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LifeShield Short-Term Health Insurance Review

45 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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LifeShield National Insurance Company, also known as LifeShield, was founded in 1982, and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company is an affiliate of the Midland Group, and offers life, cancer, critical illness, and accidental insurance products and services in the United States.

How is LifeShield rated?

Breakdown

4.3/5
Plan Features
4.3/5
Cost
4.5/5
Customer Experience and Financial Reputation

Overall Rating: 4.3 / 5 (Excellent)

LifeShield short-term health insurance plans offer consumers affordability and flexibility. The company operates in 30 states, including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, among others. LifeShield offers two short-term health plans to choose from: Lifeshield Advantage and LifeShield Flex. Both plans offer coverage for preventive/wellness care, diagnostics services, inpatient hospital services, ER, urgent care facility, and ambulance services. Additionally, the company offers limited coverage for mental health care, substance abuse, and physical, occupational, and speech coverage, which is great, since many short-term insurance providers don’t offer coverage for these.

Like most short-term health plans, LifeShield’s plans don’t cover maternity or newborn care. However, unlike other providers, LifeShield doesn’t provide any coverage when it comes to outpatient laboratory services or x-rays. Additionally, the company doesn’t have an online member portal for account management or a mobile app. Customer support is provided via email or over the phone. That being said, although LifeShield offers affordable short-term plans, with flexible terms to choose from, its plans are much more limited than those offered by other providers reviewed by us, so we encourage consumers to do some research before purchasing.

LifeShield Key Plan Features

Plan Features - 4.3 / 5

LifeShield offers consumers 2 short-term plans to choose from: the LifeShield Advantage plan, and the LifeShield Flex plan. Both plans offer the same deductible, coinsurance, coverage period maximum, and out-of-pocket maximum options. However, LifeShield Advantage has higher monthly payments than the LifeShield Flex plan, but also offers more coverage when it comes to outpatient surgery, ER, and advanced diagnostic studies deductibles. LifeShield's Advantage plan also offers unlimited doctor office consultations for a $40 copay.

Both plans offer terms of 6, 12, and 36 months, which varies from one state to another, and both offer coverage for preventive/wellness care, diagnostics services, inpatient hospital services, ER, urgent care facility, and ambulance services. Inpatient and outpatient prescription drugs are covered if it is stated as an eligible expense in the selected policy. Additionally, the company offers limited coverage for mental health care, substance abuse, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Coverage
Routine Doctor Visits
Diagnostic Services
Hospital
ER
Ambulance
Urgent Care Facility
Prescription Coverage
Substance Abuse
Mental Health Care
Term Range
6, 12, or 36 months. Varies by state.
Waiting Period
5 days for illnesses, 30 days for cancer.
Mobile App
No
Online Account Management
No
Cancelation Policy
LifeShield will reimburse the total cost of the plan, if the benefits have not been used, and the consumer returns the certificate within 10 days of receipt. Additionally, consumers can send a letter to cancel the policy anytime; cancellation will take effect the next premium due date, or at a later time, if specified.<br /><br />LifeShield can terminate coverage if premiums are not received, after the insured's death, or if fraud is committed, among other circumstances.
Prescription Coverage
Generic, brand, and non-formulary prescription drugs are not covered, except for those administered by a doctor in an inpatient or outpatient setting covered under the selected policy as an eligible expense.
Pre-Existing Conditions Fine Print
For the first 12 months, LifeShield will not cover charges resulting directly or indirectly from a condition for which the individual received medical treatment, diagnosis care or advice within the 60-month period preceding the individual's certificate effective date.

LifeShield Plan Cost

Cost - 4.3 / 5

LifeShield short-term health plans don’t have an application fee, and monthly fees vary depending on several factors such as the individual’s location, and age, among others. Additional fees from the Med-Sense Guaranteed Association (MSGA) may also apply. The company offers plans with a lifetime maximum of $750,000 or $1,000,000, depending on the selected plan. Deductibles also vary from one plan to another, ranging between $1,000 and $5,000. LifeShield plans have the option to choose between 20% and 0% coinsurance, and plans have out-of-pocket maximums of $2,000, $3,000, and $4,000, depending on the selected policy. The company also offers copays for doctor office consultations, and different maximums per day for all other services like extended care facilities, mental disorders, hospital services, substance abuse, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy, among others.
Deductible Frequency
Per Term
Deductible
$1,000
$2,500
$5,000
Coinsurance
20%
0%
Coinsurance Out of Pocket Max
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
Application Fee
$0
Lifetime Maximum
$750,000 or $1,000,000, depending on the selected policy.
Per Day Maximum
Ranges between $50 up to $1,250, depending on the service provided.
Copays
Copays are available for doctor office consultations raging between $30 and $50, depending on the selected plan.

