Haven Life Insurance Review

Haven Life is an online insurance company founded in 2014 that offers individual term life coverage to U.S. residents up to 64 years old and not in active military service or in the process of enlisting. It is headquartered in New York and is licensed to operate in all 50 states.

Haven Life was built to make insurance more affordable and accessible to all. It provides coverage issued by MassMutual or its subsidiary C.M. Life, which are both rated A++ by A.M. Best.

Ratings for Haven Life insurance are mostly positive.

Those who gave positive Haven Life insurance reviews like that some non-U.S. citizens are eligible for coverage and that InstantTerm does not require a medical exam.

On the other hand, those who gave negative Haven Life insurance reviews did not like that it caps coverage at $3 million and is not available to applicants who are over 65 years old.

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Coverage Options

Haven Life insurance products may be purchased online, and those who are interested in a term life policy may be eligible for either Haven Term or Haven Simple. We explain the terms of each type of life insurance policy below.

Haven Term

Haven Term life insurance is medically underwritten and is available to applicants nationwide up to age 64. This policy covers as much as $3 million and premiums may be paid in 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30-year terms. Additional features include level premiums, paperless processing, accelerated death benefit, and a no-obligation free-look period. Payout is via a tax-free lump sum.

Haven Simple

Haven Simple life insurance is a simplified issue term life plan that never requires a medical exam. It is available to applicants ages 20 to 55 years old, with coverage ranging from $25,000 to $500,000. Policyholders may pay in 5, 10, 15, and 20-year terms. However, it is not available to residents of California, Denver, South Dakota, North Dakota, or New York. It offers the same additional features as Haven Term and payouts are made as a tax-free lump sum.

What is InstantTerm?

InstantTerm is Haven Life’s unique underwriting process that provides instant coverage for qualified individuals up to 59 years old and are applying for as much as $1 million in coverage. It is not available to non-U.S. citizens. All policies issued with this algorithm are medically underwritten, backed and issued by MassMutual.

Pros and Cons of Haven Life Insurance

Considering Haven Life for your life insurance policy? Below are several pros and cons of choosing Haven Life as your life insurance provider.

Pros

• Term products are available to some non-U.S. citizens. Holders of certain visas may be eligible for coverage that is limited to $1,000,000 and requires a life insurance medical exam along with copies of supporting documents (Green Card or visa)
• Offers policy riders (Haven Life Plus, accelerated death benefit, and waiver of premium in eligible states)
• Temporary coverage is available to some while you wait for medical exam results
• Offers no-medical-exam coverage via InstantTerm
• Mostly positive reviews online

Cons

• Free-look period is only up to 10 days (whereas other providers have a 30-day free-look period)
• InstantTerm no-medical-exam coverage is not available to non-U.S. citizens
• Can only obtain coverage for yourself; cannot insure parents, children, and siblings
• The HavenSimple product is not available to residents of CA, DE, SD, ND, or NY

Haven Life Insurance Reviews & Ratings

Is Haven Life insurance good? Haven Life is listed as having 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. We also found mostly positive Haven Life reviews from various online sources and review sites. Let’s take a look at what some of these Have Life reviews say.

Positive Haven Life Insurance Reviews

Those who gave positive Haven Life insurance policy reviews said that its application process is seamless and straightforward and that they provide great customer service. The positive reviews constantly mentioned the fact that Haven Life offers coverage to those who are not U.S. citizens and offers policy riders, unlike many other term life insurance providers.

“I applied with Haven Life in January and the process was very smooth! My situation required Haven Life to get medical files from Kaiser and also required additional questions. The user interface was easy, I’d get a message with a secure link that I could use to respond to the various questions. Very easy process and would recommend.” - Julianna D. (Google Review)

Negative Haven Life Insurance Reviews

Some of those who gave negative Haven Life reviews said that their application took a long time to be processed, especially for policies that require a medical exam. Others complained that its website often experiences bugs, making the online application process annoying at times.

