Breeze Disability and Critical Illness Insurance Review
Breeze is an online insurance company offering disability insurance and critical illness insurance with low premiums and fast, no-hassle quotes. Disability insurance provides an income if you become sick or injured and can’t work. A critical illness policy pays a benefit if you’re diagnosed with a severe illness. Breeze is a great choice for independent contractors who have to buy their coverage or those who want to supplement an employer benefit.
Breeze automates the quote process with everything you need to choose coverage online. Being an insurtech company, Breeze uses artificial intelligence to do the work of insurance brokers. With fewer employees, the company can pass savings on to the consumers with lower prices.
Pros
- Secure, high-tech underwriting with instant quotes
- Extensive online library for learning about disability insurance and chronic illness coverage
- No-pressure quotes
- Contact information not necessary for quotes
- Maintain coverage when changing jobs
Cons
- No online chat feature for customer service
Breeze is a relatively new company offering critical illness and disability policies underwritten by Assurity Life. Assurity has been in business for decades. Breeze can give you a quote for critical illness or disability insurance in about two minutes. Applying for the insurance takes another five or 10 minutes, and you’ll instantly know if you qualify.
How Does Breeze Disability Insurance Work?
You can buy individual or family disability insurance online from Breeze. The coverage replaces a portion of lost income if you can’t work. You receive monthly payments if you develop a long-term physical or mental illness or have injuries from an accident.
Shopping for disability insurance is often time-consuming. Once you choose a policy, you may have to wait for the insurance company to decide if your application is approved. Breeze simplifies buying disability insurance with these tools:
- Learn about disability insurance by reading easy-to-understand information in Breeze’s library.
- Answer a few questions to get an instant quote without entering contact information. This makes the quoting process fast, and you know you won’t get sales calls, emails and text messages.
- If you like your quote, answer a few more questions to complete an application in 15 minutes or less.
Breeze uses data from health records and other sources to determine if you are eligible to skip the medical exam. You can add riders for eight coverage options, like automatic benefit increase and guaranteed insurability. A variety of elimination periods can help you lower the cost of disability coverage.
What Is Breeze Critical Illness Insurance?
Critical illness insurance from Breeze helps you pay for what your medical insurance doesn’t. Your deductibles and out-of-pocket maximum probably cost more than ever before. A serious illness like cancer or stroke can be financially catastrophic.
Breeze critical illness insurance fills the gap in your health insurance for specific high-cost illnesses. You don’t have to be totally disabled and may work and still receive your full benefit amount.
You learn about individual critical illness insurance and the coverage you can expect on Breeze’s website. Like disability insurance, you answer a few questions and get a quote in a few minutes. Complete the secure online application in around 10 minutes to finalize a policy.
Breeze critical illness insurance covers these medical conditions:
- Heart attack
- Kidney failure
- Invasive cancer
- Coronary artery bypass surgery
- Angioplasty
- Advanced Alzheimer’s disease
- Stroke
- Major organ transplant
- Paralysis
- Noninvasive cancer
- Coma
Breeze’s partner, Assurity Life, can make instant coverage decisions for eligible applicants. You may be able to skip a medical exam altogether before you buy a policy.
What’s the Difference Between Breeze Critical Illness and Disability Policies?
Disability insurance and critical illness insurance both help you avoid draining your savings or filing for bankruptcy due to illness. Both types of policies have a waiting period after you are diagnosed before you can receive benefits.
Critical illness insurance covers some of the same conditions a disability policy covers, but we outlined some key differences below.
| Policy Feature | Disability Insurance | Critical Illness Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Amount of benefit | 60% to 80% of income | Policy face value |
| Insured may work after diagnosis | No | Yes, if physically capable |
| Monthly benefit | Until recovered or up to age limit or number of months on policy | No, lump-sum benefit |
| Benefits effective | Depends on elimination period you choose, from 30 to 365 days | No waiting period for most covered illnesses |
| Benefit age limit | Benefits stop at age 65 or 67, or from one to 10 years regardless of age. | Covered as long as you pay monthly premium, 50% benefit after age 70 |
| Waiting period for preexisting condition | Two years if not disclosed on application | 12 months |
| Coverage for a broad range of illness or injury diagnoses | Nearly any that prevent you from working | Only covers specific listed illnesses or conditions |
Breeze Disability and Critical Illness Insurance Costs
The cost of critical illness or disability insurance premiums depends on your health, age, where you live and other factors. Breeze disability coverage premiums start at $9 per month, and a critical illness policy is as low as $10 per month. However, you will pay substantially more if you smoke or are older when you apply.
The lowest prices Breeze provides are based on a minimal policy, so you will probably pay more. We found Breeze’s premiums to be slightly lower than much of the competition. The best way to know your cost is to take a few minutes to go through the online quote process. You remain completely anonymous, so there are no follow-up calls or emails.
Breeze Customer Service and Claims Support
You’ll probably never need to speak to a customer service representative when using Breeze’s online resources. However, you can use the email address or phone number located at the bottom of the website to get in touch.
Breeze is truly designed to be a 100% do-it-yourself platform. Many consumers praise Breeze’s customer service representatives. However, you can only reach them from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST Monday through Friday. When you start the application after getting a quote, the phone number conveniently appears so you can call with questions.
Breeze Disability and Critical Illness Insurance Complaints
Breeze has no Better Business Bureau rating, so we looked at Breeze’s partner, Assurity Insurance. The BBB reports that Assurity has been in business for 131 years and has an A+ rating. The company has an A- (excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best.
ConsumersAdvocate.org gives Breeze 4.7 out of 5 stars, with the highest marks for customer service. DoughRoller gives the company 8.75 out of 10 stars and notes the lack of short-term disability policies. Benzinga rates Breeze with 4 out of 5 stars and likes the prices, but not the limited customer service hours. Consumers give Breeze 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, with many enthusiastic reviews.
Breeze Disability and Critical Illness Insurance FAQ
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Is Breeze disability insurance worth it?
An American Payroll Association study shows 74% of Americans would be financially stressed if one paycheck was delayed for a week. Consider how long your savings would last if you couldn’t work for an extended period. Employer-sponsored disability insurance typically pays a percentage of your salary or wages.You may need a personal policy to fill the gap left by your employer’s benefit. Self-employed individuals generally could benefit from Breeze disability insurance.
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Does Breeze offer short-term disability insurance?
Breeze currently offers long-term disability insurance but is working on a short-term disability policy. -
Does Breeze sell disability and critical illness policies in all states?
Breeze sells both insurances in Washington, D.C., and all states except New York. -
Does Breeze have a mobile app for iPhone or Android phones?
No, Breeze doesn’t offer a mobile app, but the website scales perfectly on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. You can access Breeze by clicking the “Visit Site” link on this page. -
Is Breeze critical illness insurance worth it?
Critical illness insurance pays a lump sum. The coverage helps you pay for bills, living and travel expenses, and groceries. You can use critical illness insurance to cover medical costs your insurance doesn’t pay. Look into structuring a policy to pay you while you wait for disability benefits to start.Compare critical illness insurance with disability insurance and consider your level of emergency savings to know if you should buy it.
Conclusion
Breeze is ideal for those who want a fast way to buy personal critical illness insurance or disability insurance. The online educational library provides information to help you make decisions, and the application includes all the guidance most people require. If you prefer working with an agent in person or over the phone, consider another provider. Otherwise, use Breeze’s 100% online tools for a no-hassle quote to see if you can save money on premiums.