Customer Experience and Financial Reputation - 4.5 / 5

LifeShield National Insurance Company has been rated B++ by A.M. Best, and has an A- rating on the BBB, with a total of 6 complaints over the last three years, which appear to have been resolved. LifeShield doesn’t have a TrustPilot score, but its 2017 NAIC complaint ratio is 0.0, and it appears to not have any complaints filed against it with the NAIC, which is excellent. The company doesn’t have an online member portal or mobile app, but it offers customer support via email, and over the phone.
Year Founded
1982
Company Type
Underwriter
AM Best Financial Rating
B++
BBB Rating
A-
NAIC Complaint Ratio 2017
0.0
NAIC Total Complaints 2017
0
Date Collected
2018-10-30

Company Profile

Full Name
LifeShield Short-Term Health Insurance
Company Website
Headquarters
5701 North Shartel, 1st Floor, Oklahoma City, OK, 73118

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45 Customer Comments & Reviews

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liz.maffei27
10/11/2023
Terrible company. This company took payments for insurance for over four years and 15 days before the person passed away. They canceled her insurance for no reason. She had a five-year term life insurance policy that they could not get their act together to renegotiate and not interrupt coverage. She fell in the limbo period While they were trying to work things out but they canceled before they were successful And 15 days later, the insured passed away leaving her family and 18 year old daughter in financial disrepair. They does not care one bit. Awful company. I would never consider using this company unless the policy you are purchasing from them does not allow for them to cancel at... Read More


beverlyshawn57
11/18/2022
Do not get insurance with this company. They are a SCAM company. They will take your money, but do nothing towards your medical bills! Customer service, if you can call it that, is a huge joke! No one helps you and they just want your money! I know from experience! Stay away from LIfeshield national insurance co.


beverlyshawn57
3/10/2022
Horrible Company! They will take your money and run! They are the biggest joke of a business, but I guess they are getting rich ripping innocent people off! Do not get scammed by them!


beverlyshawn57
10/8/2021
Lifeshield is horrible! They just steal your money and do nothing for you. They drag everything out for a year or more and then tell you that the very small amount they pay towards claims is all that’s allowed in your geographical area! What a joke! The amount they pay is very very small!


B
Beverly
6/8/2021
DO NOT GET INSURANCE WITH LIFESHIELD STM! I have been dealing with them for over a year to try and get my medical bills paid from an injury I had that required a disk in my neck to be repaired! Called again this morning June 8th, 2021 and after being disconnected twice and another long on hold, I finally got the same girl I always get and still no help! They give me a different story every time I call the TPA thing they use for claims! I sent my own medical records twice with a signature card to be returned and they sign it COVID 19! How professional of them! They keep you hanging on to get more money out of you! I have spent hours on the phone with them or just being on hold! Please to... Read More


B
Bob B
5/19/2021
What Bernie Madoff is to the financial industry LifeShield is to medical insurance! After ripped off 2/3 years ago and complaining to my state attorney general I’m shocked and saddened our government continues to allow LifeShield to prey on the vulnerable. With 100s of complaints on these web sites, what more evidence is needed? LifeShield virtually 100% profit scam because the premiums customer wastes not a penny of coverage in return for most claims. OK, maybe less than 1% of my bills covered but you’re still better off paying the medical bills on your own! LifeShield only doubles your medical costs because the money WASTED on their premiums I could’ve instead used to pay off my own... Read More


J
Josie
3/8/2021
Consumers Advocate, this is . Readers, don't believe anything in this article, believe the customer comments. This is not a real business. Customer service consists of being passed from one coworker to another in somebody's basement. If you need a laugh ask for the customer service representative's job title. I got passed to a "supervisor," asked for her job title, and she said "I am advisor to...here." That's really all you need to know about this scam.


jferrante442
2/2/2021
Scam alert 📢 Do not buy this insurance. They Don't pay claims.poor custom service. Double talk, delay tactics ,missing documentation , everything is under review,everything is a preexisting condition etc.etc. zero stars rewarded.


travisjohnson68w
9/17/2020
BEWARE! THISE COMPANY IS A SCAM. THEY DONT PAY CLAIMS, THEY AVOID BILLING FROM THE DOCTORS FOR MONTHS THEN YOU GET STUCK WITH THE BILL. THEY DO NOT PROVIDE ANY COVERAGE THAT YOU PAY FOR. EXPECT TO PAY OUT OF POCKET 100% EVEN FOR A RUTINE DOCTORS VISIT. SPEND YOUR MONEY AT A REPUTABLE INSURANCE COMPANY. THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST STEALING YOU MONEY.


mandymquick
5/8/2020
Do NOT get this insurance. Terrible is not even a good description. My 2 year old broke her arm and they denied every single claim for that, as well as every regular doctors visit and checkup. Kept saying they needed information from the doctors office which I personally faxed & mailed as well as the doctors office did the same. Just awful. We are stuck with thousands in medical bills because of this company. They don’t even deserve 1 Star



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