What is final expense insurance?

Face amounts are usually in the low tens of thousands — enough for a funeral, outstanding medical bills and the administrative costs of an estate. Because the amounts are small, underwriting is simplified, often just health questions with no medical exam, which makes it accessible to people who would struggle to buy term cover.

Watch for graded-benefit policies, which return premiums rather than paying the full amount if death occurs in the first two or three years. They exist for applicants with serious health histories and are reasonable in that context — but nobody should buy one without being told which kind they hold.

An estimate for planning, not a quote. Medicare and the Marketplace set your real figures.