Canada Protection Plan Reviews! Find Out if They've Got the Goods!
Ok, So what is the Canada Protection Plan? It sounds like a Government program BUT it’s not!
If you haven’t heard of Canada Protection Plan (CPP) before, you’re not alone so don’t beat yourself up.
CPP insurance is a relatively small company, operating in the Canadian life insurance market. But just because they’re small doesn’t mean they don’t punch above their weight.
Canada Protection Plan is probably one of the best known simplified, non-medical life insurance carriers in the country. If you’re unfamiliar with non-medical or no exam life insurance, read my post here.
So without further adieu, I’m going to explore this interesting life insurance company with you right now to see if they work for you.
Psst! As an aside, they are NOT to be confused with the Canada Pension Plan!
If You're Considering CPP Insurance, Speak to an Independent Life Insurance Agent
…BUT before we go any farther, I want to tell you what I tell everyone who’s thinking about protecting their families or loved ones. Always get the advice of an experienced independent life insurance agent.
Policy Architects Agents know the ins and outs of the market and have in-depth knowledge of the products on offer.
In a nutshell, we’re in the best position to help you find the right policy for the right price.
At Policy Architects we work for you, NOT the insurance company. Our job is to shop the market and connect you with the life insurance carrier that treats you most favourably.
A Word or Two About Canada Protection Plan
When CPP insurance entered the market in 1992, it provided just one Non Medical niche product. Now it has a whole range of Simplified or Guaranteed Issue offerings.
These insurance policies are best suited for harder-to-insure individuals, such as the elderly or people who are considered high-risk.
If you’ve seen a Canada Protection Plan commercial, you know one of their target markets is term life insurance for senior citizens.
Canada Protection Plan Financial Ratings
Canada Protection Plan life insurance is a privately owned corporation based in Toronto.
This business is about 25 years old, which gives it a “newbie” status in life insurance circles. CPP’s annual revenues are somewhere between $1 – 4 M and they employ about 30 people.
If you’re concerned about this company’s longevity and small size, don’t be!
Canada Protection Plan is underwritten by Foresters Financial, a giant in the North American Insurance Industry.
Rest assured, foresters has assets over $14 Billion, and has been in business for over 140 years. This connection greatly stengthens Canda Protection Plan offerings.
The good news doesn’t stop there! CPP is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an A+ rating.
More importantly, its underwriter, Foresters, maintains an A.M. Best financial strength rating of A (Excellent).
Now we’re talking!
Canada Protection Plan Reviews - What Do Customers Think?
Canada Protection plan is rated 4 Stars out of 5 based on 30 Google reviews. That’s a great rating compared with other insurers!
It’s difficult to know how much weight to give bad reviews. To be perfectly honest, all insurance companies receive them.
It’s human nature. When you’re angry and motivated, you’re more likely to leave a negative review.
When your experience is positive, you’re less likely to write anything at all.
Better Business Bureau registers only one minor complaint connected to CPP insurance within the last 3 years.
Even better? They have no complaints at all so far this year.
Reviews from employees are mixed as well. This insurer maintains 2.9 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor. So maybe they aren’t the best employer…
Hey, you can read what you want into this. The one area that might raise a red flag is customer service. If the employees aren’t satisifed they may not give exemplary service. But this is only a guess.
So how much stock should you put into Canada Protection Plan reviews?
That’s a great question! It suffices to say reviews shouldn’t be the only factor you use when deciding on a potential insurer. In fact, I would say it’s low on the totem pole because of people’s penchant for grumbling.
Canada Protection Plan Reviews - Products
Ok guys, this is where things gets fun! I really enjoy perusing the products, so here goes!
CPP Canada Protection Plan is known primarily for their simplified no medical exam life insurance and their market niche is high risk underwriting.
…but they also sell:
- Critical Illness
- Health & Dental
- and Travel Insurance
This company uses a lot of different names for their plans including:
- CPP Guaranteed Acceptance
- CPP Deferred
- CPP Deferred Elite
- CPP Simplified Elite
- CPP Preferred
- CPP Preferred Elite
- CPP Express Elite Term
Yep, it’s a little confusing but don’t let that scare you off! Their coverage options are pretty straightforward! Basically, they offer Permanent (whole life) or Term insurance (simplified & traditional).
So let’s check our their Permanent & Term options now!
Canada Protection Plan Term and Permanent Life Insurance
CPP Express Elite Term Insurance
Term life insurance is hands down the best option for most people 90% of the time.
It’s the most affordable coverage for those looking to protect their income and their mortgage and is usually bought in 10, 20 or 30 year blocks.