“Where to start? The process took a lot longer than expected, I think close to 8 months. It had to be restarted twice, the medical exam needed to be rescheduled, additional signatures for medical records were needed, etc. It was frustrating, but the staff were courteous which made it better. Now why did this take so long? Well, I have a medical history, and you are kidding yourself if a company will pay out a policy without checking who they are covering. So, yes, unless you have no health issues whatsoever, expect them to check you properly, which is not a bad thing!  Would I recommend them? Yes. Would I caution that it may take a while to get coverage? Yes.” - Jose O.M. (Google Review)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Haven Life still in business?

Haven Life closed to new applications in 2023. Existing in-force policies continue to be administered by parent company MassMutual, which acquired Haven Life when it was founded in 2014. If you have an existing Haven Life policy, your coverage remains in force as long as you continue paying premiums. If you are applying for new coverage, you need to choose a different carrier.

Why did Haven Life close?

MassMutual closed Haven Life as part of a broader strategic refocus on its core mutual life insurance business. The digital direct-to-consumer model that Haven pioneered in 2014 became increasingly competitive with the rise of Ethos Life, Fabric by Gerber, Banner Life OPTerm Direct, and other digital-first carriers. MassMutual chose to allocate resources to its traditional mutual product lines rather than continue operating a separately-branded digital brokerage.

What happened to existing Haven Life policies?

Existing Haven Life policies remain in full force and continue to be administered by MassMutual. Policyholders can manage their policies through MassMutual's customer portal at MassMutual.com. The death benefit, premium, and policy terms are unchanged - only the consumer brand and application portal have been retired. If you have a Haven Life policy, no action is required.

How do I file a claim on a Haven Life policy?

Beneficiaries of existing Haven Life policies should contact MassMutual directly at 1-800-272-2216 or visit MassMutual.com/claims. MassMutual processes all Haven Life claims as the original underwriting carrier. Required documentation includes the certified death certificate, the policy number, and the beneficiary's ID. Claims are typically paid within 14 to 30 days of receiving complete documentation.

What is the best alternative to Haven Life?

The closest active alternatives to Haven Life's instant-issue digital term life experience are: (1) Ethos Life - underwritten by Legal & General America, instant decisions up to $2,000,000 for ages 20-65, (2) Banner Life OPTerm Direct - same parent as Ethos's underwriter, $1,000,000 no-exam coverage with rapid digital underwriting, (3) Fabric by Gerber Life - integrated digital application with wills and savings tools, instant decisions up to $5M for healthy applicants.

Can I still get a quote from Haven Life?

No. Haven Life stopped accepting new applications in 2023 and no longer provides quotes. The Haven Life website may still be accessible for existing policy management but is no longer a path to apply for new coverage. For a new digital-first term life policy, request a quote from Ethos Life or our broader instant-issue carriers.

Is MassMutual the same as Haven Life?

MassMutual was the parent company that owned and operated Haven Life from its founding in 2014 until Haven Life closed to new business in 2023. MassMutual continues to operate as a major U.S. mutual life insurance carrier offering whole life, term, universal life, and annuity products through traditional agent channels. Haven Life was a separately-branded digital subsidiary; the consumer brands were different even though the underlying carrier infrastructure was MassMutual.

What did Haven Life offer when it was active?

When active, Haven Life offered three main products: (1) Haven Term - level term life insurance in 10/15/20/25/30-year durations, coverage up to $3,000,000 for healthy ages 18-64, (2) Haven Simple - no-medical-exam term life, coverage up to $500,000 for healthy ages 20-55 (instant decision), (3) Various supplemental wellness benefits including the Plus Rider that included AirHelp, Aaptiv, Trustage will preparation, and other digital tools. The Plus Rider concept was innovative for its time.

Are Haven Life policies still good?

Yes. Existing Haven Life policies remain fully in force and pay claims normally. The underwriting was always done by MassMutual under the C.M. Life or MassMutual paper, so the policies are backed by MassMutual's A++ A.M. Best financial strength rating. The closure of the Haven brand affects only NEW applications, not existing in-force coverage.

Where should I shop for digital life insurance now?

For 2024-2025, the best alternatives for Haven Life's digital-first instant-issue model are: Ethos Life for up to $2M of instant-decision term, Banner Life OPTerm Direct for competitive long-duration term (25, 30, 35, 40 years), and Fabric by Gerber Life for families wanting an integrated digital experience. Our instant-issue guide covers each in depth.