# Great Plains Life Assurance: The Carrier Most Agents Miss
Most agents have never heard of Great Plains Life Assurance, and that tells you everything about their distribution strategy. While carriers like Mutual of Omaha and Aetna flood the market with agent recruitment campaigns, Great Plains Life operates quietly in the background, writing solid business through a select network of producers who actually know what they are doing.
I worked with dozens of regional and mid-tier carriers during my time managing national distribution, and Great Plains Life represents something increasingly rare in our industry: a carrier that focuses on product quality over marketing noise. They do not chase every shiny new distribution channel or sponsor every agent convention booth. Instead, they build relationships with agents who understand their products and can sell them properly.
This approach creates opportunity for the agents who discover them. While your competition fights over the same oversaturated Mutual of Omaha and AARP contracts, Great Plains Life offers competitive products with less agent competition and more personalized support.
What Is Great Plains Life Assurance
Great Plains Life Assurance Company operates as a subsidiary of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. They write Medicare Supplement insurance, final expense life insurance, and annuity products across multiple states. The company maintains its headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska, and has operated continuously since 1946.
The Allianz backing matters more than most agents realize. When carriers get acquired, the parent company usually standardizes underwriting, claims handling, and agent support across all subsidiaries. Great Plains Life benefits from Allianz's financial strength and operational infrastructure while maintaining its own product portfolio and regional focus.
This structure gives agents the best of both worlds: the stability of a major financial services company with the responsiveness of a regional carrier. I have seen too many small carriers struggle with claims processing or regulatory compliance because they lack the resources to handle complex operational requirements. Great Plains Life avoids these problems through its parent company relationship.
Company Financial Strength
A.M. Best rates Great Plains Life "A" (Excellent) for financial strength. This rating reflects the company's strong balance sheet, adequate reserve levels, and conservative investment portfolio. More importantly, it reflects Allianz's commitment to maintaining the subsidiary's financial health.
Agent compensation depends on carrier stability. When carriers face financial pressure, they cut commission rates, reduce marketing support, or exit markets entirely. Great Plains Life's rating provides reasonable assurance that your contracts will remain stable and your clients' policies will be honored.
Great Plains Life Product Portfolio
Medicare Supplement Insurance
Great Plains Life offers standardized Medicare Supplement plans in select states. Their underwriting guidelines tend to be more flexible than some national carriers, particularly for applicants with controlled diabetes or mild heart conditions.
I have reviewed their underwriting manual, and they take a practical approach to health questions. Where some carriers automatically decline applicants with specific conditions, Great Plains Life often requests medical records and makes individual underwriting decisions. This approach helps agents place business that might be declined elsewhere.
Their Plan G and Plan N products compete well on price in most markets. More importantly, their customer service handles claims efficiently and responds to agent inquiries quickly. This matters when your client calls with questions about coverage or claims processing.
Final Expense Life Insurance
Great Plains Life writes final expense policies from $5,000 to $50,000 with simplified issue underwriting. Their application process requires no medical exam, just health questions and prescription drug verification.
Their underwriting guidelines are straightforward and consistently applied. Agents know what conditions will be declined and what conditions will be approved at standard rates. This predictability helps with client expectations and reduces the frustration of unexpected declines.
The company offers level premium whole life policies with immediate coverage for accidental death and graded coverage for natural death during the first two years. This structure matches industry standards and provides competitive options for most final expense prospects.
Fixed Annuities
Great Plains Life offers multi-year guaranteed annuities (MYGAs) with competitive interest rates. Their annuity products focus on simplicity and transparency rather than complex index formulas or variable options.
This straightforward approach works well for agents who want to offer retirement income solutions without navigating complicated product features or regulatory requirements. The products are easy to explain, easy to sell, and easy to service.
How Great Plains Life Assurance Works for Agents
Contracting Process
Great Plains Life maintains selective agent contracting. They do not recruit every agent who applies, and they prefer agents with established Medicare Supplement or final expense experience.
When I worked with regional carriers of this size, I learned that selective contracting benefits both the carrier and the agents. Carriers get higher quality business and lower charge-backs. Agents get better support and less internal competition for prospects.