For example, if you have a family with young children, you may want to secure a 20 or 30-year term. This protects your loved ones during their most vulnerable periods.
Over the term of coverage, your monthly cost is guaranteed to never-go-up. When the term ends, your coverage expires.
So basically you’re buying life insurance for the window of time that you need it most.
Canada Protection Plan’s Express Elite Term is a new policy designed for consumers in excellent health who want term coverage issued fast!
Undoubtedly the application process is quick. It’s typically completed in as little as 15 minutes and a policy issued within 72 hours
But that’s not all, CPP insurance also claims that it has the best rates for no medical term coverage up to $500,000!
Benefits of CPC Express Elite Term Insurance:
- Available as Express Elite Term 20 or Express Elite Term 30
- Designed for healthy individuals with no insurability issues
- Eligible ages 18-60 for Term 20
- Eligible ages 18-50 for Term 30
- Renewable to age 80
- Convertible to age 70
- Child rider option
- Coverage amounts $100,000 – $500,000
CPP Guaranteed Acceptance Life
This is CPP’s guaranteed-issue life insurance product. It’s intended for people with serious insurability issues. So how does it work?
CPP Guaranteed Acceptance Life is only available as a permanent product. There are absolutely no health exams or medical questions required to begin coverage.
I love it because anyone ages 18 – 75 can get this insurance! You can’t be denied!
If you’re newly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or recently had a heart attack, you’re still eligible.
This is a good safety net for a small amount of debt or final expenses. So what’s the catch? Because you know there is always one or two!
- The maximum amount of protection is limited to $25,000
- There’s a 2-year waiting period. If death happens within the first 2 policy years due to non-accidental means (other than suicide), your beneficiaries will receive a refund of all premiums paid.
- It’s the most expensive coverage, for example, a 65 year old male will pay $216.86 per month for $25,000 of insurance
- Builds up a small amount of Guaranteed cash value over time.
CPP Deferred Life
- Designed for individuals with moderate to serious health issues
- Ages 18 – 80
- Available as permanent insurance
- Available as term insurance: 10, 20, 25 & 25 year decreasing
- Coverage amounts $5,000 – $75,000
- 2 year waiting period
CPP Deferred Elite Life & Deferred Elite T100
- Designed for individuals with moderate health issues
- Ages 18 – 80
- Available as permanent insurance (CPP Deferred Elite T100 is only available as a permanent option)
- Available as term insurance: 10, 20, 25 & 25 year decreasing
- Coverage amounts $5,000 – $350,000
- 2 year waiting period: if death occurs from a non-accidental cause the premiums are paid back in 1st year. 50% of the death benefits paid if death is in 2nd policy year.
CPP Simplified Elite Life & Simplified Elite T100
- Designed for healthy individuals with few insurability issues
- Ages 18 – 80
- Available as permanent insurance (CPP Simplified Elite T100 only available as a permanent option)
- Available as term insurance: 10, 20, 25 & 25 year decreasing
- Coverage amounts $5,000 – $500,000
CPP Preferred Life, Preferred Elite Life & T100
- Designed for healthy individuals with no insurability issues
- Subject to underwriting & may require a medical exam
- Ages 18 – 80
- Available as permanent insurance (CPP T100 only available as a permanent option)
- Available as term insurance: 10, 20, 25 & 25 year decreasing
- Coverage amounts $50,000 – $1,000,000
Canada Protection Plan Critical Illness Insurance
CPP or Plan De Protection Du Canada as it’s known in Quebec, has three critical illness plans available through Foresters life insurance company.
One is a simplified-issue policy and the other two are traditional plans which require medical underwriting.
Health Security Plus
- No exam, nurses or needles
- Covers 6 critical illnesses
- Premiums are graded (To be avoided if possible as monthly costs go up over time)
- Available to ages 20 – 55
- Coverage amounts $10,000 – $100,000
- Renewable every 10 years up to age 75
Lifecare 10 & Lifecare T75
- Traditional medical underwriting
- Covers 21 critical illnesses
- Level premiums (costs stay the same over the length of the term)
- Available to ages 18 – 65
- Coverage amounts $25,000 – $2,000,000
- LifeCare10 renewable every 10 years up to age 75
Canada Protection Plan Health and Dental Insurance
CPP Health and Dental Insurance
Canada Protection Plan doesn’t really offer their own health or dental insurance.
What am talking about? It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to set up deals with other carriers to offer a wider range of products. This is one of those situations.
CPP insurance offers Manulife’s FlexCare and FollowMe Plans…
…I’ll save that review for another day.
