Foresters PlanRight: What Medicare Agents Should Know About This Final Expense Plan
Guest post by Aaron Hildenbrand.
Foresters PlanRight is a simplified issue whole life policy built for final expense planning. It is not a Medicare plan, and it is not health insurance.
That distinction drives how you offer it to a Medicare client. Final expense is a small policy with big consequences if the plan type, the beneficiary or the appointment is wrong.
Here is what Foresters publishes about PlanRight: the three plan types, how underwriting picks one, and the application rules that trip agents up. Product facts come from Foresters' public materials, linked below.
What PlanRight is
PlanRight is issued by The Independent Order of Foresters, a fraternal benefit society. Coverage is written as a certificate, and the insured becomes a Foresters member. From the carrier's PlanRight producer guide (503306 US, 04/25) and PlanRight consumer page:
Issue ages: 50 to 85, age last birthday (50 to 80 for the Basic plan).
Face amounts: $5,000 minimum, up to $35,000 depending on plan and age.
Premiums: level and guaranteed, payable to age 121. Rates vary by issue age, gender and tobacco use.
Tobacco: non-tobacco means no cigarettes or any other tobacco or nicotine in the last 12 months.
Underwriting: simplified issue. No bloodwork, saliva swabs or paramedical exam.
Cash value: guaranteed cash values, available on full surrender, with loans against the cash value. Loans and loan interest reduce the death benefit.
Fees and minimums: a $36 annual certificate fee, and a $10 minimum monthly premium on bank draft.
The consumer brochure (503340 US 06/25) adds a point worth saying out loud. PlanRight does not specifically cover funeral goods or services and may not cover the entire cost of a funeral. The beneficiary can use the proceeds for any purpose unless otherwise directed.
The three plan types: Preferred, Standard and Basic
PlanRight is one product with three death benefit types. The client doesn't pick one. The application answers and the underwriting checks decide.
PlanRight Preferred: 100% of the face amount from day one, and the lowest premium of the three. Maximum face is $35,000 at ages 50 to 80 and $15,000 at ages 81 to 85.
PlanRight Standard: 100% of the face amount from day one. Maximum face is $20,000 at ages 50 to 80 and $10,000 at ages 81 to 85.
PlanRight Basic: a limited death benefit in years one and two, equal to premiums paid plus 10% annual interest. From year three on, 100% of the face amount. Maximum face is $15,000, issue ages 50 to 80 only.
On Basic, the limit applies to non-accidental death. The producer guide says the death benefit is based on 100% of the face amount if death is accidental during the first two years.
Here is the carrier's own example from the producer guide. A client buys a $15,000 Basic certificate and pays $700 a year. If the client dies of natural causes at the end of year one, the benefit is 1.10 times $700, or $770. At the end of year two, it is 1.10 times ($770 plus $700), or $1,617. From year three, it is $15,000.
That is the honest framing. Basic is not $15,000 of protection on day one, and the family needs to know that before the client signs.
How underwriting picks the plan
The application has 15 medical questions in three groups. Per the producer guide:
Any "yes" to questions 1 through 6: the client does not qualify for PlanRight. Stop the application.
All "no" to 1 through 6, any "yes" to 7 through 12: the client may be eligible for Basic.
All "no" to 1 through 12, any "yes" to 13 through 15: the client may be eligible for Standard.
All "no": the client may be eligible for Preferred.
The answers are only part of it. Foresters runs a point-of-sale process that combines the answers with an MIB check, a Milliman IntelliScript pharmacy and medical data search, and a build chart review. The producer guide says the result is final, cannot be changed and has no underwriting appeals. If the MIB record conflicts with an answer, LiveApp re-asks the question, and an unresolved conflict sends the case to Foresters for formal processing.
The PlanRight medical reference guide (503461 US, 10/24, for producers) shows how common histories map to plan types. A few examples:
Heart attack, stroke, TIA or heart procedure: within one year, Basic. Within two years, Standard.
COPD or emphysema: Standard.
Cancer: diagnosis or treatment within three years, Basic. Currently has cancer, had a recurrence or had more than one type of cancer, no coverage.
Congestive heart failure: no coverage.
Oxygen equipment within 12 months: no coverage. The guide says CPAP machines and nebulizers are not oxygen equipment.
Current nursing home resident, or help needed with any activity of daily living: no coverage.
Wheelchair or electric scooter use due to a chronic condition: no coverage.
Build matters too. At 5'10", the build chart shows a minimum weight of 117 pounds and maximums of 308 for Preferred, 330 for Standard and 353 for Basic. Outside the chart, coverage is declined.
The guide also maps medications to plan types, and some, like several diabetes drugs, can point to Preferred or Basic depending on the condition behind them. The underwriter makes the final decision.
My advice: read the medical questions word for word, and ask about prescriptions before you quote a plan type. The pharmacy check will find them anyway. It is better for the client to hear "Basic" from you in the kitchen than in a letter later.
The riders that come with it
From the producer guide:
Accelerated Death Benefit Rider (for Terminal Illness): included at no additional premium on Preferred and Standard, not available on Basic. If the insured has a condition expected to result in death within 12 months, the owner can accelerate up to 95% of the eligible death benefit, one time, with a $2,000 minimum. The face amount can drop by more than the payment.
