Yes, it is. I was surprised when I first discovered this. The process is known as Life Settlement.
Life settlements are legal in the United States. In 1911, the Supreme Court ruled that life insurance is property and can be sold. In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) further solidified the legality of life settlements by allowing the transfer of ownership of life insurance policies.
The Supreme Court case that established the legality of life settlements is Grigsby v. Russell, which was decided in 1911. In this case, the Court ruled that life insurance is property and can be sold. This ruling was based on the principle that the insured person has a property right in the policy, and that this right can be transferred to another person.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was enacted in 1996, further solidified the legality of life settlements by allowing the transfer of ownership of life insurance policies. HIPAA prohibits health insurers from discriminating against individuals based on their health status, and this includes refusing to pay a death benefit to a new owner of a life insurance policy. However, HIPAA does not prevent life insurance companies from requiring that the insured person be in good health at the time of the sale. This is because the death benefit is still considered to be a health benefit, and health insurers are allowed to set standards for who is eligible to receive these benefits.