Canada Protection Plan Travel Insurance
Canada Protection Plan Travel Insurance
CPP insurance offers travel coverage through Allianz Global Assistance.
It’s underwritten by CUMIS General Insurance Company, a member of The Co-operators group of companies.
The general rule is that you’ll need to buy emergency medical or evacuation insurance when going out of the U.S., Rick Garlick, a hospitality and travel expert with Magid Associates, tells CNBC Make It. “Insurance is much more necessary on international versus domestic trips, particularly ones you have to plan far in advance,” he says.
4 Times You Can Skip Travel Insurance and 3 Times You Should Buy It, CNBC
Canada Protection Plan Reviews - Underwriting
The majority of Canada Protection Plan products are simplified-issue requiring no health test.
This means they have lightening-fast underwriting so your insurance is typically approved in as little as 48 hours!
Cpp insurance also encourages independent advisors to speak directly with their underwriters if there are any eligibility questions or concerns.
Canada Protection Plan Regional Vice-President, Sales, Québec Centre, Alain Plante,
Canada Protection Plan Reviews - Application Process
A Canada Protection Plan application requires NO fluids, NO tests, and NO forms.
However, you’re still required to answer a series of medical questions organized in modules.
The farther you make it through these sections without answering “yes” to any of the questions, the more coverage you’re eligible for at a lower cost.
Check out my No Exam Life Insurance post here – for detailed examples of application questions.
Oh yes! Canada Protection Plan has a fast, reliable, easy-to-use electronic application process.
Your independent life insurance agent fills it in with you face-to-face or over the phone. The program also saves information as you go.
This feature is really handy because it allows you to stop in the middle of the application and save your answers at any point.
The CPP application process is very straightforward for advisors and consumers alike. Not to mention the speedy fast processing time!
Consumers are notified of approval within 48 hours of submitting an application.
Yet another thing CPP gets right.
Hey James - all this is fine but is Canada Protection Plan the right company for Me?
There's only one way to find out! Let's see how they stack up against the competition.
Canada Protection Plan Reviews: Example 1
Sharon is a 65 year old, non-smoking, female with a serious health condition. Unfortunately, she only qualifies for $25,000 of CPP Guaranteed Acceptance Life coverage.
Her monthly premiums are $153.38!
So what about the competing life insurance companies? Could Sharon do better?
If she applies to Access Life L100 Guaranteed Access with Industrial Alliance Insurance (IA) her premiums will be:
- $177.84 per month
The CPP premiums save her $24.46 per month or 15%!
What happens if her beneficiaries get a payout? Let’s assume for argument’s sake Sharon passes away when she’s 75 years old.
She’s married, so her husband Bernard is paid out $25,000 tax-free!
What is the total cost of insurance for each company?
So let’s compare how this works out for her beneficiary! This is how much Sharon contributed over her life to the policy:
- Canada Protection Plan: Sharon’s total cost of insurance over ten years with CPP is $18,456 or $153.38 per month for this period.
- Industrial Alliance: Sharon’s total cost of insurance over ten years is $21,340 or $177.84 per month for this period.
Her overall savings if she selects CPP Life Insurance is:
Now, this is pretty great! Who wants to spend more money than they have to?
What will you do with $2,884 of savings?
NOTE: These policies are very similar but not identical! The Industrial life policy has higher cash surrender and paid-up values than the Canada Protection Plan example. Another reason to call Policy Architects. We have all the deets!
Canada Protection Plan Reviews: Example 2
Here’s another example.
Raj is a healthy 43 year old non-smoking male with Type 2 Diabetes. He qualifies for CPP’s most affordable no medical term life insurance, Simplified Elite Life Term…
….but he is also interested in checking out Industrial Alliance rates because he heard they rock.
Raj has a lot of debt, so he is looking for $500,000 of coverage for a 20 year term.
Let’s check out his premiums now!
Oooops! Access Life T20 Immediate Plus maxes out at $300,000 in coverage!
Hmm, that’s just not enough, but because the rates are so good Raj asks us to compare Industrial Alliance rates with CPP to get an idea of how they compare:
Industrial Alliance: Access Life T20 Immediate Plus for $300,000 of coverage over 20 years is $74.79/month
CPP: Simplified Elite Life Term 20 policy with $300,000 of coverage over 20 years is $71.28/month
As you can see CPP is slightly cheaper than Industrial Alliance, but not by much. So here’s the rub. CPP Insurance gives him $500,000 in coverage!
So how much does this cost?
- CPP Simplified Elite Life Term 20 policy with $500,000 of coverage costs $115.20/month
Not too shabby!