Common Carrier Accidental Death Rider: included on all three plans. If the insured dies within 180 days of an accident while a fare-paying passenger on a common carrier, it pays two times the face amount, subject to a $300,000 maximum across all Foresters accidental death coverage.
Family Health Benefit Rider: included on all three plans. After certain natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes, it pays $50 for an ambulance, $100 for an ER exam and $100 a day for a hospital stay up to five days. The limits are $650 per person per incident and $5,000 per family lifetime.
Accidental Death Rider: optional, for added premium, on Preferred only, issue ages 50 to 80, up to 100% of the face amount.
The producer guide flags one thing for clients on public assistance. An accelerated death benefit payment may be taxable and may affect eligibility for public assistance or benefits. For a client on Medicaid or another public assistance program, tell them to check with a tax advisor and the agency before they accelerate anything.
Application rules that trip agents up
These are straight from the producer guide and the PlanRight agent flyer (505060 US 06/26).
The insured has to answer. The proposed insured must be mentally competent and able to answer the questions on their own. Signatures by power of attorney are not accepted.
An interview is required. A producer must interview the proposed insured. Sales by internet or mail are prohibited. LiveApp works for face-to-face and non-face-to-face sales, but e-applications aren't available in Massachusetts.
E-app limits. For e-applications, the insured, owner and payor must be the same person, and there can be no intent to replace coverage.
Replacements. Replacement forms must be completed with the application, and PlanRight cannot accommodate 1035 exchanges. Existing coverage includes Foresters certificates that lapsed or were cancelled in the past 13 months.
Beneficiaries. Beneficiaries must meet insurable interest rules and, as a fraternal requirement, benefits must go to the member or the member's dependents, directly or indirectly. Funeral homes and funeral directors are not acceptable beneficiaries.
No temporary coverage. Coverage starts on the certificate issue date once the first premium is honored and insurability hasn't changed.
Draft dates. A requested draft date can't be more than 45 days from the signature date, and draft or issue dates on the 29th, 30th or 31st are not honored.
Prior Foresters history. An application is cancelled if the insured had two Foresters certificates lapse, go not taken, get surrendered or get cancelled within 12 months, or three or more since 2009.
Tobacco class is permanent. Once issued, the insured can't move from tobacco to non-tobacco.
Paper apps have a clock. Submit paper applications within 10 business days, even if the client wasn't eligible, because Foresters needs the signature that authorized the MIB and Milliman searches.
If a client wants the funeral home paid directly, PlanRight is not built that way. Name an eligible family beneficiary, and let the family handle the funeral home.
Fitting PlanRight next to Medicare
It is a separate conversation. Under 42 CFR 422.2263(b)(4), marketing non-health care related products to prospective enrollees during any MA sales activity or presentation is cross-selling, and it is prohibited. Under 42 CFR 422.2264(c)(3)(iii)(C), a personal marketing appointment may not be used to market non-health related products, such as annuities. Life insurance is a non-health product. Finish the Medicare work, then set a separate appointment. Our SOA, TPMO and call recording guide covers the details.
Medigap clients. If a client went through medical underwriting for their supplement, the habit is the same here: underwriting first, honest answers, no assumptions. Our Medicare Supplement underwriting guide walks through that mindset.
The rest of the stack. Final expense sits alongside hospital indemnity, cancer and dental coverage, not in place of them. See our ancillary insurance guide for Medicare clients for how the pieces fit.
What to verify before you quote
The state application and availability. Use the correct state application, be licensed where the sale happens, and check ezbiz for current availability and state variations.
Prescriptions and recent history against the medical questions and the medical reference guide.
Height and weight against the build chart, plus existing coverage, including Foresters certificates from the last 13 months.
The beneficiary, by name and relationship, and never a funeral home.
The certificate for the client's state, which governs over any guide or brochure.
FAQ
Is Foresters PlanRight a Medicare plan?
No. It is simplified issue whole life from a fraternal benefit society, marketed in a separate appointment from any MA or Part D discussion.
What is the difference between PlanRight Preferred, Standard and Basic?
Preferred and Standard pay 100% of the face amount from day one, and Preferred has the lowest premium and the highest maximum. Basic pays premiums plus 10% annual interest for non-accidental death in years one and two, then the full face amount from year three.
Can a client appeal a PlanRight underwriting decision?
Per the producer guide, no. The point-of-sale result is final and there are no underwriting appeals.
Can a funeral home be the beneficiary on PlanRight?
No. The producer guide says funeral homes and funeral directors are not acceptable beneficiary designations.
The Bottom Line
PlanRight is not a Medicare product. It is a small whole life policy, and the details decide whether it does its job.
Read the questions word for word. Know which plan the answers point to. Name the right beneficiary. Keep it in its own appointment.
If you want help building a compliant final expense conversation alongside your Medicare book, book a call with Brock or join one of our weekly agent webinars.
Product details are from the Foresters PlanRight producer guide 503306 US (04/25), medical reference guide 503461 US (10/24), consumer brochure 503340 US 06/25, agent flyer 505060 US 06/26 and the PlanRight consumer page, reviewed October 21, 2026. Products and riders may not be available in all states and are subject to state variations. Always confirm in current carrier materials.