The contracting process requires standard insurance licenses, errors and omissions coverage, and completion of their product training programs. They verify agent background and production history before approving contracts.
Agent Support and Training
Great Plains Life provides product training through online modules and periodic webinars. Their training focuses on product features, underwriting guidelines, and sales processes rather than generic insurance concepts.
Most agents who contract with Great Plains Life are experienced producers who need product-specific training, not basic insurance education. The company recognizes this and structures their training accordingly.
Agent support includes dedicated phone lines for contracting questions, underwriting inquiries, and policy service requests. Response times are typically better than larger carriers because they handle fewer agents and maintain appropriate staffing levels.
Commission Structure
Great Plains Life pays competitive commissions on all product lines. Medicare Supplement commissions range from 15% to 20% in the first year, with renewal commissions continuing for the life of the policy.
Final expense commissions typically range from 80% to 110% in the first year, depending on the specific product and agent production levels. Annuity commissions vary by product type and surrender charge schedule.
The company pays commissions promptly and provides detailed commission statements. They also offer production bonuses for agents who meet specific volume targets.
Why Most Agents Get Great Plains Life Wrong
Here is what most agents misunderstand about Great Plains Life: they think a smaller carrier means inferior products or unreliable service. This assumption costs them business and limits their options.
I have placed policies with carriers ranging from startup operations to Fortune 500 companies. Product quality and service reliability depend more on management competence and financial backing than company size. Great Plains Life benefits from Allianz's resources while maintaining the flexibility of a regional operation.
Many agents also assume that working with lesser-known carriers hurts their credibility with prospects. In my experience, prospects care more about the agent's knowledge and the product's value than the carrier's brand recognition. If you can explain why Great Plains Life's Medicare Supplement plan provides better value than the competitor's plan, the prospect will listen.
The biggest mistake agents make is avoiding carriers simply because they require actual product knowledge and relationship building. Great Plains Life does not provide endless marketing materials, lead generation programs, or hand-holding support. They expect agents to understand their products and sell them professionally.
This creates an opportunity gap that smart agents can exploit. While other agents chase the latest marketing gimmick or lead generation system, you can build solid business with a reliable carrier that supports agents who know what they are doing.
Working with Great Plains Life in Practice
Best Use Cases
Great Plains Life works best for agents who focus on Medicare Supplement and final expense markets in their available states. Their products compete well on price and features, and their underwriting guidelines help place business that might be difficult with other carriers.
Agents who prefer building long-term client relationships rather than chasing high-volume transactions will appreciate Great Plains Life's approach. The company values policy persistency and supports agents who write quality business.
Market Positioning
Position Great Plains Life as a stable, reliable alternative to the major national carriers. Emphasize their Allianz backing, competitive products, and personalized service.
Do not apologize for working with a carrier that prospects have not heard of. Instead, explain why working with a selective carrier benefits them through better underwriting decisions, faster claims processing, and more responsive customer service.
Integration with Other Carriers
Great Plains Life works well as part of a diversified carrier portfolio. Use them for prospects who need flexible underwriting or prefer working with regional carriers, while maintaining contracts with national carriers for prospects who prefer brand recognition.
This approach gives you options for different prospect preferences and underwriting situations. Some prospects will prefer the stability of a major brand, while others will appreciate the personalized service of a regional operation.
For more insights into carrier selection and distribution strategies, visit our articles section or learn more about our approach to the senior health insurance market.
The Real Value of Great Plains Life
Great Plains Life Assurance provides solid products, reliable service, and reasonable agent support without the complications that come with massive national carriers. They focus on core insurance products rather than chasing every market trend or distribution channel.
This focus creates value for agents who understand their market and can sell insurance professionally. You get competitive products, predictable underwriting, and responsive support without fighting through layers of bureaucracy or competing with thousands of other agents for attention.
The carrier is not perfect, and they are not the right fit for every agent or every prospect. But for agents who want reliable products from a stable company with reasonable support, Great Plains Life deserves consideration as part of your carrier portfolio.