CPP insurance comes out on top because their coverage maximum is 66% higher at $500,000. This is a win for CPP Insurance.
Canada Protection Plan Pros
Canada Protection Plan is a Niche Provider
What's the saying? Do one thing and do it well! Canada Protection Plan's narrow focus means they do a really great job with No Medical Guaranteed and Simplified Issue Life Insurance.
Canada Protection Plan Makes the Application Process EASY
Hey, your time is valuable! Who wants to wait around, especially when there's no health exam or any forms to fill out.
Your independent advisor completes an electronic application with you in as little as 10 minutes!
No Fluids, No Paperwork & No Headaches When You Apply for a CPP Policy
I don't know about you, but if I don't have to get a needle or pee in a cup, it's a good day.
CPP Offers High Maximum Coverage Amounts
Within the Simplified Issue niche, CPP insurance has great maximum coverage amounts : $5000 - $500,000
CPP is More Lenient When it Comes to Life Insurance for Diabetics
Can diabetics get life insurance? You Betcha...
....with Canada Protection Plan they can! If you have diabetes and are rated by a traditional carrier you stand an excellent chance of being approved with CPP.
When applying to traditional carriers, it’s not uncommon to get a rating of 150% or higher if you have type 2 diabetes.
This means you pay more money for your life insurance.
For example, if you’re a 55 year old male applying for $250,000 of Term 20 with Ivari insurance, a 150% rating translated into $223.54 per month.
If you qualify for CPP Simplified Elite Term, you pay $193.05 per month.
That’s roughly a 130% rating and 20% less than what you pay with Ivari or other traditional carriers.
NOTE* If your independent life insurance agent thinks you have a chance at a standard rate, it's always worthwhile applying to traditional carriers. If you are already rated or don't want the hassle of a drawn out application process, CPP is a great alternative.
CPP Offers the Longest Term Coverage: 25 Years
Canada Protection Plan offers 25 Year Term Coverage - the longest term offered by Simplified-Issue Carriers!
At Canada Protection Plan Quick Approvals Are the Norm
If you want speedy coverage, you've come to the right place! It's not unusual to have your life insurance approved and in force within 48 hours of completing a Canada Protection Plan application.
Canada Protection Plan Insurance is Affordable
Canada Protection Plan is very economical compared with other Simplified Issue life insurance carriers.
Canada Protection Plan Cons
Canada Protection Plan is Small Company Without a Long History
Even though Canada Protection Plan is underwritten by Foresters Financial, they're still a small, private corporation that's been in business less than 25 years. As such, it's hard to find solid information from which to gage their financial health...
I am giving this an orange x because Foresters is VERY solid.
Canada Protection Plan has Mixed Customer & Employee Reviews
Every company has negative and positive reviews, but comments by CPP ex-employees hint high staff-turnover as well as customer service deficits.
CPP Insurance's Traditional Term Insurance Is More Expensive
CPP insurance's Preferred Life Term insurance (fully underwritten) is more costly than many other traditional carriers term products.
Canada Protection Plan Offers a Limited Selection Of Products
James, you can't have your cake and eat it too!
I know this is a double-edged sword but that's why this icon's coloured orange NOT red!
Yes having a company that does one thing really well is good thing. There's definitely something to be said for specialization.
...and Canada Protection Plan is a GREAT company for that.
Even though I place a strong emphasis on niching down, I also think the range of life insurance products they have is limited. So this is worth mentioning!
Is Canada Protection Plan Right For You?
Well, that’s the question of the day. Does CPP insurance have the right plan for you?
Remember, Canada Protection Plan is a no medical exam life insurance carrier.
This coverage is ideal if you have serious health or insurability issues. Many people overestimate the gravity of their medical condition with respect to life insurance.
BUT In most cases, you’re healthier than you think.
That being said, you should consider Canada Protection Plan ONLY if you are:
- Seriously ill
- An Xtreme sportsperson
- In a dangerous occupation
- REALLY afraid of needles and fluids
- A visitor or non-resident in Canada
- Looking for a small policy to take care of your final expenses
- Someone that Received a Travel Exclusion with your traditional coverage
- Someone that needs life insurance FAST!
Call Policy Architects today! We work with you to find the BEST life insurance company for your personal needs – and will save you some serious time and money to boot!
Guaranteed or Simplified-Issue life insurance should always be your Plan B. Whenever possible, apply for traditional underwritten life insurance first before moving to no medical plan because it’s usually always more affordable.
This is why it’s so important to talk to an independent life insurance agent like Policy Architects. Canada Protection Plan is a great non-medical life insurance provider which may or may not be the right choice for you.
Give us a call, we can help!
