Pros Explained

• No-med-exam policies available: You can purchase life insurance through Kemper without taking a medical exam. All you need to do is answer a few health questions to determine your eligibility. 
• Same-day decision coverage: If you get approved for a Kemper life insurance policy, you can get coverage on the same day, without a waiting period or a meeting with an agent.

Cons Explained

• Limited policy information online: When reviewing Kemper, we found that the website was not only difficult to navigate, but also limited in information about what its policies cover. In addition, there weren't many educational resources, such as a coverage calculator. 
• High number of complaints: Kemper has an extremely high number of complaints relative to its size, as measured by the NAIC complaint Index.
• No riders advertised: On its website, Kemper does not list the riders that can be added to your policy for additional coverage. For whole life, they mention that multiple riders can be added, but not what they are.
• Few policy types: Kemper Life sells only term life insurance, whole life insurance, and a final expense policy. Not all policy types are available in all states. You need to contact an agent or a Kemper office for more information.

Complaint Index

One of the biggest disadvantages to Kemper is that the company has a high number of complaints for its size. Out of the 91 life insurance companies that we reviewed, there were only four other providers with more complaints than Kemper.

To better understand how consumers feel about the company, we examined data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index. Here’s how it works: The complaint index is calculated based on the number of complaints a company receives relative to its size. Companies with a number of complaints expected for their size have an index of 1.0. Companies with more complaints than expected have an index higher than 1.0 and companies with fewer complaints than expected have an index lower than 1.0.

For the three years of 2022, 2021, and 2020 Kemper's complaint indexes were 3.23, 3.63, and 6.15, respectively. This means the company receives multiple times the complaints expected for a company of its size. This indicates that the company has severe issues with customer satisfaction and service. 

Third-Party Ratings

Kemper Life received an A- (Excellent) rating from AM Best for financial strength, which means its ability to meet policyholder obligations, such as paying claims, is deemed to be excellent. AM Best is a credit rating agency that issues financial stability scores based on a company’s balance sheet, debt, and other factors. 

However, this is a downgraded rating from the higher-level A. The highest letter grade that AM Best issues is A++, which several of our best life insurance companies have.

Policies Available 

Kemper’s portfolio of life insurance products includes a policy that does not require a medical exam. However, keep in mind that not all products are available in all states. Contact a local agent to find out what policies are available where you live and to get a quote.

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance provides coverage for a fixed number of years. It usually has level premiums that never increase, and a guaranteed death benefit that gets paid if you pass away during the term. While permanent life insurance has cash value, most term life insurance policies do not. The main feature of a term life insurance policy is the death benefit. Kemper offers term life coverage in amounts from $25,000 to $250,000.

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance that provides coverage for your entire lifetime. It has level premiums, a guaranteed death benefit, and a cash value component. A portion of the premium you pay goes toward a cash value. If you need access to money, you have the option to withdraw or borrow the money from your cash value. 

Final Expense Insurance

Final expense insurance or burial insurance provides a small amount of coverage that is often used to pay for end-of-life expenses, like a funeral or final medical bills. Final expense insurance can be a good option for people who have pre-existing health conditions and cannot pass a medical exam or get approved for a traditional life insurance policy. Although Kemper's final expense policy is billed as guaranteed issue, there are a few disqualifying health situations that you'll be asked about. Those who are terminally ill, confined to a hospital, or in other similar situations cannot buy the policy. The policy is available to those between the ages of three and 80.

Available Riders

Riders are endorsements that can be added to fill gaps in coverage or enhance your standard policy with more benefits and features. Kemper does not advertise on its website what life insurance riders it offers. The company only mentions that various riders are available for whole life policies. Some common riders include a waiver of premium rider, terminal illness rider, long-term care rider, child term rider, and guaranteed insurability rider. Contact a Kemper agent for specific rider information.

Customer Service

You can reach Kemper Life by calling the company at (800) 777-8467 or sending an email to customercarePA@kemper.com. You can also , who may be able to provide more personalized customer service. 

Final Verdict

Kemper Life Insurance is not one of our top-rated insurance companies. It offers few policies and lacks freely available information on its website to help life insurance shoppers understand what it offers and covers. It also has a history of consumers lodging complaints against it, with an eye-catching high number of complaints relative to its size. For these reasons, we cannot recommend it for your life insurance needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Owns Kemper Life Insurance?

Kemper is owned by Zurich Insurance Group, a Swiss insurance company. Kemper agreed to be acquired by Zurich in 1995.

How Long Has Kemper Insurance Been Around?

Kemper was founded in 1990 as Unitrin inc., after a spin-off from Teledyne. It started using the Kemper name in 2011.

Who Underwrites for Kemper Insurance?

Kemper's underwriting companies include United Insurance Company of America, The Reliable Life Insurance Company, Union National Life Insurance Company, Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company, and their affiliated fire companies and subsidiaries.

Is Kemper Life a Reputable Insurance Company?

AM Best has given Kemper Corp. a rating of A- ("Excellent") for "Financial Strength." Its outlook is stable. The company has received a large number of consumer complaints for its size over the past several years.

Methodology

We designed a comprehensive ranking methodology based on consumer priorities and life insurance company fundamentals to rank more than 90 insurers across five general categories: financial stability, customer satisfaction, product and feature variety, the overall buying experience, and cost. In order to do this, we collected over 5,000 data points and scored each company based on 55 metrics. We grouped metrics by category to see how insurers performed in each; we then weighted category scores to determine how companies performed overall.

To learn more, read our full Life Insurance Methodology.