Atlanta residents are free to buy life insurance from any insurance carrier doing business in Georgia, but you shouldn’t just go with the first company you come across. The best life insurance company offers the most competitive rates that fit your medical history and lifestyle.
We used industry data, pricing from Policygenius carrier partners, and third-party ratings like AM Best and J.D. Power to pick the best insurers on the market. Our independent recommendations will help you get life insurance coverage with confidence.
Here are the best life insurance companies available in Atlanta today, along with everything you need to know about buying life insurance in the state of Georgia.
Best life insurance companies in Atlanta
Best overall: Legal & General America
Cheapest: Legal & General America
Best term life insurance: Legal & General America
Best no-medical-exam life insurance: Brighthouse Financial
Best whole life insurance: MassMutual
Best for seniors: Prudential
Best for young adults: Brighthouse Financial
Best for people with pre-existing conditions: Lincoln Financial
Best for marijuana users: Lincoln Financial
Best for smokers: Legal & General America
Best overall life insurance
We named Legal & General America, which also does business as Banner Life and William Penn, the best life insurance company in Atlanta because of its low rates, flexibility when choosing term lengths, and the ability to fit a variety of applicants with different health conditions and lifestyles. Most applicants in Atlanta will find an affordable policy with the coverage they want at Legal & General America.
Cheapest life insurance
Legal & General America
Legal & General America provides the most affordable rates in Atlanta for the greatest variety of applicants. Whether you’re a young adult in the picture of health or you’re older and have certain health issues, you can likely find an inexpensive policy with the company.
Best term life insurance
Legal & General America
Term life insurance extends coverage to the policyholder for a set number of years at an affordable rate, making it the best life insurance option for most Atlanta residents. Legal & General America offers many term length options, for up to 40 years of coverage.
Best no-medical-exam life insurance
No-medical-exam policies let you use past medical records to determine how much your policy will cost, skipping the medical exam portion of the application altogether. Brighthouse Financial offers the lowest no-medical-exam rates in Atlanta and can turn around applications in as little as a single day.
Best whole life insurance
Atlantans who want their life insurance policy to cover them for their entire lives can choose whole life insurance, but it's significantly more expensive than term life. Whole life insurance also allows some policyholders to build cash value and earn dividends based on the company’s financial performance. MassMutual pays larger dividends to policyholders than the competition.
Best for seniors
Atlanta seniors who are 60 years old and above can find low rates with Prudential, even if they have certain pre-existing conditions that are associated with older age.
Best for young adults
Brighthouse Financial
Young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s can get better life insurance rates all over, but Brighthouse Financial offers some of the best rates for young adults, with quick application decisions and flexible income requirements for students enrolled in college.
Best for people with pre-existing conditions
Atlanta residents who have health conditions like arthritis, diabetes, or high blood pressure can expect to pay more for life insurance coverage than applicants without pre-existing conditions. But among its competitors, Lincoln Financial offers the best rates to people with pre-existing conditions.
Best for marijuana users
Lincoln Financial
Many life insurance companies automatically classify marijuana users as smokers, meaning they’ll pay much more for life insurance than they would otherwise. But Lincoln Financial offers non-smoker rates and affordable coverage to marijuana users.
Best for smokers
Legal & General America
Atlanta smokers will have to pay double or even triple the rates that non-smokers pay for life insurance, simply because of the health risks involved with smoking. But Legal & General America offers lower rates to smokers than their competitors, and policyholders can request a rate reduction after they quit smoking for just one year.
Comparing the best life insurance companies in Atlanta
Company | Policygenius rating | Best for | Types of policies | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brighthouse Financial | 5.0 / 5 | No-medical-exam life, young adults | Term life, no-medical-exam life, whole life, short-term life, universal life | |
Legal & General America | 4.9 / 5 | Overall, cheapest, term life, smokers | Term life, no-medical-exam life, universal life | |
MassMutual | 4.9 / 5 | Whole life | Term life, no-medical-exam life, whole life, universal life, variable universal life | |
Lincoln Financial | 4.8 / 5 | Marijuana users, people with pre-existing conditions | Term life, no-medical-exam life, indexed universal life, variable universal life | |
Prudential | 4.1 / 5 | Seniors | Term life, no-medical-exam life, short-term life, universal life, indexed universal life |
What is the average cost of life insurance in Atlanta?
Based on Policygenius data from 2023, the average monthly premium for a healthy 35-year old in Atlanta buying a $500,000, 20-year term life insurance policy is $30.79 for men and $25.76 for women.
What happens if a life insurance company goes bankrupt in Atlanta?
When a life insurance company becomes insolvent, the Georgia Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association covers affected Atlanta residents assuming they continue to pay for the policy.
Atlanta residents who hold a policy with a bankrupt life insurance company will be notified by the receiver and/or the guaranty association. The guaranty association provides coverage for up to $300,000 in death benefits and $100,000 in cash surrender value.
If a policyholder moves out of state, they will get coverage from the guaranty association of the state they reside in when the life insurance company goes bankrupt.
How to find a lost life insurance policy in Atlanta
When someone in Atlanta dies, their family or the person managing their estate can look for life insurance policies and annuity contracts with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Life Insurance Policy Locator Service.
The Georgia Unclaimed Funds website can help individuals locate unclaimed property including life insurance benefits that were turned over to the state
Georgia life insurance laws
Life insurance companies selling policies in Atlanta must follow Georgia guidelines that provide consumer protections and define how policies must work in the state.
Free look period
Georgia residents can cancel a new life insurance policy and receive a no-strings-attached refund of all premium payments within 10 days of receiving the policy.
Guaranty Fund protection
The Georgia Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association covers Georgia residents for up to $300,000 in death benefits and $100,000 in cash surrender value when a life insurance company can no longer meet its financial obligations.
Contestable period
The contestable period is the time frame during which life insurance companies are allowed to investigate and deny a claim if they discover the policyholder lied or made misstatements during the application process. In Georgia, the contestable period lasts for the first two years the policy is in effect.
Time allowable to settle a claim
Life insurance companies must pay claims against Georgia policies within two months of receiving proof that the insured has died. Death benefits accrue interest starting the date of death and ending when the claim is paid.
Grace period for missed payments
Georgia guarantees policyholders a 30-day grace period when they miss a premium payment. This gives policyholders 30 days to make up for an unpaid premium before they can lose coverage.