Universal Life Insurance: Imperfect Competition

How do life insurance markets operate within the classic textbook framework? Is the market perfectly competitive, or do some frictions exist that cause macro-level inefficiencies? The answer depends on what type of insurance product you are looking at, as term insurance and universal life insurance markets have drastically different competitive elements.1

Term life insurance is, all things considered, a very simple form of insurance which is consistent with other lines of insurance such as health or auto. Assuming, for example, that a 35 year old male will need coverage for 10 years, a fixed cost payable annually can cover that risk. When shopping competitively for rates, this individual has one primary element to consider: the amount of the premium. Because of the simplicity of the insurance, consumers can fairly easily compare rates to find the lowest cost policy. This is as close to a perfectly competitive market as exists in financial markets, on par with bonds and other "plain vanilla" assets.