life Insurance

National Life offers three forms of universal life insurance. Each provides permanent coverage with flexibility in premiums or death benefits, depending on policy design.

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    Universal Life

    Traditional universal life credits interest at rates declared by the insurer and includes a guaranteed minimum, which limits downside risk.

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    Indexed Universal

    Indexed universal life insurance credits interest based on the performance of a market index, subject to caps, participation rates and floors that limit losses during negative index periods.

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    Variable Universal

    Variable universal life allows you to invest cash value in market-based subaccounts, which increases growth potential but also exposes cash value to market risk.

National Life’s Life Insurance Riders

Life insurance riders are extra benefits that you can include on your policy if you're looking for more protection, usually at an additional cost. National Life offers Living Benefits in the form of Accelerated Benefits riders, which enable you to access a portion of the death benefit early if you're diagnosed with a qualifying terminal, critical or chronic illness.

Rider availability varies by state and product type. Contact National Life or a licensed agent to confirm which riders are available for your situation.

How Much is a National Life Insurance Policy?

Your life insurance premium depends on age, health, coverage amount and policy type. Underwriting pulls together your medical history, lifestyle habits and family health background to set the rate. Younger applicants in good health pay less. Term life costs less than permanent coverage because it expires after a set period rather than lasting your entire life.

National Life's rates vary based on underwriting class, which reflects your risk level. The table below shows term life policy rates for people with average health and weight. These are estimates for comparison purposes and don't reflect actual premiums, which require a personalized quote from National Life.

Data filtered by:
20 years
Select
Male
No
$100,000$22$264
$250,000$33$396
$500,000$59$708
$750,000$85$1,020
$1,000,000$111$1,332
$1,500,000$164$1,968
$2,000,000$216$2,592
$3,000,000$318$3,816

Life insurance rates and availability vary by state, age, health and other factors. Rates shown are estimates based on our survey of publicly available data from insurance companies and may not match your actual premium, which depends on your specific circumstances and underwriting.

How to Buy Life Insurance From National Life

National Life applications go through an agent. Underwriting is part of the process and a medical exam is required for some coverage amounts and age ranges. Your agent walks through each step with you and answers questions about policy terms before your first payment.

  1. 1
    Do Your Research

    Start by reviewing the types of coverage National Life sells to find what fits your situation. The National Life website has an overview of available plans. To go deeper, request a call with an agent.

  2. 2
    Compare Quotes

    Get prices from at least a few providers before committing. Age, health, gender and lifestyle all affect rates, and each company's underwriting works differently, so the same applicant can get different numbers from different insurers.

  3. 3
    Complete the Health Check

    Some policies and age ranges require a health check, which involves a phone interview, a physical exam or both. An underwriter reviews the results along with any additional documents needed to complete the risk assessment.

  4. 4
    Approval

    An approved application comes with your policy details and the information needed to make your first payment. Go over the terms with your agent before that payment clears.

National Life's Insurance Claims Process

Life insurance beneficiaries file a death claim with by phone, mail or National Life's online form. You'll need the death certificate, policy number and beneficiary identification. The insurer reviews submitted documentation and contacts beneficiaries if additional information is needed.

Beneficiaries have three payout options: a lump sum, installment payments or an interest-bearing account. For claims questions, contact National Life through its website or call 1-800-732-8939.

National Life vs. Other Life Insurance Companies

MoneyGeek Score
4/5
4.7/5
4.5/5
4.7/5
4.6/5
Policy Types
Term, Whole, Universal, IUL, VUL
Term, Whole, Universal, IUL
Term, Whole, Universal, IUL
Term, Whole, IUL
Term, Whole, Universal
No-Exam Policies?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NAIC Complaint Index
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
0.08
J.D. Power Score
641 (14th)
653 (ninth)
666 (fifth)
N/A
685 (second)
A.M. Best Rating
A+
A+
A+
A+
A++
Customer Sentiment
28.36% positive, 71.64% negative
82% positive, 18% negative
77% positive, 23% negative
95.33% positive, 4.67% negative
90% positive, 10% negative

National Life Group Insurance Review: Bottom Line

National Life has no online quote tool. You apply through a licensed agent, where you get personalized help but you can't compare rates on your own.

National Life pays annual dividends on participating whole life policies. These dividends add value on top of your guaranteed cash value growth.

Buy from National Life if you need high coverage amounts or want to work with an agent.

National Life Insurance Policies: FAQ

Can you borrow from your National Life insurance policy?
What’s the maximum amount of life insurance coverage available from National Life?
Do life insurance policies from National Life pay dividends?

How We Rated National Life Insurance

We gathered quotes across ages, health profiles and coverage amounts to map where National Life's pricing is competitive and where it isn't.

We weighted three factors for this review: Affordability (55%), Customer Experience (30%) and Coverage Options (15%).

Sample Profile Testing

We started with a baseline: 40-year-old male nonsmoker, 5'9", 160 pounds, average health rating. Then we adjusted each variable one at a time, by age, gender, height, weight, tobacco use and health status, to see how National prices policies as circumstances change.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed P&C Insurance Expert, MoneyGeek

Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has spent nearly a decade analyzing the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he has produced original research on hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

He covers economics and insurance at MoneyGeek, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among other outlets.

Like all MoneyGeek analysts, he draws on independent cost and consumer experience data. No insurance company partnership influences his recommendations.

Fitzpatrick earned his degrees from Johns Hopkins University (M.A. Economics and International Relations) and Boston College (B.A.). He began his career in financial risk management at State Street. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

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